Workcell concatenation using wifi-based Wireless Networked Control Systems

Wireless Networked Control Systems is a growing field in the world of industrial automation. This paper studies a workcell employing Wireless Networked Control Systems based on the 802.11 protocol without modifications. With the increased complexity of automated production and assembly lines, there is a need to accommodate for the concatenation of several simultaneously operating cells. The possibility of concatenating several cells is studied, with a focus on correct packet transmission, acceptable packet end-to-end delays, minimal interference from neighboring cells while subject to alien noise in the vicinity of the 2.4 GHz range. The study is based on OPNET simulations, with all results subjected to a 95% confidence analysis.