The fourth industrial revolution, also referred to as Industrie 4.0, has triggered a number of research projects to improve communication systems for industrial environments. Wireless technologies for mission-critical machine-to-machine communication are expected to enable very efficient and highly flexible production processes. It is especially challenging for wireless interfaces to fulfill the required end-to-end latency and the reliability constraints of the automation industry. In order to design novel PHY and MAC schemes for ultra low delay, ultra reliable and deterministic transmission of data, e.g., through optimized pulse shaping, we study the indoor radio propagation in a representative factory automation cell where industrial robots are to be controlled. We performed channel measurements using a broadband channel sounder at 5.85 GHz carrier frequency. During the measurements, the robots were in motion and executed a typical pick-and-place process. From the recorded data we evaluate the channel characteristics and calculate relevant delay statistics. We distinguish two measurement series that differ in the scattering environment and present the derived parameters. Finally, we discuss the impact of our results on the design of new 5G waveforms for industrial radio systems

The widespread use of mobile technologies has led to an increasing interest in mobile learning. Context is a central topic of research in that area. In fact, a major benefit of mobile devices is that they enable learning across contexts. In this paper, we explore how context can deliver significant benefits in mobile learning and provide an extensive review of the current literature and research on mobile learning in context. Furthermore, we identify various challenges and research opportunities in this area and propose the conceptual framework CAMeL for context-aware mobile learning.

Factory automation and production are currently undergoing massive changes, and 5G is considered being a key enabler. In this paper, we state uses cases for using 5G in the factory of the future, which are motivated by actual needs of the industry partners of the "5Gang" consortium. Based on these use cases and the ones by 3GPP, a 5G system architecture for the factory of the future is proposed. It is set in relation to existing architectural frameworks.

In this paper, we propose a communication network architecture for industrial applications that combines new 5G technologies with other existing communication technologies on the shop floor. This architecture connects private and public mobile networks with local networking technologies to achieve a flexible setup addressing many different industrial use cases. We show how the advancements introduced around the new 5G mobile technology can address a wide range of industrial requirements. We further describe relevant use cases and develop an overall communication system architecture proposal, which is able to fulfill not only technical requirements but also system requirements, which result from specific applications existing in today’s and future manufacturing scenarios.

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