In coordination with Cisco and Intel, NI is proud to empower its customers to develop distributed systems that achieve deterministic communication, I/O synchronization, and code execution for distributed control and measurement loops using standard Ethernet infrastructure. Engineers are using this platform to help examine the technology in ecosystem activities, including the Industrial Internet Consortium's TSN testbed for smart manufacturing. Furthermore, major customers are leveraging this technology: the Mechanical Tooling and Production Engineering Laboratory at RWTH Aachen University is using it to develop advancements in next-generation computer numerical control (CNC) machining systems; EUV Tech is using it to develop new semiconductor processing machines; and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is using it for research into the future of the power grid. NI's participation in standards bodies, such as the AVnu Alliance, IEEE 802.1, IEEE 1588, the Internet Engineering Working Group, and the OPC Foundation, helps impart real-world lessons learned with the goal of creating a common approach to deterministic communication and time synchronization in the converged standard Ethernet network.

Mark Buckner, power and energy systems group leader at ORNL, said, “Oak Ridge National Laboratory is working to address the challenges to the stability and control of the world’s power grids brought about by the accelerated deployment of distributed renewable energy sources.” “In partnership with NI and Cisco, we are demonstrating how time-sensitive networks can lead to an unprecedented level of coordination and control in microgrids, and significantly increase the resilience of power delivery systems.”
TSN provides mechanisms for creating distributed, synchronized, and robust real-time systems over standard Ethernet. These systems use the same infrastructure to provide real-time control and communicate all standard IT data, driving the convergence of control, metering, configuration, user interface, and file-sharing infrastructure. This is expected to radically change system design and maintenance by delivering network convergence, secure traffic control, and high throughput.
The early access technology platform includes new CompactRIO controllers with Intel Atom processors and the TSN-enabled Intel i210 network card for a faster, more cost-effective, and lower-power solution. These controllers use LabVIEW system design software to keep time synchronized with the network and expose that time to code running on the real-time processor, as well as code running on the field-programmable gate array (FPGA) architecture. LabVIEW is already designed with time as a core concept, making it easy for users to seamlessly coordinate signal processing, control algorithms, and I/O timing with scheduled network transmission and across multiple distributed systems in a network. Customers interested in accessing the technology platform can join NI’s Time Sensitive Networking Community. There, they can learn more about hardware and software capabilities, view sample code and documentation, and get details on acquiring the appropriate products from NI and other partners to create deployable TSN systems.

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