Abstract: An industrial robot adapted for operation in a factory environment includes: sensors, actuators, a robot controller and a wireless interface configured to establish a sidelink to a further industrial robot or a group of industrial robots after a successful proximity verification. The industrial robot is configured to participate in execution of a utility task, which is carried out in collaboration with the further industrial robot or at least some members of the group of industrial robots, said collaboration including an exchange of operational data over the sidelink. An example utility task is the coordinated transfer of an object by multiple participating industrial robots. Another example is the collecting of map information by multiple participating industrial robots.

Abstract: A control network for supporting one or more mobile robots operable in a facility includes: a fleet management system authorized to perform path planning and path execution for the mobile robots; and a network management system authorized to configure and perform resource allocation in an access network, which is operable to provide the mobile robots with wireless connectivity in the facility. The respective authorities of the FMS and NMS are mutually exclusive, and the FMS is configured to generate, on the basis of the path planning, a predictive network resource request and share this with the NMS. A vertical application layer server is configured to generate a network resource request which specifies a future location of said one or more VAL UEs. A network resource management server is configured to generate a QoS forecast for one or more VAL UEs.

Abstract: In an industrial automation system including a first and a second wireless communication device communicating with each other via a cellular network, the first wireless communication device obtains, while the first wireless communication device is attached to a first base station of the cellular network, knowledge about to which base station the second wireless communication device is attached and if the second wireless communication device is attached to a second allowable base station, the first wireless communication device detaches from the first base station and attaches to the second base station.

Abstract: A safety network for supporting mobile robots in a facility including: one or more zone safety controllers each operating a zone safety loop responsible for a predefined zone of the facility, including monitoring zone safety sensors and taking actions in response to detected safety events with effect in the zone only; a fleet management system configured to perform mobile robot route planning and repeatedly associate each of the one or more mobile robots with a responsible zone safety controller; and wherein each zone safety loop exchanges safety event messages with an onboard safety loop in each mobile robot, for which the zone safety controller is responsible.

Abstract: In an industrial automation system including a first and a second wireless communication device communicating with each other via a cellular network, the first wireless communication device obtains, while the first wireless communication device is attached to a first base station of the cellular network, knowledge about to which base station the second wireless communication device is attached and if the second wireless communication device is attached to a second allowable base station, the first wireless communication device detaches from the first base station and attaches to the second base station.

Abstract: A method of operating an intelligent electronic device that is in a wireless communication with a base station of a wireless communication system is described. The method includes monitoring at least two QoS parameters of the wireless communication and controlling the operation of the intelligent electronic device based on the at least two QoS parameters, wherein the intelligent electronic device includes a wireless communication module, wherein the wireless communication is carried out between the wireless communication module and the base station of the wireless communication system, and wherein the at least two QoS parameters are determined at least in part in the wireless communication module and are transferred to a control module of the intelligent electronic device over an interface.

Abstract: A method of operating an intelligent electronic device that is in a wireless communication with a base station of a wireless communication system is described. The method includes monitoring at least two QoS parameters of the wireless communication and controlling the operation of the intelligent electronic device based on the at least two QoS parameters, wherein the intelligent electronic device includes a wireless communication module, wherein the wireless communication is carried out between the wireless communication module and the base station of the wireless communication system, and wherein the at least two QoS parameters are determined at least in part in the wireless communication module and are transferred to a control module of the intelligent electronic device over an interface.

Abstract: An energy storage robot configured to be used to power electric underground equipment, the energy storage robot including a propulsion system being arranged to move the energy storage robot, an energy storage unit, a control unit being connected to the propulsion system and the energy storage unit. The energy storage unit is connectable to the electric underground equipment for powering the electric underground equipment and the control unit is arranged to communicate a level of energy of the energy storage unit to a coordinating module or another energy storage robot.

Abstract: A method of scheduling field devices in a wireless network of an industrial process system is provided. The method is performed in a scheduling device and includes scheduling one or more field devices on uplink resources and on downlink resources, such that, for at least one of the field devices, a periodicity of uplink resources is different than a periodicity of downlink resources.

Abstract: A method of scheduling field devices in a wireless network of an industrial process system is provided. The method is performed in a scheduling device and includes scheduling one or more field devices on uplink resources and on downlink resources, such that, for at least one of the field devices, a periodicity of uplink resources is different than a periodicity of downlink resources.

Abstract: A wireless communication device providing a node in an industrial wireless network investigates if there is more than one data packet with process control data from the same data originating device destined for a process control device in a transmission queue, where the data originating device is an interface to the process being controlled and transmits data packets in the transmission queue. If there is more than one such data packet, the wireless communication device further compares time stamps of the data packets, where a time stamp reflects the time of generation of a corresponding data packet, keeps the newest data packet and discards older data packets, so that only the most recent data packets from a data originating device are sent to the process control device from the node.

Abstract: An energy storage robot configured to be used to power electric underground equipment, the energy storage robot including a propulsion system being arranged to move the energy storage robot, an energy storage unit, a control unit being connected to the propulsion system and the energy storage unit. The energy storage unit is connectable to the electric underground equipment for powering the electric underground equipment and the control unit is arranged to communicate a level of energy of the energy storage unit to a coordinating module or another energy storage robot.

Abstract: A wireless communication device providing a node in an industrial wireless network investigates if there is more than one data packet with process control data from the same data originating device destined for a process control device in a transmission queue, where the data originating device is an interface to the process being controlled and transmits data packets in the transmission queue. If there is more than one such data packet, the wireless communication device further compares time stamps of the data packets, where a time stamp reflects the time of generation of a corresponding data packet, keeps the newest data packet and discards older data packets, so that only the most recent data packets from a data originating device are sent to the process control device from the node.

Abstract: A method of allocating time slots for sensor node sample transmission from sensor nodes in a wireless sensor node network which forms part of a control system for controlling an industrial process includes receiving a sample from a first sensor node in a first time slot of a superframe, which first sample has a value outside an accepted range of values, obtaining an identification of a second time slot of the superframe in which second time slot the first sensor node is to send a further sample in a subsequent superframe, and providing instructions to the first sensor node to send the further sample in the second time slot of a subsequent superframe. A computer program product and a sensor node network interface system are also disclosed herein.

Abstract: A method of allocating time slots for sensor node sample transmission from sensor nodes in a wireless sensor node network which forms part of a control system for controlling an industrial process includes receiving a sample from a first sensor node in a first time slot of a superframe, which first sample has a value outside an accepted range of values, obtaining an identification of a second time slot of the superframe in which second time slot the first sensor node is to send a further sample in a subsequent superframe, and providing instructions to the first sensor node to send the further sample in the second time slot of a subsequent superframe. A computer program product and a sensor node network interface system are also disclosed herein.