5G Industrial Networks With CoMP for URLLC and Time Sensitive Network Architecture

5G NR is designed from the ground up to provide support for mission critical communication with ultra-reliability and low latency (URLLC) in addition to other use cases such as enhanced mobile broadband. URLLC allows 5G network performance to approach that of wired networks (e.g., Ethernet) and paves the way for new use cases. In this paper, we focus on the end-to-end design of 5G networks for industrial factory automation. Providing URLLC wireless communication in these environments is especially challenging due to highly dynamic RF variations with possible signal blockage or reflections from moving metal objects. Coordinated Multipoint (CoMP) communication, which leverages spatial diversity to improve reliability without relying on packet retransmission, is a promising approach in these environments. We present a design and performance trade-offs between different CoMP techniques and their implication to capacity, robustness, and architecture. Subsequently, we describe architecture and protocol design aspects that allow 5G to operate as part of a time sensitive network including Ethernet bridging, time synchronization, and QoS. A prototype system that validates certain aspects of the design is also presented.