Programming Edge-Based 6TiSCH Networks for Control-Loop Communication
Nurzaman Ahmed, Arijit Roy, Sudip Misra · 2023
Due to the lack of flexible analytical and traffic measurement modules, the current 6TiSCH network architecture is deficient for use in low-latency and reliable control-loop communications. In this paper, we propose a programmable scheme, PRC6, for use over the 6TiSCH network to support low latency and reliable communications. PRC6 provisions an edge-based programming mechanism, which is capable of (i) programming various application-specific tasks, (ii) reconfiguring the 6TiSCH schedule as per the requirements of tasks, and (iii) scheduling deadline-aware forwarding at the SDN core network. The programmability feature of PRC6 offers flexibility in the execution of decision-making and analytics for improved actuation in the associated control-loops. By reconfiguring 6TiSCH-related parameters, PRC6 establishes low-latency communication between the sensor and actuator nodes. We define a new header type to enable interoperable packet delivery between the Low Power Lossy Networks (LLNs) and the core network.