Ultra Low Latency Implementation of Robust Channel Estimation and Equalization for Industrial Wireless Communication Systems

In industrial environments, automation companies seek for wireless solutions for their real-time demanding production lines. Complicated wiring, feasibility problems in connecting moving parts and high cost limit the operation of wired communication systems like EtherCAT or POWERLINK. The specified ultra reliable low latency communication channel in 5G networks is planned to support robust wireless connection for guaranteed latency of 1 ms. But up to now, it is not yet clear, whether SG will provide frequently used industry communication interfaces or not. Additionally, to the authors knowledge, there has no SG transceiver been built up yet, which is proven to fulfill all industry specific demands. For this reason, other stand-alone solutions for this tasks are developed. To meet the industry requirements, all hardware must be designed for low latency and low hardware complexity at maximum robustness. This paper addresses channel estimation and equalization hardware architectures for use in such systems.