Thesis Work for A µs time synchronization for industrial applications: between fantasy and reality

be sufficient for stringent industrial applications, e.g., control of collaborative robots or power grids. However, PTP postulates use of specialized hardware, software, and support mechanisms, which may be costly. In addition, reaching such a high accuracy is prone to different impact factors, e.g., network performance variations and environmental conditions. All that may be especially challenging for resource-constrained embedded systems. How realistic would it, then, be for industrial applications to rely on PTP for timekeeping? Details: • 1 student • Start ASAP, for a total working time of 5 months (30 ECTS per student) • Work on-site at ABB Corporate Research in Västerås, ABB may cover the accommodation Research questions: • Which impact factors are most challenging for time synchronization (TS) on a µs level? • Is such high time accuracy attainable on resource-constrained embedded platforms with a general-purpose TS protocol? Goals: • Review hardware and software requirements for running Precision Time Protocol (PTP) • Deploy one of the existing PTP implementations on a case-study embedded platform • Evaluate time accuracy and its impact factors Approach: • Analyze PTP implementations, focusing on their suitability to execute under embedded OSes • Install and configure a selected PTP implementation to act as client (i.e., "clock follower") • Design and implement methodology for a systematic evaluation of PTP-controlled time and impact factors • Carry out analysis for selected evaluation scenarios
Qualifications for the role

• Strong affinity for exploring new topics
• General understanding of computer networks and Internet protocols' operation
• Good software development skills, a proficiency in C or C++ is advantageous
• Previous experience with embedded platforms and associated OSes (e.g., FreeRTOS)
• Good spoken and written English

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