Industry 4.0 represents the next generation of manufacturing technology in which cyber-physical systems (CPSs) integrate computation, networking, and physical processes into a seamless whole. They connect to each other and to the cloud; are easily configured; and incorporate sensors and analytics to make functionally safe, more autonomous systems.
Some basic design principles are associated with the Industry 4.0:
- Interoperability: Machines, devices, sensors and people connecting and communicating with each other through the Internet of Things (IoT).
- Information transparency: Data gathered by sensors at the machine level, aggregated, then passed upstream to higher levels that allow for unprecedented analysis and insight into factory operations. Place decision-making authority where it has the greatest effect.
- Human-machine interaction: Support human operators and managers by clearly presenting information for better decision-making and problem-solving. Improve efficiency and quality by supplanting and reducing human action where appropriate.
- Decentralized decisions: Perform tasks as autonomously as possible.
Expected benefits from Industry 4.0 include increased production, improved operational efficiency, reduced energy consumption, increased security, and new business opportunities.
Achieving these goals impose requirements on designers at all levels—from the system architecture down to the individual device. Designers have been tackling some requirements, such as the need for robust security, for a long time. Functional safety is a more recent mandate that recognizes the increasing complexity of industrial operations.