Hebo: FPGA-based Transfer Time Planning for Volatile Traffic in TSN

Xuyan Jiang, Zitong Wang, Xiangrui Yang, Yihao Jiao, Tianci Yu, Xinyue Wang, Wenwen Fu, Yinhan Sun, Zhigang Sun

Abstract: Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) is an advanced technology designed for real-time Ethernet communications, providing extremely low latency, minimal jitter, and lossless data transfer for time-sensitive critical traffic. Despite its benefits, TSN faces challenges with volatile traffic, where the time between frames constantly changes, leading to potential network performance issues. To tackle this issue, this paper introduces Hebo, a novel solution designed for zero frame loss and minimal latency of volatile traffic. Hebo employs a centralized controller, built with field-programmable gate array (FPGA), to dynamically plan the timing of volatile traffic in real-time. This approach ensures real-time data transmission across the network by efficiently allocating network resources. Our real-world and simulation experiments show that Hebo could significantly improve network performance, achieving less than 100 microseconds in end-to-end delay and eliminating nearly all frame loss (reducing it from approximately 80% to zero) in industrial automation scenarios.