PCB 4.0

The project intends to develop highly integrated wireless sensor systems for the secure connection of future assembly units. Embedding technology is used to achieve a level of miniaturization as yet without parallel in wireless sensor technology. The choice of suitable interfaces for embedded functional layers allows for individual components to be implemented and included in pre-tests before final assembly, promising to substantially simplify and facilitate the implementation of embedded wireless sensors. A new development tool is used to accelerate the design of Industrie 4.0 assemblies and the required infrastructure to aid production planning. The new capabilities of highly secure wireless sensor nodes equipped with advanced CodeMeter technology are showcased with sample assemblies in production and later application scenarios.

With these objectives in mind,a dedicated hardware platform for miniaturized wireless sensors with exceptionally low power consumption and a software platform are developed to enable the secure operation of wireless sensor nodes in the rugged environments of industrial manufacturing.

In the project, Wibu-Systems acts as a provider of security solutions. Alongside other PCB 4.0 targeted security solutions, the R&D project foresees the integration of a CmASIC into energy efficient wireless sensor nodes for the highest possible level of identity assurance and robustness in industrial product or component authentication in the electronic components manufacturing process.

In addition to novel module and assembly concepts for embedded wireless sensors, the project develops strategies for cost-effective industrial scale production to provide a technology platform for assemblies with embedded wireless sensor nodes. These are used to make production processes more flexible to accommodate cyber-physical production systems and enable new self-diagnostic solutions for predictive maintenance. The production of industrial electronics assemblies was chosen as a use case for its typically high requirements in terms of variety and versatility in order to evaluate the practical feasibility of the proposed hardware, software, and technology platforms.