TUTORIAL

Alberto Morato

The evolution toward Industry 4.0 and 5.0 is driving measurement systems from isolated devices to distributed, networked infrastructures where sensing data directly feed real-time control and safety-critical decisions. In this context, conventional best-effort communication is no longer sufficient: bounded latency, deterministic delivery, and precise time synchronization become metrological requi-rements, not merely networking features. Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) extends standard Ether-net with synchronized clocks, traffic scheduling, and fault-tolerance mechanisms, enabling sub-microsecond alignment and predictable end-to-end latency in distributed instrumentation systems.

As measurement architectures increasingly demand modularity, mobility, and reduced wiring, deter-ministic guarantees must also extend to wireless domains. The integration of TSN with advanced Wi-Fi and 5G technologies introduces new challenges in synchronization transfer, jitter containment, con-figuration complexity, and cross-layer performance optimization. Achieving consistent timing accura-cy across hybrid wired/wireless infrastructures requires careful architectural design and rigorous vali-dation strategies.

This tutorial presents a holistic framework for designing and validating deterministic distributed measurement systems based on TSN and hybrid communication technologies. Drawing on experi-mental testbeds and industrial use cases, it discusses performance assessment methodologies, timing verification techniques, and reliability evaluation approaches. The goal is to provide attendees with practical design guidelines and validated integration strategies to ensure measurement accuracy, scala-bility, and resilience in next-generation Industry 4.0 and IoT environments.

Alberto Morato received the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Automation Engineering and Information Engineering from the University of Padova, Italy, in 2017 and 2022, respectively. He is researcher at the National Research Council of Italy (CNR-IEIIT) and Adjunct Professor at the University of Padova. Current research interests include the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN), functional safety, and distributed measurement systems in hybrid wired-wireless and 5G environments. Member of the IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Society (IEEE-IMS) and the IEEE-IMS Technical Committee on Measurements and Networking (TC37). He serves in the organizing and technical program committees of several international conferences. Guest Editor for Sensors from MDPI.