Deterministic transport network technologies and applications for mines

Existing studies on deterministic transport networks for mining lack in-depth discussion of the applicability boundaries of Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) and Slicing Packet Network (SPN), as well as their potential coordination and technology integration paths. They also fail to combine the realities of multi-service, multi-layer, and highly dynamic network transport in mines to provide technically instructive technology selection and integrated networking solutions. To address this issue, this study systematically analyzed the urgent demand of industrial Ethernet and 5G radio access networks for the mining vertical industry for deterministic transport networks in the context of intelligent mines. It focused on the basic principles and performance characteristics of TSN and SPN. The key technologies of TSN included traffic regulation, deterministic service scheduling, and centralized control, while the key technologies of SPN included sliced Ethernet, fine-granularity slicing, and packet forwarding. Combined with the actual networking architecture and service types of industrial ring networks in mining production environments, the applicability and technical limitations of TSN and SPN in typical scenarios such as underground communication, remote control, video surveillance, and sensor data transmission were further investigated. The results showed that SPN, by virtue of its hard isolation capability, flexible service scheduling, and slicing features for vertical industries, was more consistent with the requirements of mining industrial ring networks for unified multi-service transport and deterministic performance assurance. Finally, this study demonstrates that SPN is an important technological path for the evolution of deterministic networks in the intelligent construction of mines and provides recommendations for the upgrading and deployment of mining industrial ring networks.