Industrial Internet-of-Things Sensor Simulator for Wafer Fabrication Cyber-Physical Production Systems

Digital Twin in Industry 4.0 utilises Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to collect real-life data and combine it with simulation models for product design and development. However, the deployment of sensors in a real-world factory for research and development will be a costly endeavour. This paper shows how IIoT is simulated in a wafer-fab factory for correct implementation and behaviour investigation of IIoT applications without costly investment in IoT systems and networks. IoT sensors are simulated by generating IoT events based on a discrete-event simulation of a wafer-fab. The virtual sensors are connected through an IoT hub to enable transmission and aggregation of the sensor data. A digital twin is created by assimilating the generated sensor data and the simulation models. It can be used to design and develop more complex IIoT applications