Wireless communications techniques are finding their way into industrial applications, but commercial wireless technologies lack the dependability required for critical applications in very large networks. In many wireless-controlled industrial facilities, safety regulations mandate real-time communications for tasks such as emergency shutdowns. This requires a wireless communications architecture that supports the coexistence of non-real-time and real-time tasks. To address this requirement, this paper proposes an architecture that augments a wireless mesh network with a unidirectional long-range communications system. Various configuration parameters of the system, including its security features, are optimized. Additionally, a physical realization of the architecture is evaluated using a series of experiments, including some performed on a real solar tower power plant. The experimental results demonstrate that the extension of a wireless mesh network with a unidirectional long-range communications system provides safety and scalability for industrial applications while promoting cost effectiveness and energy efficiency.

无线通信技术正在进入工业应用，但是商业无线技术缺乏超大型网络中关键应用所需的可靠性。在许多无线控制的工业设施中，安全法规要求对诸如紧急停机之类的任务进行实时通信。这需要一种支持非实时和实时任务共存的无线通信体系结构。为了满足这一要求，本文提出了一种利用单向远程通信系统扩展无线网状网络的体系结构。优化了系统的各种配置参数，包括其安全功能。此外，还通过一系列实验评估了该架构的物理实现，包括一些在真正的太阳能塔式发电厂上进行的表演。实验结果表明，具有单向远程通信系统的无线网状网络的扩展为工业应用提供了安全性和可扩展性，同时提高了成本效益和能源效率。