Analysis of the operation of a TSN switch and other devices using executable QR codes

TL;DR

This paper addresses offline diagnostics of industrial network equipment by embedding executable programs in QR codes (sQRy). It details a two-chain workflow: a generation chain that compacts high-level code into a QR payload using the QRtree/QRind dialects, and an execution chain that runs the program on a mobile device via a VM after scanning. The demonstration analyzes a TSN switch's status LEDs, with a 2720-bit sQRy (11.5% capacity) encoded as a 7-instruction intermediate representation, and a browser-based UI for interaction. The work highlights the practicality of offline, hardware-facing diagnostics and discusses limitations (data capacity, need for multi-QR approaches or open standards) and future directions.

Abstract

Executable QR codes, also known as sQRy, are a technology aimed at inserting executable programs in a QR code. Through a concrete example, in this paper, we demonstrate their usage in the context of industrial networks in order to assess the operation of a TSN switch by analyzing its status LEDs even in the absence of an internet connection. The entire generation chain that is used to create the sQRy, as well as the corresponding execution chain that, starting from the sQRy, runs it on a mobile device, has been detailed through examples.

Figures (4)

• Figure 1: sQRy of the complete demo program.
• Figure 2: High-level representation of the code included in the sQRy.
• Figure 3: Part of the intermediate representation.
• Figure 4: Example of execution of the demo program.