5G positioning: Inspiring smart applications in the enterprise
Numerous use cases require 5G positioning
The roll out
of 5G networks beckons a new era for telecommunications in terms of
connectivity delivering low latency speeds and supporting high
bandwidth applications in the enterprise. Moreover, 5G positioning
provides new capability to collect and transmit location-based data
from robots, equipment or people as they move around. These network
attributes will enable 5G to support numerous use cases in vertical
markets such as manufacturing, warehousing, healthcare and
transportation.
Manufacturing plants and warehousing facilities, for example, often
deploy AGVs and mobile robots to transport items with positioning
techniques utilized to avoid colliding with one another or
endangering staff. The benefit for 5G to provide both high quality
connectivity and positioning is most welcomed by enterprises as
their investment on digital infrastructure will be highly efficient.
A campus network with 5G positioning can provide high accuracy
levels covering both indoor and outdoor environments, for example:
- Manufacturers need to ensure that only qualified staffs are
operating machinery. This requires one meter of positioning accuracy
in the plant. By scanning workers’ tags, manufacturers have
confidence this is the case.
- Like manufacturing environments, chemical plants are large and
hazardous. Positioning techniques need to keep track of staff within
3-5 meters which is vital in the event of an emergency.
- Hospital staff move lots of different pieces of equipment to
patients’ bedside. With the help of positioning, staff know where
the equipment is to the nearest meter. This both improves point of
care and allows hospitals to save money because they don’t need to
purchase duplicate equipment.
- Airports are another environment where critical pieces of equipment
(airstairs, trailers, carts etc) are strewn over a large area. If
equipment is missing, it can cause costly delays for airlines and
passengers. Airports need positioning techniques to keep track of
these items across the airfield within 3-5 meters.
Best practice of 5G positioning at Midea’s
factory
Midea’s
factory in Shunde, China, produces kitchen hoods, stoves,
sterilizing cabinets and dishwashers. The plant has a production
capacity of 18 million units per year.
The Shunde site comprises three major campuses and each one has
invested in a private 5G campus network together with China Unicom
to underpin industrial Internet and smart manufacturing
technologies. Covering both indoors and outdoors, the network
includes 16 macro base stations and 253 indoor small cells. The
network delivers a concurrent throughput of over 600 Mbps,
supporting the logistics and warehousing processes with a
reliability of above 99.99%.
Facing several challenges of low efficiency in warehouse logistics,
Midea identified that the network’s positioning capability needs
improving so it worked with China Unicom to upgrade existing 5G
networks to support positioning function as per 3GPP release 16
specifications, which saved extra huge investment and time for Midea
to avoid building additional network only for positioning, such as
Bluetooth or UWB.
The 5G indoor small cells deployed in warehouse measure and analyze
radio signals emitted by 5G forklifts. The data collected is fed to
advanced algorithms, such as UTDoA, which are deployed via
Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) to provide estimated locations of
the 5G forklifts. Relying on the end-to-end smart warehouse logistic
system powered by 5G positioning, drivers on forklifts and trailers
in the warehouse can have an Uber-like working experience.
In the company’s warehouses, the 5G positioning reduced the average
time it took to locate goods by 80%, while loading efficiency and
labor working efficiency are increased by 55% and 21%. As 5G
positioning continues to improve, the network will be used to keep
track of more logistics trucks and workers in both indoor and
outdoor environment.
Going forward with LPHAP to inspire wider applications
5G
positioning will be phased as capabilities improve and so will take
several years to reach its potential. “Low Power High Accuracy
Positioning” (LPHAP) can support more advanced use cases as the 3GPP
capabilities evolve. Currently with release 16 battery life is one
day, with a second’s latency and 80% accuracy to three meters
indoor. It is planned that release 18 will deliver accuracy of 90%
to 0.2m, a latency of less than 0.1 second and battery life lasting
a year.
3GPP release 15 and 16 supports data transmission from robots and
cameras but in the coming years releases 17 and 18 will enable
product designers to embed chips in safety helmets, bracelets and
cards, with a battery life of more than a year. These form factors
of terminals powered by 5G positioning can boost a wide range of
smart applications, such as locating materials, assets and workers
in various verticals.
5G positioning requires chipset and module vendors, network
operators, telecoms providers, equipment manufacturers and
industrial specialists to come together in a 5G ecosystem to make
sure 5G devices are designed and produced in line with current and
future 3GPP capabilities and specifications.
One such ecosystem was established by MLINK, to create 5G low-power
and high-accuracy positioning chips, modules and terminals. The
company’s MK8510 chip provides ultra-low power consumption and
accurate positioning throughout 5G outdoor macro and indoor small
cell network. Other participants include Fibocom, Lierda, Shenzhen
Jingjiu Technology, Tsingoal, Hangzhou ccRFID MicroElectronics Co.,
Ltd., Hangzhou MiniFirefly, I Love Yida and Huayuen.
The example of Midea endorses that 5G positioning capabilities can
contribute to a manufacturer’s efforts to improve productivity with
digital technologies.
Patience will be required because Release 16 cannot support mission
critical use cases. However, Release 16 provides a good opportunity
to start experimenting with how 5G positioning can work for devices
and vehicles location rather than critical use cases. Industry
practitioners should take the opportunity to trial and familiarize
themselves with the potential of 5G positioning and then with the
extra accuracy, scalability and reliability afforded by releases 17
and 18, bring 5G positioning to the forefront in their facilities.
Ryan Martin -
ABI Research
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TACS is a leading top consultancy in the field of information, communication
and energy technologies (ICET).
The heart of our consulting spectrum comprises strategic,
organizational, and technology-intensive tasks that arise from the use of new
information, communication and energy technologies. The major emphasis in our work is found in innovative consulting and
implementation solutions which result from the use of modern information,
communication and energy technologies.
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