The flexibility of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), which use a wireless navigation system to guide them around a facility, is the reason these self-sufficient machines are so popular in warehouse environments. However, 50 AMRs on the floor will overload the traditional WiFi network. That leads to network latency and interrupts communication between AMRs and the warehouse management system (WMS), which would result in rogue robots wandering the warehouse and possibly colliding or injuring someone.
It’s becoming a common warehouse problem as more robots and other digital transformation technologies, such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and augmented reality, are adopted. Fortunately, the problem can be solved with a 5G network.
As the fifth generation of cellular technology, 5G uses low (1 GHz), medium (1 to 2.6 GHz and 3.5 to 6 GHz), and higher frequency millimeter waves (mmWave) bands above 24 GHz. In comparison, the 4G network operates only in lower frequency ranges. The benefit of 5G’s multiband operation is lower latency and higher speeds — up to 10 to 20 times faster than 4G — which makes it perfect for the data-intensive automated warehouse.
Of course, it wouldn’t be smart to plug into the public 5G network. But technology providers, such as Siemens and LG Electronics’ Business Solutions, are preparing private 5G infrastructures for industrial facilities, promising secure, reliable, and high-performance wireless networks that can transmit data between AMRs in milliseconds.
The Siemens Simatic Rack industrial PC manages the 5G core network infrastructure.
Image: Siemens
More importantly, this is not a rip-and-replace scenario where the existing wireless network nodes become obsolete.
“5G will be an addition to already existing wired and wireless network infrastructures,” said Daniel Mai, industrial wireless communications director at Siemens. “And it will enable a broad range of new possibilities due to its capabilities. It can cope with multiple applications running on the same wireless network, has fewer interferences due to licensed spectrum, and will offer an easy and secure way of connectivity to digitalize brownfield applications.”
To that end, 5G is perfect for mobile robots, autonomous logistics, driverless transport systems, and connecting thousands of edge devices and smart tools across the warehouse.
5G is built for Industry 4.0
Siemens produces hardware for 5G networks, such as the Scalance 5G router used on mobile robots in manufacturing and warehouse environments. But Siemens is not only manufacturing 5G equipment, it is also using private 5G technology at its plant in Karlsruhe, Germany, which produces over 24,000 product variants of controllers, switches, WiFi routers, industrial PCs, and other electronic devices.
An AGV connected to a private 5G network at Siemens’ Karlsruhe, Germany site.
Image: Siemens
The setup includes Siemens Simatic Rack industrial PC controllers that manage the 5G core network and the radio access network (RAN) equipment in order to translate digital signals to the radio units. In the Siemens facility, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are equipped with 5G routers, receiving signals from the radio units that communicate where the AGV needs to transport parts.
By implementing and operating the 5G prototype network in its production facilities, Siemens was able to extensively test and refine the technology, ensuring that it can withstand the requirements of warehouse environments, as well as support industrial applications.
In September 2023, Siemens made its private 5G infrastructure available to other manufacturers in Germany, with more countries to follow. One of the pilot sites for Siemens’ complete 5G infrastructure is the German steel group Salzgitter, which was looking for an industrial-strength wireless network.
“We don’t just want to build any 5G network, we want an industrial 5G that meets the enormous requirements of the steel industry,” said Gerd Baresch, CTO at Salzgitter Flachstahl, in a statement. “Wherever we need to wirelessly transmit data reliably and securely — from real-time camera images to safety-relevant emergency-stop signals for driverless transport systems — we need future-proof communication technology. Siemens has been a longstanding reliable partner for network solutions, and this is precisely why we decided to work with them.”
Siemens’ Mai echoed the need for a network that will work with future applications. “Industry will not implement new technologies without a clear benefit. The benefit of 5G technology is reliable, wireless connectivity for digital transformation,” said Mai.
LG investing in 5G
LG Electronics is also getting ready to launch its own private 5G network in the U.S. at the end of 2024.
During MODEX 2024 in Atlanta, LG unveiled its newest family of mobile robots, the AI-powered CLOi CarryBot AMRs, which are now available in the U.S. It also highlighted its partnership with SVT Robotics, a middleware platform that enables the AMRs to seamlessly connect with almost any WMS. LG recognizes that for CLOi to do its job, they have to design a network in which the AMRs can operate reliably.
LG’s CLOi CarryBot on a 5G network will help warehouses of any size reduce lead times and enhance efficiency. Image: LG Electronics
“To prevent collisions, you need to have very quick decision-making and communication between the robots and the robot management system,” said Anoop Kulkarni, senior director of business solutions at LG Electronics USA. “Our private network helps to solve all of these problems, so you don’t need to worry about the network. You can have your WiFi network in place to do what it was always doing, and now you have a new network that you can run the robots on.”
In addition, the LG private 5G industrial network includes a digital twin to diagnose problems in real-time, re-routing robots, or looking at historical data to optimize performance. “If you see that a robot is stuck, you can look at the history to see that last night there was a problem because the robot took too long, and you could optimize the routes of the robots based on the data collected from the digital twin,” Kulkarni explained.
A private 5G network is also highly secure. First, it’s not accessing a public carrier so all of the data stays within the building. Second, WiFi access points can be compromised and data can be recorded even when encrypted. “With 5G, you can’t do that,” said Kulkarni. “You can’t listen to anything, because if it’s not addressed to you, there’s just no capability to listen to it. Therefore, it takes the security to a different level compared to WiFi.”
Update the network with ease
A Siemens Scalance Industrial 5G router mounted on an AGV.
Image: Siemens
Adding private 5G is the logical next step for the automated warehouse in greenfield sites, but even more so in brownfield sites.
“In greenfield sites, manufacturers can begin from scratch,” said Mai. “But in brownfield sites, 5G will be an addition to an already existing system of various networking technologies and applications. And due to its huge capabilities, 5G is a perfect technology addition to connect and digitalize existing plants. There will be no need for cabling to add additional sensors or cameras to collect data from the shop floor to enable data-driven decision making.”
Filed Under: Warehouse automation, Wire & Cable Tips, Wireless • 5G and more