The companies have created a system which tracks a device’s location. The technology is intended for Industry 4.0 use cases.
Bosch has implemented a proof of concept for the technology at its production plant in Germany. The companies say extensive tests under realistic manufacturing conditions have shown an accuracy within 50 cm in 90% of the factory footprint.
Traditionally, 5G positioning works by measuring the time it takes for mobile signals to travel from a mobile device to different base stations.
Nokia says it has expanded on this by equipping 5G nodes with multiple receiving antennas. This allows the network to detect the incoming angles of signals to better predict the most probable position of a mobile device. The companies say their proof-of-concept achieves a level of accuracy well beyond current state-of-the-art cellular positioning systems.
According to Nokia, precision localization is important for many applications in industrial environments, such as robot navigation, asset tracking and worker safety.
