Content for  TR 22.837  Word version:  19.3.0

Improving safety and work conditions in factories and industrial environments is a critical component for industry 4.0. Replacing communication cables with wireless connections has already positively changed the factory environment, by providing reliable ethernet-like communications, and enabling time-sensitive networking over the air. Nevertheless, despite automation and improvement, accidents in factories still occur, leaving room for improvement. Indeed, 5250 fatal work injuries were recorded in the US only in 2018, according to the Bureau of Labour Statistics [22], a 2% increase from 2017. Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) are key components of the new smart factories, used for a variety of tasks such as heavy or hazardous materials transportation and distribution. Simultaneous presence of AGVs and human workers at the industrial side creates safety challenges and calls for stringent safety requirements [23]. For example, the driverless, automated guided industrial vehicles ANSI/ITSDF B56.5 [24] safety standard requires that "the AGV shall detect and avoid both static and dynamic obstacles appearing in the path of travel direction". Reliable detection of AGV/human presence or proximity is therefore an important safety criterion. 5G system can be deployed in a factory which uses RAN entities and/or UEs to measure 3GPP sensing data, that are made available to sensing management entities in order to derive sensing results such as the detection of the presence or proximity of AGVs and humans. This use case assumes support of NR-based RF sensing.

Company #A operates multiple AGV in its factory. Each AGV is programmed to perform certain tasks, such as transporting large containers from point #B to point #C following a programmed route. AGVs can be of various sizes and operate at different speeds and locations. In a factory, workers are dispersed throughout the area, performing different tasks. Workers-AGVs interactions are a source of potential injuries, and extra care needs to be taken to avoid any harm. The factory deploys 5G based integrated communication and sensing system with RAN entities and UEs throughout the factory floor. The RAN entities deployment is done to optimize communication, positioning, and sensing. The RAN entities and/or UEs perform sensing operations over certain target areas throughout the factory. The deployed RAN entities (or a subset of the RAN entities) transmit sensing reference signals, which are received by a subset of RAN entities and/or selected UEs. Some UEs are authorized and configured to monitor the sensing reference signals and report 3GPP sensing data to a sensing entity in the 5G system. The sensing entity can be deployed either locally in the factory or in the cloud/edge. In this use case it is important to note that AGVs do not actively participate in the sensing signals transmission or reception, and hence it is more applicable to AGVs which are not equipped with UEs, e.g., legacy AGVs. For those AGVs with UEs, the UEs can be helpful in sensing and tracking humans on the factory floor.

1. Alex is working in his section of the factory (shown in the lower left area in Figure 5.9.3-1), performing regular maintenance work around a conveyor belt.
2. An AGV, AGV#1, is approaching the area where Alex is working, carrying a heavy load to be placed at a designated location next to the conveyor belt.
3. Using the 3GPP sensing data from the RAN entities and the UE carried by Alex, the sensing entity processes the data to obtain sensing results and detects the proximity of the AGV1 to Alex. The sensing results are shared with a safety monitoring application of the factory, and a notification is sent to Alex to warn him of the approaching AGV.
4. Another AGV, AGV#2, enters an area (lower right area in Figure 5.9.3-1) with increased risk for workers due to higher workers presence and higher equipment and machines density. Based on the 3GPP sensing data from RAN entities, the sensing entity processes the data to obtain sensing results and detects the presence of AGV#2 and exposes the detection event to the factory safety monitoring application. The safety monitoring application triggers a warning sound to warn the workers (e.g., John and Emma) in that area of the approaching AGV.
   Note that, in this scenario, none of the UEs was involved in the sensing session. However, the sensing entity can use 3GPP sensing data from UEs in the area (e.g., UE carried by Emma) in its sensing processing if available.
5. In another scenario, John (lower right area in Figure 5.9.3-1), working on his section, not having a UE, is being tracked using 3GPP sensing data from RAN entities and/or UEs. When John comes in proximity with an AGV, which has or does not have a UE, a warning message is sounded to alert John.

Thanks to the warning messages, workers are safe and potential accidents caused by workers-AGVs interactions are avoided. By leveraging the sensing capability of the 5G based integrated communication and sensing system, the factory safety supervision is upgraded, and workers safety is enhanced.

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[PR 5.9.6-1] [PR 5.9.6-2] [PR 5.9.6-3] [PR 5.9.6-4]