image:System configuration

Dec 16, 2022

  • Panasonic Connect Co., Ltd.
  • Industrial Cooperation Promotion Division,
  • Economic Affairs Bureau, City of Yokohama

Company / Press Release

Panasonic Connect and Yokohama City to Test World's First Beyond-5G Network Demonstration Aimed at Automated-driving

New solutions for energy inefficiency of 5G networks and degraded transmission quality of millimeter-wave wireless LANs in shielded environments

TOKYO, JAPAN (December 16, 2022) - Panasonic Connect Co., Ltd. and the City of Yokohama announced today their plan to demonstrate the world's first Beyond 5G technologies1 for automated driving, developed by Panasonic Connect, with its sensing and wireless-quality-prediction technologies for switching from millimeter-wave wireless LANs (60GHz) to a 5G network at optimum timing for uninterrupted service. The demonstration will take place in the Rinko Park area of Yokohama, including park pathways and the surrounding area, from December 19 to 23.

The new system addresses the energy inefficiencies of 5G and other wireless communication networks by introducing millimeter-wave wireless LANs. Also, the problem of shielded (blocked) propagation paths degrading the transmission quality of millimeter-wave wireless LANs is solved by using sensing and wireless-quality-prediction technologies to identify potential degradation problems in advance.

Yokohama is working to help companies improve productivity, develop solutions for societal issues, and create new business models by using advanced technologies such as IoT and AI, including by supporting demonstration tests through its "I-TOP Yokohama"2 initiative. The demonstration of Panasonic Connect's Beyond 5G technology has been organized under this initiative.

While 5G networks provide services that cover wide areas, they require large numbers of base stations due to the limited range of their radio waves, resulting in high energy consumption. In contrast, the millimeter-wave wireless LANs in the demonstration will use the 60GHz band, which requires relatively few wireless stations and thus encounters less chance of interference. Also, it can transmit gigabit-class throughput with high stability and energy efficiency due to its lower power consumption compared to 5G networks. However, the high linearity of millimeter waves leads to problems when propagation paths are blocked, so they have been used mainly for services in limited areas so far. The realization of millimeter-waves services for wide areas and mobility applications requires further technological development.

In the demonstration, the incorporation of millimeter-wave wireless LANs in a 5G network is expected to increase the energy efficiency of the overall network by a factor of three or more. Furthermore, the experiment is expected to demonstrate that millimeter-wave wireless LANs can switch to a 5G network (using Wi-Fi as a substitute for the network in the test) at optimal timing. This will be achieved with Panasonic Connect's proprietary wireless-quality-prediction and sensing technologies to identify shielded environments in advance for uninterrupted communication required to support automated driving3. An area in which the propagation path is shielded will be created with a large stationery vehicle, which the sensing technology is expected to predict in advance, triggering the system to switch from the millimeter-wave wireless LAN to the 5G network. This will be the world's first demonstration of sensing technology to detect objects (using a 79GHz millimeter-wave radar in the test) and wireless-quality-prediction technology to predict shielded environments.

If it becomes possible to control the instantaneous transmission and reception of large amounts of data for applications such as real-time video sharing for remote monitoring of automated vehicles as well as self-driving robots, and also for high-precision dynamic maps, the power-consumption efficiency of wireless network systems for automated driving is expected to improve significantly. Through the demonstration, Panasonic Connect hopes to identify potential issues and then implement necessary improvements aimed at realizing accelerated commercial application.

Panasonic Connect, guided by its mission of "Change Work, Advance Society, Connect to Tomorrow," is committed to contributing to the realization of a sustainable society and to ensure well-being for all.

System configuration

image:System configuration

Demonstration layout

image:Demonstration layout

About Beyond 5G

Beyond 5G refers to the next generation of 5G mobile communication systems, which will offer advanced functions such as high speed, high capacity, low latency and massive simultaneous connections, as well as ultra-low-power consumption, ultra-safety and reliability, autonomy and scalability, for enhanced sustainability and value.

Source: Beyond 5G Promotion Consortium https://b5g.jp/en/about.html

1 This world' first (according to Panasonic Connect research) demonstration includes the results of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' "Research and Development for Further Advancement of Fifth Generation Mobile Communications Systems" (JPJ000254) research and development project for expanding radio-wave resources.

2 Yokohama, taking advantage of its favorable concentration of some 6,000 manufacturers and 3,000 businesses engaged in IT, launched the "IoT Open Innovation Partners" (I-TOP Yokohama) initiative to facilitate increased exchanges, collaborations, project development and human-resource development for companies using IoT and other advanced technologies. With the participation of diverse companies and organizations, I-TOP Yokohama is supporting and linking projects to create new business, resolve societal issues and help small and medium enterprises raise their productivity and resolve inherent challenges.

3 The demonstration will be carried out by human-driven car.

About Panasonic Connect

Panasonic Connect Co., Ltd. was established on April 1, 2022 as part of the Panasonic Group's switch to a holding company structure. With roughly 28,500 employees worldwide and annual sales of JPY924.9 billion the company plays a central role in the growth of the Panasonic Group's B2B solutions business and provides new value to its customers by combining advanced hardware, intelligent software solutions, and a wealth of knowledge in industrial engineering accumulated in its over 100-year history. The company's purpose is to "Change Work, Advance Society, Connect to Tomorrow." By driving innovation in the supply chain, public services, infrastructure, and entertainment sectors, Panasonic Connect aims to contribute to the realization of a sustainable society and to ensure well-being for all.

The content in this website is accurate at the time of publication but may be subject to change without notice.
Please note therefore that these documents may not always contain the most up-to-date information.
Please note that German, French and Chinese versions are machine translations, so the quality and accuracy may vary.

Issued:
Panasonic Connect Co., Ltd.

Downloads (Images)

Featured news