Publication
Demonstrating High-Precision Time Synchronization for Industrial Applications over 5G
Michael Gundall; Daniel Lindenschmitt; Julian Remmet; Hans Dieter Schotten
In: 2026 22nd IEEE International Conference on Factory Communication Systems (WFCS). IEEE International Conference on Factory Communication Systems (WFCS-2026), Germany, IEEE, 4/2026.
Abstract
Multi-robot systems such as cooperative mobile robotic platforms require a high degree of temporal synchronicity to accomplish coordinated tasks with high dynamicity. Due to their mobility, wireless communication technologies such as 5G must be employed. Existing literature presents various approaches for achieving precise wireless time synchronization. However, many of these approaches lack validation in dynamic real-world scenarios that demand a precision of sub-millisecond or even less. To address this gap, this paper presents an experimental demonstration consisting of two independently controlled linear drives, each actuated by as 5G user equipment that are synchronized over the air. For this two different approaches were applied: a fully non invasive state of the art method based on tunneling of PTP messages, and a partly invasive synchronization mechanism referred to as the RBIS protocol. The presented demonstration highlights the limitations of PTP as well as the advantages of RBIS-based synchronization for highly dynamic and precise applications.