RADIO-FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION (RFID)

WHAT IS RFID?

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is the wireless non-contact use of radio-frequency electromagnetic fields to transfer data, for the purposes of automatically identifying and tracking tags attached to objects. The tags contain electronically stored information. Some tags are powered by and read at short ranges (a few meters) via magnetic fields (electromagnetic induction). Others use a local power source such as a battery, or else have no battery but collect energy from the interrogating EM field, and then act as a passive transponder to emit microwaves or UHF radio waves (i.e., electromagnetic radiation at high frequencies). Battery powered tags may operate at hundreds of meters. Unlike a bar code, the tag does not necessarily need to be within line of sight of the reader, and may be embedded in the tracked object.

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is part of the family of Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) technologies that includes 1D and 2D bar codes. RFID uses an electronic chip, usually applied to a substrate to form a label that is affixed to a product, case, pallet or other package.

WHY USE RFID?

1) Use RFID if you want to wirelessly identify something without line of sight.

 Line of sight means that one could draw a straight line going directly from the reader to the object without interruption. This is literally what is done for bar codes via a laser, but mirrors are used to make the laser look a little fancier. If the laser can't "see" the object it won’t be read.  This is very intuitive to us whenever we go to the supermarket and a bar code reader has the bar code faced toward the scanner beam.

2) Use RFID if you want a simple wireless means to store a small amount of information on things, and even better: change the information dynamically.

 RFID tags usually contain 96-512 bits of information on them and each tag can be read in less than 5 million or 5 thousandths of a second. Modern standards allow hundreds or even thousands of tags to be read in an apparently simultaneous fashion. Most tags allow you to dynamically change this ID and other types of user data tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of times. In short, tags are very versatile.

 WHERE WE USE RFID?

1)      SUPERMARKET = bar code scanner

2)      CUSTOM CLEARANCE = radio-frequency identification

BENEFITS FROM RFID

Some of the main benefits that RFID can provide are:

      The solution does not require a line of sight access to be able to read tags.

      The tag can trigger security alarm systems if removed from its correct location.

      Reader and tag communication are not orientation sensitive.

      Automatic scanning and data logging is possible without human intervention.

    Each tag can have a unique product code like standardize Electronic Product Code (EPC-code) and still hold more information in an internal memory bank.

      Each item can individually be labelled.

   Tag internal data can be comprehensive, unique in parts/common in parts, and is compatible with data processing in ERP system.

    System provides a high degree of security and product authentication - a tag is more difficult to counterfeit than a simple barcode.

   The supporting data infrastructure can allow data retrieval and product tracking anywhere provided the reader is close enough to the tag.