IE 419/519
Wireless Networks
Lecture Notes #7
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
RFID – Definition
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Automated identification and data collection
(AIDC) technology that enables businesses to
wirelessly capture and move data using radio
waves
A typical system consists of:
 Tags with an embedded, unique identifier for
the product or object being moved;
 Readers designed to decode the data on the
tag; and
 Host system or server that processes and
manages the abundance of information
gathered
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RFID – History
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1940s
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1960s
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During World War II, the technology emerged as an
identification of friend or foe (IFF) program, integrating
RFID tags onto military aircraft
RFID technology was used to identify and monitor
nuclear or other hazardous materials
1980s
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RFID technology research began to explore cost, size
reduction, power requirements and read ranges
It marks the beginning step to transform RFID into a
more widely used technology
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RFID – History
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1990s
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Proponents began developing tag and reader products
using RFID technologies
Millions of RFID tags were sold into applications
including container tracking, toll roads and entry access
cards
The biggest push to adopt RFID came more recently,
when both the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and
Wal-Mart® issued mandates requiring their suppliers to
use EPC open standard RFID tagging on pallets, cases,
containers and parts, by January 2005
Today's challenge is primarily in scaling this powerful
technology for enterprise-level deployments across a
variety of industries
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RFID – System Architecture
Tag
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RFID – Applicability

Used when labels may become dirty,
damaged, or distance impedes proper
reading
Advantages
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Disadvantage
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Electronic Product Code (EPC)
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EPCglobal™ is a joint venture between
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Uniform Code Council (UCC)
European Article Numbering (EAN) Association
Main organizational body involved in the
standardization of EPC
EPC is widely used and accepted for RFID
systems
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EPC Numbering System
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Classification of RFID Tags
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EPC Tags
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EPC focus is on UHF passive tags
Read-Only
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Read-Write
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A standards-based EPC extension that allows Class 0 tags to be written in
real time
Commonly referred to as Class 0+ tags within the EPC standard
Read-Write
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Tags that contain permanent data
Commonly referred to as Class 0 tags within the EPC standard
Tags that can be written over by a reader
Often referred to as Class 1 tags within the EPC standard
Class 1, Generation 2
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Gen 2 tags retain many of the Gen 1 features while offering key
performance, capacity, security and RF efficiency advantages over Gen 1
tags
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EPC Tags
Motorola
RFX3000 Gen 1
RFID Tag Inlays
Motorola
RFX6000 Gen 2
RFID Tag Inlays
Alien Technology
Gen 2
RFID Tag Inlays
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EPC Readers
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Can be portable (handheld) or fixed
Controls transmission/reception protocols
Interfaces with host computer
Three components
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Control unit
RF module
Transmitting/receiving antenna
Motorola
XR400
Motorola
MC9090-G
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EPC Readers
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Just like EPC tags, EPC readers are also evolving. Key
developments include:
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Ability to read EPC Gen 1 and Gen 2 RFID tags
Easy firmware upgrades to accommodate the EPC standards
of today and tomorrow
Use of dense-reader mode (DRM) to minimize inter-reader
interference
Multiple antennae support to reduce the cost of deployment
Flexibility to support various types of deployments as portals
and conveyor belts
Open protocol Ethernet communications to interface with
the host computer system
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RFID Applications
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The emerging widespread adoption of RFID will
result in enormous amounts of data
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Some estimates range as high as 30 times the amount of
data currently generated today
With RFID, the large number of potential “read”
points in a simplified supply chain is significant
Successful implementation of RFID requires
synchronization between
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RFID Applications
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RFID Applications
Bill of Lading
Material Tracking
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RFID Applications
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