What is RFID?
Automatic identification uses technology to track and manage items with minimal human intervention. The two primary automatic identification techniques are barcodes and RFID.
RFID
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a system that involves electronic tags containing identification numbers or other data encoded onto an integrated circuit (IC). A device called a reader sends an electromagnetic signal to the tag. Upon receiving the reader’s signal, the tag transmits its code to the reader. By monitoring tag ID’s, the RFID system can track the presence and location of an object as it moves through the organization.
RFID is a combination of radio broadcast and digital coding technology. In digital coding technology, the digital data is encoded on a microchip. RFID uses radio waves to capture the digital data encoded in the microchip without any direct contact with the microchip. Therefore, RFID is used in contact less data transfers such as smart cards.
BARCODES
A barcode is a strip of bars and gaps that represent numbers. Barcodes typically encode a serial or stock keeping unit (SKU) number and identify a class, or type of product rather than identifying a single unit.
RFID vs BARCODES:
RFID
Storage capacity between 128 bytes and 8 kilobytes
No line of sight or contact required
Enhanced data security (authentication and encrypted data transfer)
Can operate in harsh, dirty and humid environments
Several tags can be read simaultaneously
Read / write functionality (reprogramable)
BARCODES
Storage capacity of 100 bytes
Require visual contact between scanner and barcode
No guarantee of security to data. Any scanner can read any barcode.
Cannot be read when dirty or heavily scratched.
Scanner can read only one barcode at a time.
Cannot reprogram the contents of a barcode.
USES OF RFID
Areas where you can use RFID include:
Security and Authentication: The application of RFID is known as Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS). EAS helps you increase the security of a system.
Track and Trace: Tracking the location of a particular object helps you monitor its movements.
Industrial Automation: In an industry, many types of equipment are subjected to hundreds of steps.
Environment Sensing and Monitoring: You can integrate RFID technology with devices that sense and monitor various environmental conditions.
BENEFITS OF RFID
In addition to overcoming the limitations of barcodes, RFID has it own benefits. By using RFID in your solution, you have the following benefits:
- Serialization (unique identification)
- Reduced human intervention
- Better time management
- Real-time information
RFID COMPONENTS
A basic RFID system consists of both hardware and software components.
HARDWARE COMPONENTS
There are three hardware components of an RFID system: tag, reader and host system.
RFID HOST SYSTEM
A system that manages the flow of data between the RFID readers and tags. An RFID host system can also have a more complex structure, where different readers are located across different locations and data flows to the host computer through LANs or the Internet.
RFID READER
A device that activates the tag and retrieves the information stored in its IC. An RFID reader sends and receives signals with the help of the reader antenna. An RFID reader, also known as an interrogator, is practically a bridge between the RFID host system and the reader antenna
RFID TAG
A device that is attached to or embedded in an item that you need to track. An RFID tag, also called a transponder, has memory where the data is stored. The components of an RFID tag are:
Integrated circuit (IC): A microchip that commonly stores data. The data stored in the IC can be read several times by the reader.
Tag antenna : A component that detects the signal from the reader’s antenna. The performance of the tag antenna depends on the distance between the reader antenna and the RFID tag.
SOFTWARE COMPONENTS
The software components of an RFID system vary greatly depending on the system requirements
RFID system software: A collection of functions that facilitates interaction between a tag and a reader.
RFID middleware: A set of software components that acts as a bridge between the RFID hardware components and the host application software.
Host application: Software that receives processed and normalized data – sent from the tag – through the reader and the RFID middleware software.
BASICS OF TAGS
WHAT ARE TAGS?
RFID tags are attached to the items that are to be tracked or identified. The tags provide a means to track and manage supply-chain and identification details such as attributes, source, destination and route – for each of the tagged items.
TYPES OF TAGS
The basic types of RFID tags are classified as read / write and read only. When a read / write tag is within the reading range of the reader, you can edit, append or re-write the stored data on the tag. On the other hand, a read-only tag permits you to read the stored data but not edit it.
COMPONENTS OF RFID TAGS
An RFID tag consists of three components: chip, antenna and substrate. RFID tags are manufactured in different shapes and sizes depending on the type of application in which they are used.
RFID TAGS ARE CATEGORISED AS:
Active Tags: Active tags have an internal power source, such as a battery. They have longer ranges and larger memories than passive tags and usually operate at 455 MHz, 2.45 GHz, or 5.8 GHz and have a reading range from 20 to 100m.
Passive Tags: Passive tags have no internal power supply and are instead activated by the reader. Passive tags have read distances ranging from 2mm though to 4.6m, depending on the frequency of individual tags. Passive tags can operate at low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF) and ultra high frequency (UHF).
Semi-Passive Tags: Semi-passive tags are an intermediate type of tags that lie between the active and passive tags. They are also called battery-assisted passive tags (BAP).
