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RFID News

Welcome to RFIDReceiver, news pages. Here is a round up of the recent RFID news stories.

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RFID unlocks supply chain potential

The EU-funded SMART project is putting the finishing touches to a complete RFID application platform that addresses the technical problems, and presents options for an integrated solution to the business issues.

In some ways, RFID is like an electronic barcode. It can be read at a distance using an RFID reader, which means that people do not need to scan it manually. As goods enter a warehouse they can be automatically logged into the inventory.

Retailing revolution

RFID reduces the risk of human error, offers instant stock levels and can be tied to back-end systems, initiating orders automatically when stock starts to run low. It is a very simple principle, but the potential applications could revolutionise retailing.

For example, if a shelf needs refilling, the system can alert management automatically. If a product is reaching its sell-by date, RFID could notify retailers to discount the product.

“It means they have a better chance of selling stock, rather than dumping it, so the store runs more efficiently and more profitably,” explains Katerina Pramatari, scientific coordinator of the SMART project.

Even more advanced applications can be put in place. If one product is selling well at store A, but selling badly at store B, RFID-powered inventory systems could initiate the transfer of the product from one store to another.

Sophisticated applications, and serious challenges

These are just the initial plans, and more sophisticated applications could emerge over time. For example, a reader could scan a customer’s entire basket, and then present the total, vastly increasing speed and cutting costs at the checkout.

The promise of RFID is enough to make retailers drool, but serious obstacles exist. For a start, while RFID tags are relatively cheap – they can cost as little as 10 cents – putting them on every product quickly becomes very expensive. Currently, RFID tags in retailing are mainly used on pallets. There is also a question over who bears the cost, the retailer or the supplier.

The research faced a lot of technical challenges, according to Pramatari. “Getting the right RFID tag to ensure reliability and readability was an important decision. In the end, we chose Generation 2 tags because they are cheaper and can be read more reliably from a greater distance,” she explains.

Given that these chips will be attached to every packet, cost and reliability are important factors, especially for smaller businesses. The SMART team also had to adapt the technology for use with meat products and in cold storage.

The RFID installation, itself, took significant research time. “We had to ensure that we got the greatest range from the RFID readers for all the applications we wanted to test, using the fewest possible number of readers. Once we started to install the RFID tracking onsite we discovered we had to adjust our layouts to the specific conditions in each store,” explains Pramatari.

“Developing back-office functions was another technical challenge, as was developing web services so that the retailer could automatically communicate stock levels, for example, to the supplier. That, of course, required discovery services, which would ‘discover’ the appropriate retailer for a given piece of stock.”

Testing conditions

The Sixth Framework Programme-funded SMART project has developed solutions to many of the problems, but more will probably emerge as it goes into phase one of its testing, due to begin in October 2008.

“We are running two test scenarios in two pilot phases for RFID retail applications. The first phase of the pilots will test the back-office functions, while the second will put more emphasis on consumer aspects of the test scenarios,” reveals Pramatari.

The first test involves stock tracking and activity monitoring for promoted goods, in this case bath foam. The supplier is able to monitor shelf and backroom inventory for the promoted good, sales location, consumer preferences for gifts and so on, making adjustments to promotion activities while the event is still running.

The second test involves an automatic discounting system for products – in this case meat – nearing their expiry date.

Once the results are back from the initial pilot phase, SMART will integrate the indicated improvements in the system and then run a second pilot test in the first half of 2009.

SMART’s work will make it much simpler for other projects to design a functioning system with less effort. This modest contribution could help propel RFID services into the retailing mainstream.

Provided by ICT Results
Sokymat Automotive Introduces UHF RFID tags for Warehouse Logistics and Waste Management

Europe-based Sokymat Automotive recently introduced its transponder range for the management of waste and warehouse logistics. The two new products - the Slim Tag and the Waste Bin Tag - operate at UHF frequencies and are a significant addition to Sokymat's well-established family of transponders for industrial applications, including automotive and access control. Both tags, featuring a robust casing for enhanced durability, are available with industry standard EPC Class 1 Gen 2 chips.
With their long read range and high rate of data transfer, the Slim Tag and the Waste Bin Tag enable RFID-based data collection systems to surpass any form of manual data capture in terms of cost-effectiveness and accuracy. The Slim Tag is ideal for managing logistics in large warehouse environments, including pallet, vehicle and container tracking, tool identification and process control. The Waste Bin Tag tracks the waste container and enables automatic measurement of the weight of the waste, resulting in high standards of efficiency and control.

The introduction of these new transponders reflects the expansion of Sokymat Automotive's product range beyond low frequency tags operating between 120kHz and 140kHz and high frequency transponders operating at 13.56MHz. As RFID technology establishes itself as the definitive and most secure technology for identification and tracking, so Sokymat Automotive is ensuring that market demands are met. The company's flexible, fully automated production lines guarantee high quality and fast delivery, while allowing for individual customization to suit its customers' requirements - both for LF, HF and now UHF RFID tags.

About Sokymat Automotive - Your transponder partner

Founded in 1964, Sokymat Automotive grew from a manufacturer of coils for electrical machines and microcoils for the watchmaking industry, into a producer of RFID transponders. Today, with a highly motivated team of specialists and developers, Sokymat Automotive supplies its products operating at 120-140kHz, 13.56MHz and 868/915MHz across Asia, Europe and the United States, making it one of the industry's leading transponder providers. Sokymat Automotive designs and manufactures transponder products for the automotive industry and as well for other industries including bio & science, laundry and industry & logistics.
Murata - Tiny easy-mount inductive-coupled RFID modules need no RF expertise

A tiny RFID module that enables product lifecycle tracking using any global frequency whilst minimising the amount RF expertise required to implement an RFID solution has been developed, by Murata.

The Magicstrap RFID module combines the latest in ceramic materials with a breakthrough in ceramic module and inductive coupling technology to produce a very easy to mount module. Magicstrap, otherwise known as the LXMS31 series, comprises Murata's LTCC (low temperature co-fired ceramic) substrate, plus RF IC and packaging. Murata's strengths in multi-layer ceramic technology have allowed the company to embed all the necessary RF circuitry, including antenna filters, matching circuitry and 10kV ESD protection, within the LTCC substrate of the module. The RF IC is then mounted on top. The overall package dimensions are 3.2mm by 1.6mm by 0.7mm.

The module's internal circuitry is connected to the antenna pattern via inductive coupling. There are therefore no connection pads on the base of the module, instead the module is simply mounted using ordinary adhesive. Compared to competing products which require micron accuracy when mounting, for Magicstrap, millimetre accuracy is sufficient. Further, Magicstrap exhibits stable performance even when mounted on materials which have a capacitance, like polypropylene.

The module's embedded wideband antenna matching circuit, plus a single wideband antenna (for which Murata will provide a reference design), allow Magicstrap to be readable over the band 800-1000MHz at a distance of 5m. This means the same module and antenna pattern can be used worldwide (in Europe, the US and Japan), saving cost and inventory for manufacturers, says the company.

OMRON Adds Secure RFID Protocol To V750 Series UHF RFID Reader/Writer
July 1, 2008

OMRON Corporation recently announced that, in cooperation with Hitachi, Ltd., it has achieved compatibility between its V750 series UHF RFID reader/writer and Secure RFID Protocol. Additional security functions provided by the protocol will be available as an option beginning in July 2008.

Secure RFID Protocol was developed through the Secure Electronic Tag Project led by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), with Hitachi as a core partner, from August 2006 to March 2007. The protocol provides enhanced security functions including communication distance control, which restricts the communication range of tags, and reading prohibition, which limits access to tags through password authentication, while maintaining compatibility with the UHF RFID international standard ISO/IEC 18000-6 Type C. A Secure RFID Protocol-ready IC developed by Hitachi, "µ-Chip(mu-chip) Hibiki," is already on the market.

RFID in the UHF band (860MHz to 960MHz) realizes longer communication ranges among passive-type tags and conducts faster and more diverse data processing as compared with HF band (13.56MHz) systems. Prompted by major retailers in the USA, UHF RFID systems are increasingly being used around the world in areas ranging from manufacturing, distribution and logistics to stores, offices, public services and amusement/sports facilities. However, in open systems shared by multiple companies, one company's unique data (embedded on a tag) could easily be passed on to other companies along with shared data. The fact that all companies in an open system can read and alter all the data on tags is becoming an obstacle to the utilization of RFID systems.

To date, Omron has developed a number of RFID reader/writers, inlays and tags mainly focusing on the HF and UHF bands. Omron's products are designed not only to comply with common standards, but also to easily incorporate new functions and advanced technologies developed in response to market needs. By readying the V750 reader/writer for Secure RFID Protocol, Omron acknowledges that protecting company and product information is critical to increasing the use of RFID in distribution and logistics. In Japan, feasibility studies and trials of secured RFID systems are increasingly being carried out by book and home appliance distribution chains, and Omron intends to proactively participate in those studies.

New functions can be added to the V750 reader/writer by updating or supplementing its firmware. Secure RFID Protocol will be separated from the standard functions provided by the current product, and will be offered as an option to be added upon request. The protocol will be ready for the Japanese version of the V750 reader/writer in July 2008; other versions will be provided based on the protocol's popularity in other countries.

Yo Nakajima, General Manager of Hitachi's Security Smart ID Solutions Division, offered the following remarks on the V750 reader/writer: "Hitachi welcomes the start of sales of interrogators that support the Secure RFID Protocol. The protocol has been developed with partners aiming to realize functions that fulfill needs for UHF IC tags in Japanese industry. We believe this protocol will expand worldwide and become the optimal UHF IC tag air protocol in the distribution and logistics area. We are expecting full-scale diffusion and market expansion of secured IC tags, triggered by sales of Omron's V750 reader/writer. Hitachi will also keep making efforts to promote the protocol, and by so doing contribute to realizing a securer, safer and more comfortable society with all of our partners."

About Secure RFID Protocol
Secure RFID Protocol maintains compatibility with the UHF RFID international standard ISO/IEC 18000-6 Type C while featuring the enhanced security technologies/functions described below. These functions can be realized by using Secure RFID Protocol-compliant tags and reader/writers.

SOURCE: OMRON Corporation

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