RFID
Information
There are many
sources of repute for RFID Information. Radio frequency
identification (RFID) is one method of automatic data collection
(ADC), and is gaining wider acceptance, as more people understand
the technology behind it and its applications. The simplest form of
the various RFID products can be compared to the electronic bar
code, while more sophisticated RFID products can interface with
external sensors for measuring various parameters, or even GPS
systems, for tracking objects.
According to
one RFID Information source, while RFID is not intended to replace
bar code in all applications, RFID should be considered as an
additional method of ADC that may used alone, or incorporated with
other methods of data collection. Each form of ADC offers advantages
and when selecting devices, one should evaluate the benefits of each
method when developing a system best suited to their specific needs
or task.
RFID uses radio
frequency transmission to identify, categorize, locate and track
people, animals and objects. RFID systems are composed of three
primary components:
- An
interrogator or reader;
- A
transponder, commonly called a tag;
- A computer or
other data processing system.
Matrix
Analytics: RFID Information integration system: Matrix Analytics is
an RFID information integration system (hardware and software),
which supports different RFID savant architectures, ONS servers and
PiSQL (Physical Inventory Query Language, a query language which
supports PML as the physical data definitions).
This system
will provide:
- Real-time
integrated graphical views of the RFID-based
system.
- Web-enabled
services to provide integration with existing ERP, CRM, supply
chain and database systems.
- User defined,
parameterized statistical information for tactical decisions
involving marketing initiatives, inventory planning, control and
other enterprise requirements.
Datalogic RFID
Information for Harsh Environments: Harsh industrial environments
can often destroy bar code labels and prevent bar code scanners from
functioning reliably. A Radio Frequency Identification system will
operate in the presence of dust, fluids, high temperatures and
vibration. The RFID systems are available in read only and
read/write configurations. Datalogic, a leader in the Automatic
Identification field, offers a full line of ID systems, including
bar code, RFID and magnetic stripe
systems.
RFID
Information: How it works: An RFID tag is typically tucked inside a
sticker, anywhere from two to four square inches in size. A silicon
chip in the center of the tag contains a unique identifier, a string
of numbers that identifies the contents of the carton or pallet. An
RFID reader sends a signal to the tag, asking for that RFID
Information, and the tag's antenna—which is woven into the tag
itself and attached to the chip—beams it back. (Most tags have one
antenna, but Matrics makes a two-antenna tag.) The signals need not
be read directly by a scanner, as barcodes are. Instead, masses of
RFID tags can be read in seconds, greatly cutting the time needed to
inventory packages. Developers are also working on what are called
smart tags. They will come equipped with sensors able to detect
environmental conditions—temperature or humidity, for instance—as a
package moves up and down the supply chain. Such tags could contain
a detailed account of a package's
history.
More on RFID
Information: RFID technology is an automatic way to collect product,
place, time or transaction data quickly and easily without human
intervention or error. An RFID system comprises a reader (or
interrogator), its associated antenna and the transponders (Tags/
RFID Cards) that carry the data. In much the same way that UPC bar
codes are scanned with hand-held and permanent laser scanners today
(like at the grocery store checkout lane), RFID scanning provides
product identification information to a central system.
Instead of a
UPC bar code, the RFID Information is contained in a "tag" affixed
to the product. The RFID reader transmits a low-power radio signal,
through its antenna, that the tag receives via its own antenna to
power an integrated circuit (chip). Using the energy it gets from
the signal when it enters the radio field, the tag will briefly
converse with the reader for verification and the exchange of data.
Once that data is received by the reader it can be sent to a
controlling computer for processing and
management.
