Savant and
RFID
Let’s see some
useful information about Savant and RFID. Savant: Software that
aggregates and processes RFID data. Savant, a distributed database
of information about items identified with RFID tags. Savant is
software that sits between tag readers and enterprise applications,
providing a variety of computational functions on behalf of
applications
RFID is quickly
growing well beyond simple security and identification applications.
The widespread use of RFID tagging in supply chain management,
retail sales, personal identification, animal identification, and
other unique areas is within a few years of becoming
commonplace.
RFID readers
(called RFID interrogators) and the RFID transponders (called
"tags") are an industry unto themselves. Where Connect802 plays an
important role in RFID system design is in the RFID "backhaul". RFID
scanners need to convey the data they read from a passing tag back
to the central database or point-of-sale system. This is referred to
as the RF Data Communication (RFDC) component in an RFID
implementation. The most common RFDC in an RFID environment is the
creation of a Wi-Fi wireless network to bring the data acquired by
the RFID hand-held scanner back to the central system. This is where
the term "RFID backhaul" comes from, the data is being "hauled back"
to the central system.
Savant and RFID
is another term you'll encounter in the RFID environment is savant.
Savant and RFID are closely interrelated. A savant is an intelligent
preprocessor that evaluates the information read from the RFID tags
on inventory or production items and manages the movement or
manufacturer of the items without having to go back to the central
database system. Whether it's communication between interrogator and
savant, or interrogator and database, a backhaul network is needed
to move the data read by the RFID reader
device.
When RFID
readers are strategically deployed in a warehouse environment,
inventory can be tracked by tags associated with pallets, boxes, or
other containers. Even liquid inventory (chemicals or ingredients in
food or beverage processing) can be tagged with RFID tags embedded
in kegs, drums, or bottles, and readers integrated into the head
mechanism of the connecting tubes. It's not often easy to run wiring
for these RFID readers. In many cases the RFID interrogator is
mounted in, or near, robotic equipment. That's why a Wi-Fi link for
RF data communication between the RFID interrogator and the savant
or back-end database is commonplace. The Savant is a server that
sits at the edge of the network and gathers, stores and acts on data
received from the RFID readers in the local
network.
The EPC Network
is a set of technologies that enable immediate, automatic
identification and sharing of information on items in the supply
chain. In a nutshell, the EPC RFID tag is attached to a pallet,
case, or item. Using a reader, a tag communicates its EPC number to
a reader. The reader then passes the number to a computer or local
application system, known as the Object Name Service (ONS). ONS
tells the computer systems where to locate information on the
network about the object carrying an EPC, such as when the item was
produced. Physical Markup Language (PML) is used as a common
language in the EPC Network to define data on physical objects.
Savant is a software technology that acts as the central nervous
system of the EPC Network. Savant manages and moves information in a
way that does not overload existing corporate and public
networks.
In Savant and
RFID system, the Savant is a software system that sits between tag
readers and enterprise applications. It is intended to address the
unique computational requirements presented by EPC applications.
Many of the unique challenges arise from the vastly larger quantity
of fine- grained data that originates from RF tag readers, as
compared to the granularity of data that traditional enterprise
applications are accustomed to. Hence, quite a bit of processing
performed by Savant is concerned with data reduction operations such
as filtering, aggregation, and counting. Other challenges arise from
specific features of the EPC architecture, including the ONS and PML
Service components. Specific requirements for EPC processing vary
greatly from application to application.
Moreover, EPC
is in its infancy, and as it matures there will be a great deal of
innovation and change in what applications do. Therefore, the
emphasis in the specification of Savant is on extensibility rather
than specific processing features. The Savant is defined in terms of
“Processing Modules”, or “Services” each of which provides a
specific set of features, and which may be combined by the user to
meet the needs of his or her application. The modular structure is
designed to promote innovation by independent groups of people,
avoiding the creation of a single monolithic specification that
attempts to satisfy all needs for
everybody.
