Radio Frequency Identification

1
Radio Frequency Identification

• Jessica Palmer
• Center for Logistics Management
• University of Nevada
• Reverse Logistics Executive Council
• Woodland, CA
• August 7, 2002

2
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Definition

• A wireless method of identifying unique items
  using radio waves.

3
Features

• Three Main Components to an RFID System
• Active and Passive Types
• Read/Write Capabilities
• Shapes and Sizes
• Tag Frequencies
• Ranges

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Three Main Components

• 1. An antenna or coil emits radio signals to
  activate the tag and read / write data to it
  they are the conduits between the tag and the
  transceiver.
• 2. A transceiver (with decoder) controls the
  systems data acquisition and communication.
• 3. A transponder (RF tag) electronically
  programmed with unique information

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Tag Frequencies

• Low (LF) typically 125 KHz (30 KHz to 500 KHz)
• High (HF) typically 13.56 MHz (850 KHz to 950
  KHz)
• Ultra-high (UHF) typically between 300 MHz to
  1900 MHz.
• Microwave (VHF)

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Ranges

• Anywhere from a few millimeters to 100 feet or
  more, depending upon its power output and the
  radio frequency used.

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Active vs. Passive Types

• Where the power comes from
• Active
• Passive
• Semi-Passive

8
Read / Write Capabilities

• Read-Only (identify product with tag)
• Write Once Read Many (WORM identify tag with
  product)
• Read/Write

9
RFID System Hierarchy
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Shapes and Sizes

• Shapes any shape at all screw shaped to insert
  into trees (wood), credit card shaped for access
  applications, etc.
• Sizes many as small as a grain of rice
  (common in animal implementation) or as large as
  a cell phone (common when used in GPS systems
  long range communications)

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Rafsecs Smart Labels
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Square Tag
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Cylinder Tag
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Glass Medium
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Plastic Medium
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History

• Military origin in the 1940s to identify
  aircraft
• Identify friend from foe (IFF)
• Primarily government sponsored through the 1970s
• Progress with the invention of the microchip
• Tagging of livestock in Europe

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Benefits of RFID over Barcodes

• Non-contact
• Non-line-of-sight nature
• Robustness
• Efficiency
• Real-time visibility
• Read/write capability
• Ability to scan numerous different products at
  once
• Data capacity
• Re-usability and durability
• Security through encryption

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Constraints in Using RFID with Regard to Bar
Codes

• Cost
• Metallic or other conductive material
  environments
• Tags located on or near liquid products
• Susceptibility to electromagnetic interference
  (EMI)
• Multiple data capture interference between RFID
  labels
• Regulations incompatible national and regional
  regulations
• Human exposure
• Proof of reading

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Current Uses

• Transportation (vehicle - RR cars - and container
  ID)
• Anti-theft (the white tags attached to
  merchandise in stores)
• Toll booth collection
• Security (access control)
• Automated manufacturing
• Animal tagging
• Vehicle velocity
• Airline baggage
• Libraries
• Ski lift tickets

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Future Uses

• Casino chips
• Detection of potentially harmful food
• Robotic warehouse inventory
• Counterfeit currency prevention
• Recycling currently sorting is the highest cost
  of recycling.
• Reverse Logistics
• Store check outs
• And many, many more

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Cost Analysis
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Standards in Progress

• Global Tag (GTAG)
• Bluetooth

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International Standard Differences

• US frequencies used are 902-928 kHz
• Europe frequencies used are 420-460 kHz (over
  900 is for cell phone use). Europeans have
  reservations about what the electrical fields
  created by radio frequency does to their health.

24
Application of RFID on Key Reverse Logistics
Management Elements

• Gatekeeping
• Compacting Disposition Cycle Time
• Reverse Logistics Information Systems
• Centralized Return Centers (CRCs)
• Zero Returns verifications of percentages
• Remanufacturing and Refurbishment
• Asset Recovery
• Negotiation
• Financial / Inventory Management
• Outsourcing

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Examples of RFID Currently In Use

• WhereNet (Santa Clara, CA) and Associated Food
  Stores (SLC,UT)
• Escort Memory Systems (Scotts Valley, CA) and
  Toyota-South Africa
• En-Vision America, Inc. (Normal, IL) and Scrip
  Talksup
• SCS Corporation (San Diego, CA) and San
  Francisco Airport
• Intermec (Everett, WA) and CHEP International
• o OHIO Principle Zero Human Intervention
  Operation
• Omron Electronics (Schaumberg, IL) and Sainsbury
• Intellident (Manchester, England) and Marks
  Spencer

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Associated Food Stores Utilization of WhereNet
Corporations Technology

• Associated Food Stores has been using WhereNet,
  Corp.s WhereTags, which work with a Real-Time
  Locating System, a wireless technology in which
  the active tags (about the size of a pager) are
  placed on any of the companys high-value, mobile
  assets, such as trailers.
• RTLS (real-time locating systems) can locate
  objects by searching with radio signals in
  addition to providing object identification
• From 127 ship yard employees to 5

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Technologies Associated with RFID

• Electronic Price Codes (EPCs) a 96-bit unique
  identifier code (a standardized tag)
• Extensible Mark-up Language (XML)
• Real-Time Locating Systems (RTLS)

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Speculations on Increasing RFID Usage

• Closed-Loop Logistics Systems
• Totes
• Pallets
• Containers
• Trucks
• Smoothing Collaborative Planning
• Forecasting
• Replenishment
• Task Elimination
• Issuing Purchase Orders
• Issuing Advance Ship Notices

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RFID Resources

• MITs Auto ID Center www.autoIDcenter.org
• RFID Center for Excellence