RFID
According to the market t+t netcom offers a continuous concept for RFID solutions with its handheld series tt7000 and tt8000.
Any model can be equipped or upgraded with RFID. The readers will be integrated in the device or packed on the device via BackPack.
The handhelds are compatible with readers of all frequencies (125 - 134KHz, 13,56MHz, 868MHz UHF) and can read or write nearly each usual tag.
It may is to mention as a special feature that one can integrate two readers simultaneously in the devices of the product lines tt7000 / tt8000.
Readable tags
If you want to know which tags can be read with our devices, please download this brochure.
Our RFID BackPack concept
As specified above we offer a wide range of RFID readers to our customers. The BackPack accepts almost any kind of reader - as long as it doesn’t exceed the housing dimensions (70mm x 60mm x 15mm). Please find in the following some examples of our BackPack RFID solutions.
LF - Low frequency - 125KHz
Elatec with a range from 3 - 5 cm (OPXBP002)
AEG with a range from 1 - 3 cm (OPXBP004)
HF - High frequency - 13,56MHz 
AEG with a range from 1 - 3 cm (OPXBP005)
Elatec with a range from 3 - 5 cm (OPXBP003)
Elatec Multi-ISO with a range from 3 - 5 cm (OPXBP006)
FEIG with a range from 4 - 6 cm (OPXBP011)
Legic Advant I PCS (OPXBP008)
Legic Prime Elatec (OPXBP007)
UHF - Ultra High frequency - 868MHz
For the UHF readers we developed a special hand strap in which the UHF antenna finds its place. Placing the antenna outside of the BackPack guarantees an optimal readability without lowering the ease of use.
CAEN 50mW (for tt7000 / tt8000) (OPXBP010)
CAEN 200mW (exclusively for tt8000) (OPXBP12)
CAEN 500mW (exclusively for tt8000) (OPXBP14)
RFID integrated in the device
In some cases the BackPack may is perceived as unpleasing. Or one wants to combine two readers in one housing (please see next point "RFID combined"). For this the LF / UHF readers can be integrated in the device without needing the BackPack. Also in using this solution the UHF antenna disappears in the handstrap (whatever size of hand strap you choose).
RFID combined
Regarding their requirements our customers can combine different readers in the same device (one integrated - one in the BackPack). For the time being UHF readers and LF readers (CF) can be integrated in the devices. Please note that even with an integrated UHF reader the scanner function remains available.
The following shows to you some possibilities of combining two readers in one housing:
tt7000 (UHF - exclusively 50mW) / tt8000 (UHF - 50mW / 200mW / 500mW)
- UHF integrated + LF in the BackPack
- UHF integrated + HF in the BackPack
- LF in the CF-slot + LF in the BackPack
- LF in the CF-slot + HF in the BackPack
- LF in the CF-slot + UHF in the BackPack
Special RFID LF solution with iQue
e.g. animal tracking
Special RFID LF solution with t+t netcom
For the modern livestock breeding.
General informations about RFID
Technology
Potential uses
Current uses
Regulation and standardization
General informations about RFID
The term "Reader" or "Reader/Writer" is used when the Antenna and the Controller are directly connected to each other (e.g. HF-0405 von EMS).
Tags – Generic term for all data carrier – exist in different variants with variable memory size, certificated temperature range, size, reading range and durability. Since many tags are not sensitive against dirt, liquids and impacts they can be used in areas of applications in which 1D or 2D barcodes can not be used.
Electro-magnetic fields, metal or liquids can have a strong influence to the reading range.
Active Tags are powered by an own battery but have in consequence a limited durability.
Passive Tags are mostly used these days. They have almost an unlimited durability.
Labels are Tags on paper, Polyester or similar – these tags are quite cheaper than other tags.
PCB – (Printed circuit board) should the tags be stressed by chemicals and/or heat then they will be printed on a specific board.
ReadOnly Tags can not receive additional information. The unique ID is normally linked to an external data base.
ReadWrite Tags can store additional information at any time. These can be read any time if needed. They can be converted into ReadOnly tags if needed.
Technology
Tags
Most RFID tags contain at least two parts. One is an integrated circuit for storing and processing information, modulating and demodulating a (RF) signal, and other specialized functions. The second is an antenna for receiving and transmitting the signal. Chipless RFID allows for discrete identification of tags without an integrated circuit, thereby allowing tags to be printed directly onto assets at a lower cost than traditional tags.
RFID tags come in three general varieties: passive, active, or semi-passive (also known as battery-assisted). Passive tags require no internal power source, thus being pure passive devices (they are only active when a reader is nearby to power them), whereas semi-passive and active tags require a power source, usually a small battery.
To communicate, tags respond to queries generating signals that must not create interference with the readers, as arriving signals can be very weak and must be differentiated. Besides backscattering, load modulation techniques can be used to manipulate the reader's field. Typically, backscatter is used in the far field, whereas load modulation applies in the nearfield, within a few wavelengths from the reader.
Tags Passive
Passive RFID tags have no internal power supply. The minute electrical current induced in the antenna by the incoming radio frequency signal provides just enough power for the CMOS integrated circuit in the tag to power up and transmit a response. Most passive tags signal by backscattering the carrier wave from the reader. This means that the antenna has to be designed both to collect power from the incoming signal and also to transmit the outbound backscatter signal. The response of a passive RFID tag is not necessarily just an ID number; the tag chip can contain non-volatile, possibly writable EEPROM for storing data.
Passive tags have practical read distances ranging from about 10 cm (4 in.) (ISO 14443) up to a few meters (Electronic Product Code (EPC) and ISO 18000-6), depending on the chosen radio frequency and antenna design/size.
Tags active
Unlike passive RFID tags, active RFID tags have their own internal power source, which is used to power the integrated circuits and to broadcast the response signal to the reader. Communications from active tags to readers is typically much more reliable (i.e. fewer errors) than from passive tags due to the ability for active tags to conduct a "session" with a reader.
Active tags, due to their on board power supply, also may transmit at higher power levels than passive tags, allowing them to be more robust in "RF challenged" environment with humidity and spray or with dampening targets (including humans/cattle, which contain mostly water), reflective targets from metal (shipping containers, vehicles), or at longer distances: Generating strong responses from weak reception is a sound approach to success. In turn, active tags are generally bigger, caused by battery volume, and more expensive to manufacture, caused by battery price. However, their potential shelf life is comparable, as self discharge of batteries competes with corrosion of aluminated printed circuits.
Tags semi-passive
Semi-passive tags are similar to active tags in that they have their own power source, but the battery only powers the microchip and does not power the broadcasting of a signal. The response is usually powered by means of backscattering the RF energy from the reader, where energy is reflected back to the reader as with passive tags. An additional application for the battery is to power data storage.
If energy from the reader is collected and stored to emit a response in the future, the tag is operating active.
Semi-passive tags have three main advantages 1) Greater sensitivity than passive tags
2) Longer battery powered life cycle than active tags 3) Can perform active functions (such as temperature logging) under its own power, even when no reader is present for powering the circuitry.
Antenna types
The antenna used for an RFID tag is affected by the intended application and the frequency of operation. Low-frequency is (30 kHz – 300 kHz). LFID or LowFID passive tags are normally inductively coupled, and because the voltage induced is proportional to frequency, many coil turns are needed to produce enough voltage to operate an integrated circuit. Compact LowFID tags, like glass-encapsulated tags used in animal and human identification, use a multilayer coil (3 layers of 100–150 turns each) wrapped around a ferrite core.
High frequency is (3 MHz - 30 MHz). At 13.56 MHz, a HFID or HighFID tag, using a planar spiral with 5–7 turns over a credit-card-sized form factor can be used to provide ranges of tens of centimeters. These coils are less costly to produce than LF coils, since they can be made using lithographic techniques rather than by wire winding, but two metal layers and an insulator layer are needed to allow for the crossover connection from the outermost layer to the inside of the spiral where the integrated circuit and resonance capacitor are located.
Ultra-high frequency or UHF is (300 MHz - 3 GHz). UHFID/Ultra-HighFID and microwave passive tags are usually radiatively-coupled to the reader antenna and can employ conventional dipole-like antennas. Only one metal layer is required, reducing cost of manufacturing. Dipole antennas, however, are a poor match to the high and slightly capacitive input impedance of a typical integrated circuit. Folded dipoles, or short loops acting as inductive matching structures, are often employed to improve power delivery to the IC. Half-wave dipoles (16 cm at 900 MHz) are too big for many applications; for example, tags embedded in labels must be less than 10 cm (4 inches) in extent. To reduce the length of the antenna, antennas can be bent or meandered, and capacitive tip-loading or bowtie-like broadband structures are also used. Compact antennas usually have gain less than that of a dipole — that is, less than 2 dBi — and can be regarded as isotropic in the plane perpendicular to their axis.
Dipoles couple to radiation polarized along their axes, so the visibility of a tag with a simple dipole-like antenna is orientation-dependent. Tags with two orthogonal or nearly-orthogonal antennas, often known as dual-dipole tags, are much less dependent on orientation and polarization of the reader antenna, but are larger and more expensive than single-dipole tags.
Patch antennas are used to provide service in close proximity to metal surfaces, but a structure with good bandwidth is 3–6 mm thick, and the need to provide a ground layer and ground connection increases cost relative to simpler single-layer structures.
HighFID and UHFID tag antennas are usually fabricated from copper or aluminum. Conductive inks have seen some use in tag antennas but have encountered problems with IC adhesion and environmental stability.
Potential uses
Replacing barcodes
RFID tags are often a replacement for UPC or EAN barcodes, having a number of important advantages over the older barcode technology. They may not ever completely replace barcodes, due in part to their higher cost and the advantage of multiple data sources on the same object. The new EPC, along with several other schemes, is widely available at reasonable cost.
The storage of data associated with tracking items will require many terabytes. Filtering and categorizing RFID data is needed to create useful information. It is likely that goods will be tracked by the pallet using RFID tags, and at package level with Universal Product Code (UPC) or EAN from unique barcodes.
The unique identity is a mandatory requirement for RFID tags, despite special choice of the numbering scheme. RFID tag data capacity is large enough that each individual tag will have a unique code, while current bar codes are limited to a single type code for a particular product. The uniqueness of RFID tags means that a product may be tracked as it moves from location to location, finally ending up in the consumer's hands. This may help to combat theft and other forms of product loss. The tracing of products is an important feature that gets well supported with RFID tags containing a unique identity of the tag and also the serial number of the object. This may help companies to cope with quality deficiencies and resulting recall campaigns, but also contributes to concern about tracking and profiling of consumers after the sale.
It has also been proposed to use RFID for POS store checkout to replace the cashier with an automatic system which needs no barcode scanning. This is not likely without a significant reduction in the cost of tags and changes in the POS process. There is some research taking place, however, this is some years from reaching fruition.
Current uses
Passports
RFID tags are being used in passports issued by many countries, such as include Malaysia (early 2000), New Zealand (November 4, 2005), Belgium, The Netherlands (2005), Norway (November 2005)[14], Ireland (2006), Japan (March 1, 2006), Pakistan, Germany, Portugal, Poland (2006), The United Kingdom, and the United States (2007).
Standards for RFID passports are determined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and are contained in ICAO Document 9303, Part 1, Volumes 1 and 2 (6th edition, 2006). ICAO refers to the ISO 14443 RFID chips in e-passports as "contactless integrated circuits". ICAO standards provide for e-passports to be identifiable by a standard e-passport logo on the front cover.
The first RFID passports ("E-passport") were issued by Malaysia in 1998. In addition to information also contained on the visual data page of the passport, Malaysian e-passports record the travel history (time, date, and place) of entries and exits from the country.
Transportation payments
- Throughout Europe, and in particular in Paris (system started in 1995 by the RATP), Lyon, Bordeaux and Marseille in France, Porto and Lisbon in Portugal, Milan, Turin, and Florence in Italy, and Brussels in Belgium, RFID passes conforming to the Calypso (RFID) international standard are used for public transport systems. They are also used now in Canada (Montreal), Mexico, Israel, Bogotá and Pereira in Colombia, Stavanger in Norway, etc.
- In Toronto, Ontario, Canada and surrounding areas, Electronic Road Pricing systems are used to collect toll payments on Highway 407.
- In Seoul, South Korea and surrounding cities, T-money cards can be used to pay for public transit. Some other South Korean cities have adopted the system, which can also be used in some stores as cash. T-money replaced Upass, first introduced for transport payments in 1996 using MIFARE technology.
- In Turkey, RFID has been used in the motorways and bridges as a payment system over ten years. Also the new electronic bus tickets in Istanbul
- In Hong Kong, mass transit is paid for almost exclusively through the use of an RFID technology, called the Octopus Card. Originally it was launched in September 1997 exclusively for transit fare collection, but has grown to be similar to a cash card, and can still be used in vending machines, fast-food restaurants and supermarkets. The card can be recharged with cash at add-value machines or in shops, and can be read several centimetres from the reader. The same applies for Delhi Metro, the rapid transit system in New Delhi, capital city of India.
- The Moscow Metro, the world's second busiest, was the first system in Europe to introduce RFID smartcards in 1998.
- JR East in Japan introduced SUICa (Super Urban Intelligent Card) for transport payment service in its railway transportation service in November 2001, using Sony's FeliCa (Felicity Card) technology. The same Sony technology was used in Hong Kong's Octopus card, and Singapore's EZ-Link card.
- In Singapore, public transportation buses and trains employ passive RFID cards known as EZ-Link cards. Traffic into crowded downtown areas is regulated by variable tolls imposed using an active tagging system combined with the use of stored-value cards (known as CashCards).
- RFID is used in Malaysia Expressways payment system. The name for the system is Touch 'n Go. Due to the name and design, one must touch the card for usage.
- Since 2002, in Taipei, Taiwan the transportation system uses RFID operated cards as fare collection. The Easy Card is charged at local convenience stores and metro stations, and can be used in Metro, buses and parking lots. The uses are planned to extend all throughout the island of Taiwan in the future.
- In the UK, op systems for prepaying for unlimited public transport have been devised, making use of RFID technology. The design is embedded in a creditcard-like pass, that when scanned reveals details of whether the pass is valid, and for how long the pass will remain valid. The first company to implement this is the NCT company of Nottingham City, where the general public affectionately refer to them as "beep cards". It has since then been implemented with great success in London, where "Oyster cards" allow for pay-as-you-go travel as well as passes valid for various lengths of time and in various areas.
- In Oslo, Norway, the upcoming public transport payment is to be entirely RFID-based. The system is to be put into production around spring 2007
- In Norway, all public toll roads are equipped with an RFID payment system known as AutoPass.
- The Transperth public transport network in Perth, Western Australia uses RFID technology in the new SmartRider ticketing system.
- In Atlanta, MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) has transitioned its bus and rail lines from coin tokens to the new Breeze Card system which uses RFID tags embedded in disposable paper tickets. More permanent plastic cards are available for frequent users.
- In Rio de Janeiro, "RioCard" passes can be used in buses, ferries, trains and subway. There are two types, one you cannot recharge, the other one can be recharged if it's been bought by the company you work for, if they provided it (only in Brazil).
- A number of ski resorts, particularly in the French Alps and in the Spanish and French Pyrenees, have adopted RFID tags to provide skiers hands-free access to ski lifts. Skiers don't have to take their passes out of their pockets.
- In Santiago (Chile) the subway system Metro and the recently implemented public transportation system Transantiago uses an RFID card called Bip or Multivia.
- In Medellín (Colombia) the system Metro and the recently implemented card system uses an RFID card called Cívica.
- In Dubai, (United Arab Emirates) drivers through Sheikh Zayed Road and Garhoud Bridge pay toll tax using RFID tags called Salik (Road Toll).
- In Milano (Italy), the ATM "Azienda Trasporti Milanese" has implemented RFID tags for frequent users.
- In Mumbai, the busiest suburban rail transport in the world, which transports 3.5 million commuters per day, has also implemented the use of RFID ticket cards for the use in automatic ticket vending machines for hassle free and no need to stand in long queues.
- In Barcelona, it's used to identify users in a bike sharing system called Bicing to prevent bicycle theft and detect the periode of bicycle usage.
- In the Netherlands the new OV-chipkaart system will eventually replace current bus, tram, metro and train payment systems, allowing for both more accurate fares, access control to (train)stations and more accurate determination of government fees to the various public transportation companies.
Product tracking
- The Canadian Cattle Identification Agency began using RFID tags as a replacement for barcode tags. The tags are required to identify a bovine's herd of origin and this is used for tracing when a packing plant condemns a carcass. Currently CCIA tags are used in Wisconsin and by US farmers on a voluntary basis. The USDA is currently developing its own program.
- High-frequency RFID or HighFID tags are used in library book or bookstore tracking, jewelry tracking, pallet tracking, building access control, airline baggage tracking, and apparel and pharmaceutical items tracking. High-frequency tags are widely used in identification badges, replacing earlier magnetic stripe cards. These badges need only be held within a certain distance of the reader to authenticate the holder. The American Express Blue credit card now includes a HighFID tag. In Feb 2008, Emirates airline started a trial of RFID baggage tracing at London and Dubai airports.
- BGN has launched two fully automated Smartstores that combine item-level RFID tagging and SOA to deliver an integrated supply chain, from warehouse to consumer.
- UHF, Ultra-HighFID or UHFID tags are commonly used commercially in case, pallet, and shipping container tracking, and truck and trailer tracking in shipping yards.
- In May 2007, Bear River Supply began utilizing ultra high frequency identification (UHFID) tags to help monitor their agricultural equipment.
Lap scoring
Passive and active RFID systems are used in off road events such as Enduro and Hare and Hounds racing, the riders have a transponder on their person, normally on their arm. When they complete a lap they swipe or touch the receiver which is connected to a computer and log their lap time. The Casimo Group Ltd makes a system which does this.
Animal identification
Implantable RFID tags or transponders can be used for animal identification. The transponders are more well-known as passive RFID technology, or simply "Chips" on animals.
Inventory systems
An advanced automatic identification technology such as the Auto-ID system based on the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology has significant value for inventory systems. Notably, the technology provides an accurate knowledge of the current inventory. In an academic study performed at Wal-Mart, RFID reduced Out-of-Stocks by 30 percent for products selling between 0.1 and 15 units a day. Other benefits of using RFID include the reduction of labor costs, the simplification of business processes, and the reduction of inventory inaccuracies.
Schools and universities
School authorities in the Japanese city of Osaka are now chipping children's clothing, back packs, and student IDs in a primary school. A school in Doncaster, England is piloting a monitoring system designed to keep tabs on pupils by tracking radio chips in their uniforms.
Museums
RFID technologies are now also implemented in end-user applications in museums. An example is the custom-designed application eXsport at the Exploratorium, a science museum in San Francisco. When the visitor enters the museum he receives an RF Tag that can be carried on a card or necklace. The eXspot system enables the visitor to receive information about the exhibit and take photos they can collect later at the giftshop. Later on they can visit their personal Web page on which specific information such as visit dates, the visited exhibits and the taken photographs can be viewed.
Social retailing
When a customer enters a dressing room, the mirror reflects their image and also images of the apparel item being worn by celebrities on an interactive display. A webcam also projects an image of the consumer wearing the item on the website for everyone to see. This creates an interaction between the consumers inside the store and their social network outside the store. The technology behind this system is an RFID interrogator antenna in the dressing room and Electronic Product Code RFID tags on the apparel item.
Regulation and standardization
There is no global public body that governs the frequencies used for RFID. In principle, every country can set its own rules for this. The main bodies governing frequency allocation for RFID are:
- USA: FCC (Federal Communications Commission)
- Canada: CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission)
- Europe: ERO, CEPT, ETSI, and national administrations (note that the national administrations must ratify the usage of a specific frequency before it can be used in that country)
- Malaysia: Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC)
- Japan: MIC (Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications)
- China: Ministry of Information Industry
- Taiwan: NCC (National Communications Commission)
- South Africa: ICASA
- South Korea: Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy
- Australia: Australian Communications and Media Authority.
- New Zealand: Ministry of Economic Development
- Singapore: Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
- Brazil: Anatel (Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações)
Low-frequency (LF: 125 – 134.2 kHz and 140 – 148.5 kHz) (LowFID) tags and high-frequency (HF: 13.56 MHz) (HighFID) tags can be used globally without a license. Ultra-high-frequency (UHF: 868 – 928 MHz) (Ultra-HighFID or UHFID) tags cannot be used globally as there is no single global standard.
In North America, UHF can be used unlicensed for 902 – 928 MHz (±13 MHz from the 915 MHz center frequency), but restrictions exist for transmission power.
In Europe, RFID and other low-power radio applications are regulated by ETSI recommendations EN 300 220 and EN 302 208, and ERO recommendation 70 03, allowing RFID operation with somewhat complex band restrictions from 865–868 MHz. Readers are required to monitor a channel before transmitting ("Listen Before Talk"); this requirement has led to some restrictions on performance, the resolution of which is a subject of current research.
The North American UHF standard is not accepted in France as it interferes with its military bands. For China and Japan, there is no regulation for the use of UHF. Each application for UHF in these countries needs a site license, which needs to be applied for at the local authorities, and can be revoked. For Australia and New Zealand, 918 – 926 MHz are unlicensed, but restrictions exist for transmission power.
These frequencies are known as the ISM bands (Industrial Scientific and Medical bands). The return signal of the tag may still cause interference for other radio users.
Some standards that have been made regarding RFID technology include:
- ISO 14223/1 – Radio frequency identification of Animals, advanced transponders – Air interface
- ISO 14443: This standard is a very popular HF (13.56 MHz) standard for HighFIDs which is being used as the basis of RFID-enabled passports under ICAO 9303.
- ISO 15693: This is also a very popular HF (13.56 MHz) standard for HighFIDs widely used for non-contact smart payment and credit cards.
- ISO/IEC 18000: Information technology — Radio frequency identification for item management:
- Part 1: Reference architecture and definition of parameters to be standardized
- Part 2: Parameters for air interface communications below 135 kHz
- Part 3: Parameters for air interface communications at 13,56 MHz
- Part 4: Parameters for air interface communications at 2,45 GHz
- Part 6: Parameters for air interface communications at 860 MHz to 960 MHz
- Part 7: Parameters for active air interface communications at 433 MHz
- ISO 18185: This is the industry standard for electronic seals or "e-seals" for tracking cargo containers using the 433 MHz and 2.4 GHz frequencies.
- EPCglobal – this is the standardization framework that is most likely to undergo International Standardisation according to ISO rules as with all sound standards in the world, unless residing with limited scope, as customs regulations, air-traffic regulations and others. Currently the big distributors and governmental customers are pushing EPC heavily as a standard well accepted in their community, but not yet regarded as for salvation to the rest of the world.
