What is RFID?

Lisa Petrini

A Tool

Real-time Information

Monitor Assets

Remove Human Interaction

Serialize Data

What is in it for my organization?

Reduced Costs

Improved Quality

Improved Customer Satisfaction

Show me the money!

Toyota– Beat General Motors

– March 2007 13.7 billion Profit

GM1.97 billion (Loss)

12.61 billion (Loss)

– 1970: 2% MS. 2006: 13%

HBR,July-August 2007

Do they use RFID?

“let us not focus on developing low-cost

automobiles; let us develop technologies and

processes that will allow Toyota to

manufacture all our vehicles at lower costs.”

-Katsuaki Watanabe, CEO, Toyota

HBR, July-August 2007

More Specifically, What is it?

A network of Interrogation Zones.

Interrogation Zone Components

Environment

Physics

Hardware

Middleware

Application

Environment

Ever Changing

Different environments within the

organization

Changes in processes or products alter

accuracy of equipment

Physics

Frequency

– Crest to crest

Resonance

– coupling

Hardware

Transponder (Tag)

Antenna

Transceiver (Reader)

Transponder: Tag

Microchip

antennas

Antenna

Wakes up chip

Reads/writes information to/from transponder

Transceiver: Reader

Filters duplicates

Back chatter

Collects reads

Transmits to a reader interface platform

Reader Interface Layer: Middleware

Route/integrate data to existing SCM, ERP,

WMS, or CRM systems.

Partner Integration

Components of an Interrogation Zone

Insert diagram including the middleware

Application/Utilization/Expansion

Big Picture/Details

– One node at a time

– Expansion to entire organization

Where to start?

1. Develop a cross functional team

2. Map business processes

3. Evaluate physical infrastructure

4. Evaluate IT infrastructure

Cross-Functional Team

Engineers

Electricians

Maintenance Dept.

Operations

Information Technology

Map Business Processes

Raw goods, distribution channels, and asset

management

Automate human tasks

Eliminate errors

Real-time data capture

Physical Infrastructure

Relocate equipment

Antenna design

Hand held readers or conveyer belt readers

IT Infrastructure

Existing Enterprise Systems

Power supplies

Backups

Maintenance procedures

Developing your RFID

A Site Assessment

Lab

Reader selection

Reader Interface selection

Site Assessment

Site Assessment

– Identify possible sources of Ambient

Electromagnetic Noise (AEN)

– Remove the source or work around it.

– Full Faraday Cycle Analysis

Spectrum Analyzer

¼ or ½ wave dipole antenna and ground

plate

Site Assessment

Tripod Stand

Laptop Computer

Full Faraday Cycle Test

Set up dipole antenna on ground plane and

attach to tripod so you are in the center of

the target area.

Connect the above to the spectrum

analyzer with a coax cable.

Full Faraday Cycle Test

Attach the laptop with a Ethernet cable and

power up.

Power up spectrum analyzer and tune it to

center frequency of 915 MHz. Set the span

to 60 MHz. Set resolution bandwidth to

100kHz. Set video bandwidth to 30 kHz.

Set amplitude attenuation to 0dB. Turn on

maximum hold.

Full Faraday Cycle Test

Identifies ambient electromagnetic noise.

Log for the full business cycle

Create real situations that occur

Full Faraday Cycle Test

Map out interrogation zones on CAD drawings or blueprints

To be proactive do the same set-up but in a mobile situation and test the facility watching for noise. This will allow for addition of more nodes later

Add all possible business processes to your test. Remove or work around possible interferences.

Design your Interrogation Zone

Propagate RF waves

Contour map

Propagate and Map

NEED:

Spectrum analyzer

Signal generator

Polarized UHF antenna

¼ wave dipole &

ground plate

Two tripod stands

Laptop computer

What it does:

Tells how well RF wave

travels back to be

heard by reader’s

antennas.

Facilitates choosing,

configuring, and testing

readers.

Lab Choices

Third-party lab

Build your own in-house lab; core

competency

Hybrid

Reasons for a Lab

Antenna Patterning Test

Reader Performance Test

SKU testing

Tag Characterization Test

Tag Testing

Placement

Tag type

Interaction

Start on high power and gradually reduce.

Map results on a matrix for later comparison.

Tag

Encoding Data:

Preapplication

Post-application

Application:

Manual

Automated

Inline

Reader Selection

Determine costs involved

Test reader performance

Assess connectivity

Middleware Selection

Reader and device management

Data management

Application integration

Partner integration

Middleware Selection

Process management and application

development

Packaging RFID content

Architecture scalability and administration

Middleware success

Understand physics then design middleware

around your infrastructure

Now you know…

What it is

Basics of how to

You have some decisions to make.

What components?

Where to implement?

What design?

The most important decision?

WHEN