What is RFID?

• RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION

Uses a semiconductor (micro-chip) in a tag or label to transmit stored

data when the tag or label is exposed to radio waves of the correct
frequency.
 What is RFID?
•RFID is a means of automatic identification and data
capture
•Allows objects to communicate information about
themselves automatically with no human intervention
•Technology to identify
– objects (supply chain management, anti-
counterfeiting etc.)
– people (access management, mass transit
ticketing, passport etc.)
•Listed as the top 3 technologies in 2004 along with
biometrics and nano robotics
 What is RFID?

Basically, a is replaced with a

RFID-tag

Chip

Antenna
 Advantages of RFID vs. Barcode

• No requirement for line-of-sight

• Dynamic information carrier (read/write)
• High memory capacity if needed
• Robust and reliable
• Performs in rugged, harsh environment
• Cheaper in long term
• No human intervention
RFID frequencies
 RFID frequencies

 Low  High  Ultra-high & Microwave

􀂾 100 KHz to 500 􀂾 850 MHz to 950 MHz 􀂾 Railroads

KHz 􀂾 Long read ranges 􀂾 Vehicle Identification
􀂾 Short reading 􀂾 High reading speeds 􀂾 Transportation
ranges
􀂾 Lower system  Applications
costs

􀂾 Smart Cards
 Applications
􀂾 Access Control

􀂾 Security access
􀂾 Animal
identification
􀂾 Library Books
 RFID Basics

Antenna

Tag

Reader
Computer Antenna IC (Integrated Circuit)
RFID Basics
 RFID Basics

The RFID tag is made up of several parts:

• A microchip that stores data and modulates and
demodulates analog radio waves
• An antenna that gathers RF energy from a reader and
reflects back a signal
• A protective layer that can be used to create a label or
other type of transponder
 RFID Basics
The RFID reader also has several parts:

• A digital signal processor

and a microcontroller
• An internal or external
antenna
• A network or serial port
connection
• Input/output ports for
linking to other devices
 RFID Basics

What does a reader do?

• Remotely powers tags

• Establishes a bidirectional data link

• Inventories tags, filters tag reads

• Publishes reads to higher level data systems

 RFID Basics

How it works
• The reader emits radio waves
• The tag coverts the radio waves into electricity to
power up the microchip
• The microchip modulates and demodulates the
antenna and sends backs long and short waves or
waves of different amplitude
• The reader converts these waves into a string of ones
and zeros
• A computer turns the ones and zeros into digital
information
 RFID Basics
In reality an RFID-tag is

Overlay
Chip

Antenna

A very complex and highly sophisticated

product
 RFID Basics
Case 1: one reader, one tag
 RFID Basics
Case 2: one reader, many tags
 RFID Basics
Case 3: many readers, many tags
 RFID Basics
Classification of Tags

Active
– Contain a battery
– Longer range possible (10-15 feet or more)
– Expensive (e.g., Apple has one for over $25)

Passive
– Draw energy from from reader (no internal battery)
– Limited range (up to 10 feet)
– Cheapest to produce (30 to 50 cents)
 RFID Basics

Passive RFID tags

• No internal power source

• IC (integrated circuit) - provides the memory and stores data

• Antenna – has to be designed to both collect power from the incoming

signal and also to transmit the outbound backscatter signal

• Electrical current induced in the antenna by the incoming radio

frequency signal provides just enough power for the tag to power up
and transmit a response
 RFID Basics

Passive RFID tags

• The Passive tags can be made very cheaply and very small.

• Can be read from distances ranging from about 2 mm up to

a few meters

• Passive RFID tags do not require batteries so they can be much

smaller and have an unlimited life span
 RFID Basics

Active RFID tags

• Contain a power source (battery) and can transmit tag information

continuously.

• Larger and more expensive than passive tags.

• Can transmit considerably more information than passive tags.

 RFID Basics

The Electronic Product Code

The idea is to create serial numbers for
products—Electronic Product Codes.

The EPC is essentially a bar code with an

added string of digits to identify unique items.
When you scan a tag, computers will look up information
associated with the serial number
in a secure database on the Internet.
The system allows goods to be tracked from
one end of the supply chain to another.
 RFID Basics

• Header
– identifies the length, type, structure, version, and generation of the
EPC
• EPC Manager Number
– entity responsible for maintaining the subsequent partitions
• Object Class
– identifies a class of objects
• Serial Number
– identifies the instance
 RFID Basics

Classes of EPC RFID Tags

RFID Basics
Implantable RFID chips designed for animal tagging are now being used in
humans.

Patient identification
In July 2004, the Food and Drug Administration issued a ruling that essentially
begins a final review process that will determine whether hospitals can use RFID
systems to identify patients and/or permit relevant hospital staff to access
medical records. Since then, a number of U.S. hospitals have begun implanting
patients with RFID tags and using RFID systems
 RFID Basics

Material Effects on RFID Signals

Material Effect(s)
Corrugate Absorption (moisture)
Detuning (dielectric)
Conductive liquids, e.g., Absorption
shampoo
Plastics Detuning (dielectric)
Metals Reflection
Groups of cans Reflection
Tissue Absorption
Human body / animals Detuning (dielectric)
Reflection
 RFID Basics
Benefits

• Improving order accuracy

• Reducing administrative errors

• Reducing chargebacks

• Increasing overall data accuracy for better

planning
 RFID Basics

RFID Link:
The Reader provides the tag with the power, clock and data, while
the tag responds with its stored data.

Tags can be passive or active, R/O or R/W.

Data

RFID Clock Tag

Reader
Power

Coupling element
 RF Signal Propagation

Reader to tag power transfer

• If a reader transmits Pr watts, how much power Pt does a tag

receive at separation distance d?

• It depends. At HF via inductive coupling:

• At UHF via far field propagation:

 RF Signal Propagation

• Transmit Power –regulated maximum

• Transmit Antenna Gain –antenna design
• Frequency and Range –signal attenuation in free space
• Receiving Antenna Gain –antenna design
• Receiver Sensitivity –weakest signal that can be received
 RF Signal Propagation

• where
is the received (or transmitted) signal power
is the effective antenna gain
R is the distance between the transmitter and receiver and λ is the
wavelength
RF Signal Propagation
 RF Signal Propagation

• Tag power limited, or reader sensitivity limited? Well designed

passive systems are tag power limited.

• Reader sensitivity limit

RF Signal Propagation
The tag power limit in action
RF Signal Propagation
 Omnidirectional Tag Antenna for Passive UHF
RFID

Concept of Omnidirectional Reading

 Omnidirectional Tag Antenna for Passive
UHF RFID

Development of the Omnidirectional Tag: Modeling

 Omnidirectional Tag Antenna for Passive
UHF RFID

Development of the Omnidirectional Tag: Modeling

 Omnidirectional Tag Antenna for Passive
UHF RFID

Development of the Omnidirectional Tag: Measurements

 Omnidirectional Tag Antenna for Passive
UHF RFID

Development of the Omnidirectional Tag: Measurements

 Omnidirectional Tag Antenna for Passive
UHF RFID

Development of the Omnidirectional Tag: Readings

Proctor & Gamble: a case study

The problem:
P&G needed to increase throughput at its facility in Spain

The solution:
An RFID system that enabled for klift drivers to load pallets directly on to
trucks instead of staging them on the loading dock
How it works
• Readers were installed on
forklifts and connected to a
wireless computer on the
vehicle
• The computer transmits
information to and from an
existing warehouse
management system
1. A pallet with the bar code
number 12345 comes down the
conveyor
2. A scanner reads the bar code as
the pallet reaches the pickup
area
3. Forklift 1 comes to pick up the
pallet
4. The software system now
records that Forklift 1 is at the
pickup area
5. A presence detector indicates the
pallet has left the pickup area
6. The software infers that Forklift 1
is moving pallet 12345
7. The warehouse management
system determines pallet 12345
belong on the truck waiting at
Dock Door 18
8. That information is
transmitted to Forklift 1’s
wireless computer
9. The forklift driver mistakenly
brings the pallet to Door 8
10. The reader on the forklift
scans the tag in the floor at
the Door 8
11. The system sends the driver a
visual and audible alert
12. The driver can override the
system and select from a list of
reasons for overriding
13. If the driver goes to Dock Door
18, the system records that the
pallet was placed on the truck
14. When all pallets are loaded, the
system checks the delivery
against the PO to guarantee the
order was filled without any
mistakes
 The cost
• P&G paid less than $100,000 to outfit this facility
• The price included the cost of the tags and readers
• The integration work needed to connect the readers to the onboard
computer and back-end warehouse management system
 The benefits
P&G was able to:
• Accommodate the extra throughput of the facility
• Reduce the number of forklift drivers for each shift
• Eliminate mistakes in shipping orders
• Achieved a return on investment within one year
Prepared by:

EHAB SAMIR MOHAMED