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RFID

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20 views

RFID

Uploaded by

Mit
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Radio-Frequency Identification

(RFID)
What is RFID
● Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) is the use of radio waves to read and capture information stored
on a tag attached to an object.

● A tag can be read from up to several feet away and does not need to be within direct line-of- sight of the
reader to be tracked.

● RFID mostly use frequency ranges:

• LF: 125-134KHz

• HF: 13.56MHz

• UHF: 433MHz, and 860-915MHz


Applications
Advantages
● Increased efficiency: RFID tags are quick and accurate, allowing for faster and more efficient tracking of
items.

● Improved accuracy: Unlike barcodes, RFID tags do not require a direct line of sight to be read, which
means they can be read even when hidden or obscured.

● Reduced labor costs: RFID tags can be read automatically, eliminating the need for manual scanning and
reducing labor costs.

● Enhanced security: RFID tags can be encrypted and programmed with unique identifiers, making it more
difficult for counterfeit or unauthorized items to enter the supply chain.

● Real-time tracking: RFID tags can provide real-time data on the location and movement of items, allowing
for better inventory management and supply chain optimization.
Disadvantages
● Security Issues: RFID tags cannot distinguish between readers, which means the information can be
read by almost anyone once it has left the original supply chain. This means that anyone can collect
potentially sensitive information without a person’s knowledge.

RFID tags can be linked to individual credit cards, creating the potential for financial theft and fraud.

● Technology Issues: Signal issues can occur with RFID inventory systems — when signals from
two or more readers overlap, and interference caused by metal, water, or other magnetic fields in the
surrounding area.

● Set Up Issues: An RFID system is also time-consuming and labor-intensive to set up.

● Cost: The cost of the RFID system itself, such as RFID tags and scanners, an increase in time and
labor also means an increase in cost.
RFID tags vs Barcodes
How RFID works

● A RFID system consists of:

• A tag or label.

• A reader.

• Antenna

● RFID tags or labels are embedded with a transmitter (present in active tags only) and a receiver. The
RFID component on the tags have two parts: a microchip that stores and processes information, and
an antenna to receive and transmit a signal. The tag contains the specific serial number for one
specific object.
● To read the information encoded on a tag, a two-way radio transmitter- receiver (called an
interrogator/reader emits a radio-frequency signal in a relatively short range to the tag using an
antenna. In case of passive RFID tag, the RF radiation also provides the energy to the passive RFID
tag to communicate.
● The tag responds with the information written in its memory bank. The interrogator will then transmit
the read results to an RFID computer program.
Coupling
● In order for an RFID tag to communicate with an RFID reader/antenna, the tag circuit and reader circuit
generally must couple in some way.
● Coupling is a transfer of energy between two electronic circuits in the Antenna’s Near Field or Far field
zone.

Fig. Regions of operation for RFID Reader Antenna


Capacitive Coupling

Application example: Hotel key cards that slide


into lock
• Operates at LF band
• Devices are very close
• Effectively touching
• Each device has an electrode.Two electrodes
together form two plates of a capacitor
• Requires common ground
Inductive Coupling

Application examples: Power and data exchange,


detecting proximity of metal objects
• Operates at HF band
• Good for a few to several centimeters
• Each device has a ring antenna
• When close enough ring antennas allow for inductive
coupling
• Changing current flow means changing magnetic field.
That changing magnetic field (“flux”) in turn induces a
changing current flow and “induced voltage”. Basically
like a transformer with a core made of air.
Backscatter coupling

• Operates at UHF band


• It is a communication method involving electromagnetic waves.
•EM waves are sent through the air from the reader antenna to the tag antenna.
•The energy is received by the tag antenna and a small amount energy is then reflected back to the
reader.
Eg. Race timing, asset tracking, and file tracking are some of the applications that use backscatter
for reader tag communication
RFID Tags

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