Bengt Oelmann Mitthögskolan, ITE RF-ID at ITE Bengt Oelmann Mitthögskolan, ITE

Outline RF-ID technology overview RF-ID project at ITE

RF-ID Motivation Increasing degree of automation in the production process requires increasing demand on automatic identification Automatic ID systems Barcode RF-ID technology

(cont) RF-ID Motivation RF-ID technology - a key technology It works without direct contact to the object There is no need for a direct line of sight Data can be stored on the object A simultaneous identification of various objects in a reading field is possible

Electronic Identification Methods Automatic ID Systems grouped by physical medium Magnetic stripes Barcode RF-ID RF-ID divided into groups by The frequency band they are using The power supply technique they are using RF-ID is the only technology that can exchange data in two directions

Basic RF-ID function RF-ID System RF Control Signal processing Transponder antenna Reader/writer unit Transponder chip R/W antenna RF-ID System Transponder: repeats the received signal with encoded information (e.g ID of transponder) Reader/writer unit: Sends a activation signal and analyses the response

Transponder types Transponder ferrite rod air coil encapsulated in glass flexible material

Smart labels Smart labels new development (started 3-4 years ago) air coil type laminated into flexible materials (like paper or foils) inexpensive transponder type Available from a few producers

Application Specific Capabilities Important criteria for transponder design Frequency band Energy supply Transmission protocol Read/write capability data capacity anti-collision capability (multiple access)

Frequency Governmental regulations limits Available frequency bands frequency bands that can be used emission power Available frequency bands 100 - 135 kHz 3 - 30 MHz 2.45 GHz 5.8 GHz

(cont) Frequency Selecting frequency band reflection on surfaces absorption in materials energy demands size of electronic parts and antenna speed of data transmission

Energy supply Transponder Active Passive Has its own power supply (battery) Sends data over several meters Limited life-time Without power supply Energy through induction Transmission length about 1 m live forever

Technical features - overview

Technical requirements on passive RF-ID for different applications

Factors for frequency choice Dimension of antenna Data transmission speed Energy demand Surface reflection Penetration through water Increase of impact Low frequency kHz High frequency MHz Ultra high frequency GHz

Development steps of RF-ID Wild animals, Military applications Agriculture, Animals Pets Industrial applications in closed systems Industrial applications in open systems Application re-use transponder logistics vehicle ID Person ID single-use transponder logistics tickets parcels luggage Radio devices Neck collar transponders Size Smart labels Plastic transponders Injectable glass transponders Glass transponders 1990 1995 2000 Time

RF-ID project at ITE RF-ID Project RF-ID technology RF-ID applications

RF-ID Applications RF-ID applications Overview Demonstrator Goal: get an overview of the area Deliverable: Report Resources: - Goal: demonstrate applications of RF-ID using commercially available HW and Windows application programs developed at ITE Deliverable: Working demonstrator Resources: Bengt Oelmann, Richard Johansson

RF-ID Technology RF-ID technology Radio system Low power electronics Material technology

Radio system Radio system Deals with problems related to: system model selection of frequency bands antennas power requirement multiple access error control specification of radio electronics Goal: determine system model for the design and specify the key design parameters Deliverable: Reports (MSc. Thesis) Resources: Youshi Xu, Bengt Oelmann, Johan Sidén, Peter Jonsson

Low Power Electronics Low Power Electronics Deals with problems related to: Digital electronics Analog (RF) electronics Antenna interfaces Power supply Goal: Find circuit solutions for transponder design. Deliverable:Lab. Report on low-power digital design technique for digital logic. Resources: Bengt Oelmann, Håkan Norell

Material technology Material technology Deals with problems related to: IC technology Assembly: antenna-to-IC, transponder-to-paper

Approach for research RF-ID system Radio system Material technology System optimization IC process Assembly techniques Design model Requirements on circuits Requirements on technology

Working model COMPLEX! SCANNER read/write unit simple RFID-tag