RFID Network Infrastructure: Backgrounder

IEEE LANMAN 2007

© 2007, Reva Systems Corporation Slide 2

Background• UHF ‘Passive’ Radio Frequency ID

– Developed through Auto-ID Center (MIT) sponsored research (1999-2004)

– Specifications developed and ratified by EPCglobal and ISO– Readers talk first, tags communicate via modulated backscatter

• Electronic Product Code (EPC) concept– General utility model, but…– Relies on back-end network resolution

• Broad adoption across vertical markets– Started with Big Retail, DoD, and Pharma– Now add Air Transportation, Manufacturing, Logistics, Food

Processing, Merchandising…• Expanding across applications

– Open-loop, “supply chain” style– Closed-loop, “asset tracking” style

• Technology is extending UHF applicability– Semi-passive tag technologies– User data memory– Sensor integration

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RFID Network Infrastructurebuilding on Global Standards

Physical Logical

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Tag Examples

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Reader Examples

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Dense Reader Deployments

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High-Resolution Locations

Applications require accurate determination of tag presence in

real-world locations

Cross-reads and ambient tags pollute the data

How to best satisfy application

requirements?

Simultaneous workflow and operation compounds the problem

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RFID TechnologyReaches Critical Maturity in 2007

2005 2006 2007 2008

Worldwide Regulatory Harmonization

Item-Level Tagging

Low-cost Integrated Reader Silicon

Direct Application Interfaces from Major Enterprise SW Suppliers

Gen2 Air Protocol

Standardized Reader-Network Interface

Today

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Worldwide Regulatory Landscape

Parameter Best Case N.A.Europe

(Last year)Europe

(Next year)Japan Korea

Amount of spectrum >6MHz 26MHz 2MHz 2MHz 2MHz 4MHz

Channel width ~250kHz < 500kHz 200kHz 200kHz 200kHz <200kHz

Specify channelization?

Yes No Yes Yes Yes No

Frequency accuracy +10 ppm None +20 ppm +20 ppm +20 ppm +20 ppm

Listen-before talk? No No Yes No Yes No

Frequency hopping? No Yes No No No Yes

Transmission power 4W EIRP 4W EIRP3.15W EIRP

3.15W EIRP

4W EIRP 4W EIRP

Transmission mask? TightLoose

20dB “hat”Yes Yes

Yes, but band edge is too tight

Not specified?

Regulate tag backscatter?

No NoYes

-36dBm

Yes

-20dBmNo No

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RFID Infrastructure:Questions and Open

Issues…• How will RFID impact enterprise networks? Does RFID

create any special requirements for network bandwidth, latency, security, etc.?

• Should RFID infrastructure be built with Edge v. Centralized Intelligence? Fat v. Thin readers?

• How to define device-level v. system-level performance metrics?

• What’s the best way to produce RFID identification and location context? What role does configuration or sensing play?

• Comparison to and cooperation with other locating technologies, like WiFi RTLS, semi-passive UHF, HF, UWB?

• How useful is RFID for emerging NFC applications? • What about RFID-enabled mesh networks? • How general-purpose can a locating infrastructure be made

across multiple locating or sensing technologies?

Contact info:

Dave HusakFounder, CTOReva Systems

dhusak@revasystems.com