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?