by Dr. Paul A. Moskowitz, RFID Expert, IBM Research
May 6, 2006
RFID is not a new industry: The first United States patent on a passive RFID tag was issued in 1973. Since that time, many uses of RFID have become widespread or even pervasive; examples include electronic toll collection, electronic credit cards, and identification for people and animals. The driving force behind the current growth in the industry was the 1999 founding of the AutoID (automatic identification) Center at MIT with member companies from the retail, manufacturing, distribution, and technology fields. That organization gave rise in 2003 to EPCglobal, which today has over 700 members.
The retail supply chain handles 100 billion cases and pallets of goods each year. The labeling of these pallets and cases to make them traceable will make the supply chain more efficient and will help solve such retail problems as the out-of-stock problem. Eventually, RFID tags could be used to label individual retail items.
Fundamentals of RFID
A radio frequency identification system consists of tagged objects, one or more readers, and a computing system for processing the information received by the readers. The simplest passive tags have neither batteries nor transmitters. They consist of a semiconductor chip, an antenna, and the packaging that holds them together. The tags generally carry a unique identification number in their memory. Currently, EPC tags use a 96-bit ID code, which could be expanded if necessary. Passive tags are currently priced in the ten-cent to 50-cent range for large quantities. The chips in the tags derive their power from the radio field of the reader. The tags communicate with the reader by reflecting and modulating a signal returned to the reader. Tags may have provisions for extended “read/write” memory. Because each tag has a unique ID, the reader may be able to recognize many tags in its field virtually simultaneously, up to about 1000 tags per second. Typically, ultra-high-frequency (UHF) tags may be read at a distance of 10 meters (30 feet).
In addition to simple passive tags, there are battery-assisted tags, sometimes called semi-passive or semi-active tags, in which the battery is used to power the chips. These tags may have a range of about 30 meters (100 feet). Battery-assisted tags may also have sensors to measure and record parameters such as temperature or pressure. There are also active tags, which incorporate batteries and transmitters. These tags, which may be detected at 100 meters (300 feet), are generally used to locate people or objects. Active tags are priced in the $10 to $100 range. It is expected that there will be many applications for active tags as the price declines.
About the researchers
Dr. Paul A. Moskowitz, a research staff member at the IBM Watson Research Center in Hawthorne, N.Y., is an expert on the physics of RFID. He holds a Ph.D. in physics and is a registered professional engineer. Dr. Moskowitz has been awarded 67 United States patents, half of which are in the area of RFID or wireless technology. He has worked on a variety of projects, including wireless applications, radio frequency identification (RFID), and automotive telematics. He has represented IBM on the Bluetooth Automotive standards committee, and he now represents IBM at the Hardware Action Group of EPCglobal. Dr. Moskowitz works with IBM consultants on the implementation of RFID systems.
Recently, Dr. Moskowitz introduced a new wireless identification tag to the RFID community that he hopes will quell privacy concerns over plans to use RFID technology in retail outlets. Read the white paper. A more recent paper (with illustrations) is available here.
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Fundamentals of RFID
A radio frequency identification system consists of tagged objects, one or more readers, and a computing system for processing the information received by the readers. The simplest passive tags have neither batteries nor transmitters. They consist of a semiconductor chip, an antenna, and the packaging that holds them together. The tags generally carry a unique identification number in their memory. Currently, EPC tags use a 96-bit ID code, which could be expanded if necessary. Passive tags are currently priced in the ten-cent to 50-cent range for large quantities. The chips in the tags derive their power from the radio field of the reader. The tags communicate with the reader by reflecting and modulating a signal returned to the reader. Tags may have provisions for extended “read/write” memory. Because each tag has a unique ID, the reader may be able to recognize many tags in its field virtually simultaneously, up to about 1000 tags per second. Typically, ultra-high-frequency (UHF) tags may be read at a distance of 10 meters (30 feet).
In addition to simple passive tags, there are battery-assisted tags, sometimes called semi-passive or semi-active tags, in which the battery is used to power the chips. These tags may have a range of about 30 meters (100 feet). Battery-assisted tags may also have sensors to measure and record parameters such as temperature or pressure. There are also active tags, which incorporate batteries and transmitters. These tags, which may be detected at 100 meters (300 feet), are generally used to locate people or objects. Active tags are priced in the $10 to $100 range. It is expected that there will be many applications for active tags as the price declines.
Dr. Paul A. Moskowitz, a research staff member at the IBM Watson Research Center in Hawthorne, N.Y., is an expert on the physics of RFID. He holds a Ph.D. in physics and is a registered professional engineer. Dr. Moskowitz has been awarded 67 United States patents, half of which are in the area of RFID or wireless technology. He has worked on a variety of projects, including wireless applications, radio frequency identification (RFID), and automotive telematics. He has represented IBM on the Bluetooth Automotive standards committee, and he now represents IBM at the Hardware Action Group of EPCglobal. Dr. Moskowitz works with IBM consultants on the implementation of RFID systems.
Recently, Dr. Moskowitz introduced a new wireless identification tag to the RFID community that he hopes will quell privacy concerns over plans to use RFID technology in retail outlets.