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RFID Technology

RFID (radio frequency identification) is a form of data transmission that uses radio waves. Its main advantage is that RFID does not require any form of physical or visual contact in order to transmit data. Using so-called transponders, chips equipped with an aerial, encrypted data is transmitted, read and then stored to a database.

Experts differentiate between active and passive transponders, depending on whether the transponder has its own power supply or not. A passive transponder does not require a battery in order to function. Instead the reading device supplies it with the required energy. However, the reach of such transponders is limited due to the fact that the reading device also acts as the power supply. Active transponders, on the other hand, are permanently operable as they contain their own power supply, usually in form of a battery. This means that they also have a much higher range which is the reason why they are used in applications such as fleet management or to track and identify animals.

Any RFID system consists of three basic elements:

• RFID technology consisting of tags and readers,
• the middleware consisting of the device management software Crosstalk provided by noFilis and of SAP’s AII (Auto-ID Infrastructure) as well as
• a backend system.

The reading device acquires transponder data and transmits this data to the middleware that processes it and then transfers it to the backend.

Compared to conventional auto-ID systems such as barcodes, OCR or chip cars, RFID possesses numerous advantages. Data cannot be read by unauthorized persons and RFID works reliably even if the reading device is located at some distance from the transponder. Additionally, readings are not affected by pollution or humidity as environmental factors do not affect data transmission.

One key advantage of RFID, is the range at which transponders can be read. However, the range varies depending on the frequency used. If a low-frequency (125-135 kHz) is employed, the range is only a few centimetres. A high-frequency bandwidth allows for readings (13,56 MHz) within a radius of up to 1.5 metres whereas a transponder using UHF can attain ranges of up to 5 metres. Microwave frequencies (2,45-5,8 GHz) in active transponders can even achieve ranges of several hundred metres.

Currently, RFID chips are already in use in a number of areas. Examples are passports, skiing passes, animal identification, retail security systems or immobilizer systems.

In the meantime, industry has also discovered the advantages provided by RFID technology. RFIS is used in areas auch as:

• Process documentation
• Production planning and control
• Container management
• Maintenance management in container logistics

In logistics, RFID technology possesses many possible application and concrete advantages. Goods receipts, for instance, can be fully automated thus avoiding erroneous manual inputs. During goods receipts, it is also possible to acquire and transfer data from several transponders simultaneously making hardcopy shipping documents superfluous.