CargoNet: Micropower Active RFID for Security and SupplyChain Management

1
CargoNet Micropower Active RFID for Security and
Supply-Chain Management

• Mateusz Malinowski
• Responsive Environments
• 10 July 2006

2
New Directives in Shipping/Logistics

• Container Security Initiative/Customs-Trade
  Partnership Against Terrorism (Jan/Apr 2002)
• Moves customs inspections further upstream
• Documentation of packing and loading
• Advanced Manifest Rule (Feb 2003)
• Cargo data must be submitted to U.S. Customs 24
  hours in advancefocuses inspections
• Eventually will be necessary to submit
  electronically

3
Additional Concerns

• Inventory management
• Better estimate of lead times
• Prevent shortages/overstock
• Supply-chain transparency
• Know location of goods as they move through the
  supply chain
• Know who has custody over goods
• Monitoring in addition to tracking
• Record environmental conditions of goods in
  transit

4
Private-Sector Responses

• Smart and Secure Tradelanes (Jul 2003)
• Collaboration between three largest port
  operators to automate port security
• Electronic tracking and identification of cargo
  entering U.S. ports
• Monitoring devices implemented as electronic
  seals on shipping containters
• Active RFID tags on container doors
• Association between passive and active
  technologies
• Security Integrated into Supply Chain

5
Example E-Seal Savi SensorTag ST-676

• Sensors door open, light, temperature,
  vibration, humidity
• RF links
• 433.92 Mhz, range 100m
• 123 kHz, range 4m
• Power
• 3.6 V Lithium cell lasts up to 4 years at 2
  samples/day

• Drawbacks size, cost, limited networking
  capability

6
CargoNet

• Low-Cost Sensor Node for Supply Chain Monitoring
• with Micropower Analog Processing and Wakeup

• CC2500 2.4 Ghz RF transceiver
• Vibration sensor
• Phototransistor (light sensor)
• Real-time clock
• JTAG programming interface

• Lithium coin cell (underside)
• MSP430F1232 microcontroller
• Reed switch (breach sensor)
• Temperature and humidity sensor

7
Additional Features Planned for Future Revisions

• Sensors
• Adjustable-sensitivity vibration sensor for
  adaptive wakeup
• RFID antenna for RFID-reader wakeup
• Low-cost humidity sensor
• Vibration dosimeter for integrating small
  vibrations over time
• Microphone

• Off-chip flash memory for data logging when away
  from a network
• 802.5.14-compatible RF transceiver for increased
  inter-operability with other wireless devices

8
System Overview
Motes spread throughout container relay messages
Gateway at door communicates with motes and
outside networks
CargoNet tags on pallets and in cases
9
Advantages of CargoNet

• Smaller and cheaper platform allows pallet-,
  case-, and even item-level tagging
• Better granularity of measurements
• Less bias compared with door-mounted sensor
• When associated with items, can be used to detect
  proximity to other goods (e.g. volatile
  chemicals)
• Micropower operation extends battery life to
  multiple years
• Multiple sensor modalities for monitoring breadth

10
Synergy with Passive RFID

• Passive RFID Tags
• Passive tags are applied to items in the factory
  to aid in identification and tracking
• Items are placed in cases and on pallets
• Items can be associated with case- and
  pallet-level CargoNet active tags
• Groups of items can now be monitored using
  CargoNet
• Passive RFID Readers
• Readers can wake up CargoNet active tags through
  short-range inductive coupling

11
Synergy with Active Infrastructure

• Active Infrastructure
• Wireless sensor nodes installed in shipping
  container and warehouse relay messages from
  active RFID tags to gateways
• Gateways route messages to central servers via
• TCP/IP
• GPRS
• Satellite
• Current state of shipments can be incorporated
  into business applications, promoting
  supply-chain transparency and visibility

12
Timeline

• July 2006
• Hardware redesign
• August 2006
• Write updated sensing and networking software
• Active container large-scale test in mid-August
• September 2006
• Additional tests and modifications as needed
• Late Fall 2006
• Writing

13
References

• Lee, H.L. and Whang S., Higher Supply Chain
  Security with Lower Cost Lessons from Total
  Quality Management, Int J Prod Econ. 96 (2005).
• Savi SensorTag ST-676 Datasheet, (Unpublished),
  Jan 2006
• Integrated RF-enabled Temperature Monitoring
  Infrastructure, http//www.sensitech.com/applicat
  ions/coldstream_pts/ColdStream_Infra_DataSheet.pdf
  , Mar 2006.
• Savi Transportation Security System,
  (Unpublished), 2004.