SG3_200201_271_PalomarPres.doc

1
Palomar ISO 18000-6 WD submission presented
by Ulrich Friedrich, Atmel Germany GmbH email
ulrich.friedrich_at_atmel-wm.com
2

• Overview
• What is Palomar
• The consortium
• Application requirements
• Frequencies, regulations
• The link
• Data management
• Conclusion

3
The project framework of Palomar - IST-1999-10339
PAssive based on backscatter technique, no
battery LOng range up to 4 meters in an
anechoic chamber single dipole antenna _at_
tag Multiple Access Anticollision high
frequency RFID UHF considering the -
European regulations - on-going discussions
about world-wide regulations
4
Who is behind Palomar ?

• VTT
• research institute specialised on RF and
  microwave, Finland
• Idesco (Owner Polar Group, Finland)
• interface to industrial applications in paper
  mill
• development of reader modules, Finland
• Rafsec (Owner UPM-Kymmene Group, Finland)
• interface to paper mill industry
• Label assembly technology based on flip chip,
  Finland
• Atmel Nantes (Atmel Corp. headquartered in San
  Jose, CA)
• RF circuit development based on 0.5 u CMOS
  technology
• production of transponder ICs, France
• Atmel Germany (Atmel Corp. headquartered in San
  Jose, CA)
• project leadership
• transponder IC development, Germany

5
Where we are ?

• Based on the RFID, RF and application know how
  inside the consortium we have started in 2000 to
  combine the competence aiming an European answer
  for global SCM solutions
• Palomar1 system (OSI 1 to 3) is currently under
  test
• 4 m in an anechoic arrangement (868 MHz and 0.5W
  ERP) is a realistic target
• Palomar2 system (based on Palomar1) is under
  development
• Palomar2 silicon is scheduled for springtime 2002

6
SCM(N) solution
SCM - host
SCM server (gate)
SCM - host
company network wired / wireless several levels
server
wired bus / wireless
RFID system
RFID system
tags - low cost minimum feature tags - high
cost tags
reader - fixed reader
- hand held reader
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Data in a Supply Chain Management (Network)

• SCM
• UID
• information about the next steps in the chain
• (brand protection)
• expanded SCM
• ID containing an UID (licence plate)
• tracking data
• (brand protection)
• SCMN
• same as in the expanded SCM
• security features against reading (guaranty,
  several companies are inside, ...)
• security features for brand protection

8
Fundamental needs of the applications

• added value
• long range feasibility considering local RF
  regulations
• stationary reader
• hand held reader low(er) power consumption
• low cost feasibility for low end tags
• family concept of readers and tags
• minimum protocol
• minimum features
• expandable features and protocol solutions
• security
• longer communication ranges
• user defined functions
• world wide accepted solutions
• multi reader and multi tag feasibility
• flexible data management options

9
The pilot application
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UHF Regulations in Europe
Under discussion in Europe

• 869.4 - 869.65 MHz
• Power 500 mW ERP
• Bandwidth 25 kHz / 250 kHz
• Duty cycle 10

• 862 - 870 MHz or 865 - 868 MHz
• Power 4 W EIRP indoor
• Bandwidth 100 kHz
• Duty cycle no
• 15 channels (200 kHz each)
• 865 to 865.6 MHz _at_ a power level of 100 mW ERP
• 865.6 to 867.6 MHz _at_ a power level of 2 W ERP and
• 876.6 to 868 MHz _at_ a power level of 500 mW ERP

The attempt to get a world wide accepted UHF
frequency for passive RFID solutions was failed
11

• Overview
• The link
• challenges
• power planes
• principal solutions
• power link mechanism
• OSI layers
• Data management
• Conclusion

12
Challenges of an UHF RFID solutions

• free space attenuation
• attenuation of the goods
• reflections, noise, humans
• power consumption of the transponder chip
• leakage
• activity on the chip
• effectiveness of the rectifier
• different RF regulations
• power limitations
• frequency ranges
• bandwidth regulations
• no world wide excepted standards
• challenges of the applications
• for the data management
• data rates

13
The power plan of the Palomar UHF solution

• Forward link
• Output power 27 dBm
• TX antenna gain 2 dB
• Free space attenuation _at_ 4 m - 43.3 dB
• Power at the transponder antenna - 14.3 dBm

• Backward link
• Reflected power - 30 dBm (1 uW)
• Gain tag antenna 2 dB
• Free space attenuation _at_ 4m - 43.3 dB
• Target - 71.3 dBm at the RX antenna

Additionally modulation losses, fading, ...
14
The main challenge power to supply the tag
(destructive interference)
distance
dBm
15
General challenges of the tag - IC design

• To get a small power consumption
• weak (long time stability, accuracy, ..) or no
  oscillator to decode the stream
• pure analogue accuracy
• no PLL, A/D converter, mixer, carrier clock
  divider, etc. are allowed
• small active chip areas
• low activity
• low leakage current which is a function of the
  technology, the area and the temperature
• high efficiency rectifier
• low price technology which contains programmable
  structures like EEPROM
• low supply voltage, has to be less than 1.5 to 2
  V
• ripple on the power supply voltage, POR, stand
  by, ...
• and / or use of bigger capacitance on chip, area,
  price,...
• CMOS design with non-volatile memory capability
  and good RF circuits

16
Forward modulation possibilities to get world
wide acceptance

• ASK is very simple
• ASK - OOK as a special case is good for
  realisation (signal2noise)
• but to achieve the allowed spectrum in Europe
• the modulation losses are high
• ASK (m
• easy to generate and good for the spectrum
• but it is a strong challenge for UHF RFID
• moving objects
• fading effects
• it is also a strong challenge for the tag itself
• detection is not easy
• it must be possible to distinguish if it is a
  symbol or a fading effect
• detection needs more power than OOK
• FSK needs bandwidth (in Europe 100 to 250 kHz
  total) and power
• DSBM

17
DSBM

• effective power transport
• clock ticks combined with 0,1,EOT symbols
• synchronous communication style
• reduced side band effects
• enables higher data rates as ASK - OOK
• robust and easily detectable return link

18
Data transport
Required signal / noise ratio dB as a function
of - the bit error rate (BER) and - the type of
modulation
BER 10-3 10-5 10-7 Modulation PSK 6.8 9.6 11.4
FSK 9.5 12.2 15.2 ASK (OOK) 12.6 15.2 httpvulc
ain.fb12.tu-berlin.de/ILR/Aquarius/Telemetrie/raus
chen.html

• for ASK m than for ASK-OOK
• additionally fading effects, moving objects
• power transport

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Properties of the physical layer realised in
Palomar

• Power / data transport
• DSBM to reduce modulation losses and to transmit
  symbols quickly
• synchronous communication style
• default reader talks first
• Forward link
• DSBM to transport data and the system clock
• robust link mechanism
• enables high bit rate variations
• higher data rates as with ASK-OOK
• system clock extraction is easy
• enables low power concepts at the transponder
  side for decoding
• Return link
• system clock from the reader
• ASK / PSK possible
• phase measurement technologies are possible
  higher signal2noise

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The advantage of Double Side Band Modulation
(DSBM)
Changing only I the result is s(t) cos(2 ?
f_carrier t) cos(2 ? f_mod t) If Q 0 all the
time this results in a signal crossing zero
(notch signal). Normally this effect is an
unwanted effect, but here it helps Theoretically
cos(2 ? f_mod t) can be extracted as the
baseband signal directly. The RF spectrum can be
easily adapted.
This kind of PSK modulation results in an AM
signal in the baseband without the disadvantage
of the corresponding spectrum generated by an ASK
modulation and is able to transport more power
to the tag than an ASK-OOK modulated
carrier (Patent pending, VTT)
21
Comparison ASK-OOK vs DSBM to transport power
OOK
DSBM

modulation signals
on

off
-
possibilities to receive power
after the rectifier
Q
22
The clock extraction system of the RFID system
Condition same RF spectrum
ASK-OOK
DSBM
LF input to mixer
1 0 -1
baseband signal (RSSI)
system clock as part of the protocol (notch)
no clock extraction possible
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The clock ticks
The detector has to detect ABS(cos(2 ? f_mod t))
Using a bandwidth of 250 kHz the minimum length
for a notch is theoretically 4 us
DSBM do not require an on - chip oscillator for
time measurement functions on the tag - IC
(power saving possibility) DSBM allows a
synchronous communication style in the forward
and backward link
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Forward link with adaptive baud rate setting
Based on pulse width measurement in the header
section Data rate is constant during each
forward link, but flexible
(Patent pending, Atmel Germany)
The resulting error rate in the stream is
therefore a function of the borderlines and the
distances between the symbols
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Synchronous data transport

• Advantages
• tolerant to worse oscillator concepts and low
  accuracy decoders on the tag
• no synchronisation frame needed
• if in a free running osc-concept the tolerance of
  the oscillator is - 20 or worse then a long
  time synchronisation frame is needed to control
  the return link in an accepted way.
• needed sync.-length f(protocol length)
• start of frame detection and plausibility check
  is easy to implement
• high signal 2 noise for detection of the back
  scattered signal per definition
• The Palomar solution
• The communication can be interrupted (EOT
  symbols) at any position (each direction)
• references for the return link are in the header
  symbol
• easy, low time and low power calibration possible
• NRZ or NIRZ in the return link

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OSI layers 2 and 3 (forward link)

• OSI 2
• structure header, command, parameter, data, 16
  bit CRC, EOT sequence
• commands
• read
• program
• reset
• select and un-select
• anticollision
• able to support different solution for clock
  extraction (power consumption)
• OSI 2a / MAC layer
• quasi deterministic anticollision
• random (Aloha) also possible
• OSI 3
• 2 bit command CRC and 16 bit over all CRC
  according to ISO/IEC 13223
• position of EOT symbols
• forward header check (plausibility)

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OSI2 layer, forward direction (default mode)
baud rate control
optional
8 bit command
Header
8 bit parameter field
Data field
Parameters, to control for example - coding
style - modulation (subcarrier) control - tag
selection control (all / single / group) - reset
selection for anticollision procedures - UID
control - select control - address modes -
arbitration control - .....
commands - 2 bit CRC - 2 bit command class -
Reset - Program - Read - (Un)Select -
Anticollision - ....
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OSI layers 2 to 3 (return link)

• OSI 2
• structure header, status field, data, 16 bit
  CRC, EOT
• loop function is default
• reference symbols in the header section
• synchronous transmission controlled by the reader
• subcarrier of 200 kHz possible, controlled by the
  command
• multi reader application considering current ETSI
• influence of other channels ?
• OSI 3
• Reference symbols
• 16 bit CRC according to ISO/IEC 13223 (same as
  18000-3, 15693-3)

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The header in the return link (default mode)
As an example
EOTreturn
return header tag baseband view
modulation by the tag static modulation
subcarrier modulation by the tag
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Functionality of the return header

• enable new data rate configuration
  (signal2noise_f / signal2noise_r)
• first sub symbol can be used to adapt the data
  rate
• during the first sub symbol the modulator stage
  is on
• last sub symbol is used to declare the minimum
  length of EOT_return
• lengths of sub symbol 2 and sub symbol 3 are
  reserved for further use
• IPs in preparation

31
Structure of the return link (default mode)
header
8 bit status
EOT
optional
RFU, if no program or reset command
Data stream is encrypted. If no read command RFU
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Properties of the return header

• allows a new data rate which is different from
  the data rate of the forward link
• modulation can be used as a reference symbol in
  the Rx channel of the reader
• the reader is able to check which data rate is
  needed in this environment
• the minimum data rate is defined by the
  EOTreturn symbol
• static and subcarrier modulation is possible and
  controlled by the command
• the minimum length of the EOT-return symbol is
  fixed by the header
• it allows to stop the communication at each bit
  position
• the maximum length of the EOT-return can be
  defined also by the EOT-return symbol located in
  the header

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Why two EOT symbols (forward and return link) ?

• general
• enabling options for further use (more features
  such as security)
• enabling a symbol decoding concept without using
  an on-chip oscillator
• forward link
• case1 both symbols are side by side no
  additional option
• case2 n clock ticks between the two symbols
  additional options and symbols possible
• to transmit keys
• to transmit clock ticks
• ...
• backward link
• case1 both symbols are side by side no
  additional option
• case2 n clock ticks in between
• to transfer a short command

34
Properties of the link mechanism realised in
Palomar

• data clock system is part of the OSI1 layer
  description (DSBM)
• data links
• forward synchronous, pulse length
• return synchronous, NRZ / NIRZ, subcarrier
  optional (new type (IP) under development)
• able to support different data rates (RF
  spectrum)
• forward link 2 to 80 kbit/s
• return link 10 to 80 kbit/s (noise)
• communication link is based on phase shifting
  methods to
• get higher data rates
• to get higher distances
• to get high noise immunity
• Option to support the communication link without
  an on-chip oscillator, to save power
  communication distance increase

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Anticollision

• Two solutions are possible
• deterministic procedure
• random based (Aloha) procedure
• Anticollision is a philosophic problem
• Anticollision for item management has also
  technical challenges
• detection of the collision
• attenuation is a function of the location, the
  distance and the things which are between
• signal to noise
• dynamic population
• speed
• Anticollision needs
• flexible pre-selection structure in front
• subcarrier if the random based procedure is used
  (speed)
• the possibility of arbitration if deterministic
  procedure is used
• A more optimised anticollision procedure is under
  development

36
Random based anticollision

• group mechanism up front are possible
• is normally based on Aloha principles
• static modulation can not be used to detect a
  collision (attenuation)
• sub carrier modulation (FM0 could also be a
  solution)
• is strongly recommended to detect the collision
• more than one sub carrier symbols per bit is
  recommended
• if more than one reader is active in Europe the
  subcarrier is influencing the other channel
  (f(sub) 200 kHz)
• tag has to be selected by a select command after
  receiving the ID, to read out the contents of the
  memory. Time!
• each tag must receive an un-select command after
  detection

37
Deterministic anticollision

• group mechanism (select commands) up front are
  possible
• pre-selection is possible
• mainly based on a modified binary tree search
• based also an arbitration mechanism to support
  dynamic population
• static and subcarrier modulation is possible
• subcarrier modulation might be a problem in
  Europe in multi reader arrangements
• tag is automatically selected after a successful
  arbitration
• tag is then selected until a new anticollision
  command is received
• tag is silent after selection and receiving a new
  anticollision command as long as it receives an
  un-select or reset command

38
Quasi deterministic anticollision

• a quasi deterministic anticollision procedure is
  currently under development
• based on master slave arbitration mechanism
• a first type is currently implemented in Palomar
  1, but not optimised
• high speed, close to normal read is the target
  for Palomar 2
• IP is under development

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• Overview
• The link
• Data management
• Aims
• Memory construction
• UID
• Select mechanism
• Conclusions

40
Aims of the data management realised in Palomar

• low cost
• minimum set of control mechanism
• only the ID and minimum control mechanism
• effective management if more memory area is
  required
• flexibility to allow
• different ID and data concepts (default)
• different levels of security (default)
• OTP for parts of the ID
• password mechanism
• encryption possibilities
• migration ID types, data types and structures,
  files
• cost effectiveness
• added value must be higher than the costs of the
  additional features

41
Security options during read
read out directly, no security
data
42
Memory construction

• sizing
• page 128 bit containing 4 blocks
• block 32 bit
• default
• user memory
• optional
• user memory
• control memory

Physical page construction, Table 6
43
The administration control word
The administration word, table 7
If bit(9) 0 then bit(1510) RFU (CRC)

• ID
• ISO 15963
• ISO 15459
• ISO 15394
• GTAG / MIT proposal
• other solutions
• data structure keys

password control against over programming (ID is
special case, master password or OTP)
44
Select mechanisms

• single and stack mechanism are possible and based
  on
• the system info
• a part of the system info (hard wired and/or
  EEPROM contents)
• (package) level
• tag type
• AFI and sub family
• data key
• GTAG compatible
• etc.
• the type of ID / UID
• any octet inside the lower ID- section (256 bit)
• any line (32 bit) of the lower 8 blocks of the
  user memory

45

• Overview
• The link
• Data management
• Conclusions

46
Current Palomar transponder chip
47
The prototype reader
48
One result
Conditions - omnidirectional tag antenna (no
gain at the tag) - Palomar1 frontend on tag -
Palomar1 needs 1 dB additional - analyser near
the tag - power at the tag location same - no
gap zone - same antenna orientation Palomar aims
for -12 dBm as minimum power at the antenna pins
49
Advantages of the Palomar system solution (1)

• Palomar concept is based on the stronger RF
  regulations in Europe
• easy to adapt the FCC regulations
• DSBM
• much smaller modulation losses compared to
  ASK-OOK
• much better spectrum than ASK-OOK (same data
  rate)
• improved immunity against dynamic arrangements
  (moving objects) than ASK with modulation index m
  
• synchronous protocols (high signal2noise per
  definition)
• clock tick is part of the protocol
• no synchronisation frame needed faster
  communication per definition
• no on - chip oscillator for the communication
  link is needed
• power reduction
• longer communication ranges
• no header for chip clock adaptation needed
• wide range of possible data rates
• supporting also a worse oscillator concept
• controlled by the reader (protocol)

50
Advantages of the Palomar system solution (2)

• flexible command structure
• able to support random and deterministic based
  anticollision procedures
• able to support several command classes (64 main
  commands sub commands are possible)
• able to support also short commands between the
  EOT symbols of the return link (faster
  communication)
• if no on-chip oscillator is active during the
  link options can be realised by additional clock
  ticks between the EOT symbols
• robust return link
• fully synchronous to the clock ticks given by the
  reader (high signal2noise)
• PSK, ASK
• modulation coding and style is fully controlled
  by the reader
• NRZ, NIRZ (other low power realisations are under
  development)
• sub carrier
• option for an additional symbol level during the
  return link
• short commands (return link)
• option for additional clock ticks (tags without
  an active on-chip oscillator)

51
Advantages of the Palomar system solution (3)

• wide range of security options during EEPROM
  access
• pointer system to owner information which can
  contain a pointer information to an external data
  base IP-address application pointer etc.
• OTP(lower part (112 bit) of the UID)
• 3 levels of passwords (2 level for each page or
  master password)
• up to 64 kbit EEPROM in the default mode via 8
  bit address
• up to 32 kbit user memory (default)
• up to 32 kbit control and user memory (high
  security area)
• pointer to owners
• master password
• system info (soft parts)
• high security user data
• each block can be selected separately
• flexible data management possibilities
• supports a low end solution as well as high end
  solutions
• supports several ID concepts via 4 bit key
• supports several data concepts via 4 bit key
• symbolic addressing possible

52
Palomar2, the next generation

• based on the stronger UHF RF regulations in
  Europe
• currently in the circuit design phase
• silicon out springtime 2002
• tags mounted on boards and in foil
• field test in the pilot, target from Mai 2002 to
  July 2002
• supports the features described in ISO 18000-6 WD
  (Palomar)
• high speed quasi - deterministic anticollision
  procedure
• new types of low power modulation in the return
  link
• less power consumption
• higher efficiency rectifier

53
IP Declaration (up to the 5th of December 2001)
Patent number Company Title Expiration
date FI 20011943 VTT A method to improve the
performance 041021 of RFID systems DE
10138217.2 Atmel Procedure to transmit
data 030821 - Next IPs on OSI layers are in
preparation - Currently several other mechanism
to optimise the link (OSI1 to OSI3 including
OSI2a) and the data management are under
development - Further hardware IPs implemented
on the tag are under development
54
Thanks for your attention !