State of the Art in RFID

1
State of the Art in RFID
RFID in your business
Paulo Lopes 2006 Business Development
Manager paulo.lopes_at_sybase.pt

• Sybase Portugal

2
What is RFID?

• Radio Frequency Identification allows you to
  uniquely identify an object, using simple radio
  waves. The secret RFID tags
• The chip has integrated memory (that varies with
  the tag model)
• The antennas transmit the information stored in
  the chips memory
• With its integrated circuit, tags can use the
  energy received from external antennas to
  transmit their own signal with their own antennas

packaging
antennas
chip
Passive tag
3
How does it work?

• There are several types of tags, but the main
  difference between them, is how they use energy
  to transmit their signal
• Passive tags these tags use the energy received
  from external antennas to transmit their signals
  virtually eternal life-expectancy
• Semi-passive tags these tags carry a small
  battery with them, but they only use it to assist
  the signal transmission, i.e., they only use the
  battery when they detect the presence of an
  external antenna
• Active tags these tags have an always-on
  battery-assisted circuit, that uses battery power
  to constantly transmit their signals. These have
  much smaller life-expectancy than the other types
  of tags.

4
How does it work?

• An RFID system is composed of three major
  components
• The reader it is used to connect the antennas
  inside the system, as well as communicating with
  other systems inside your network
• The antennas usually separated from the readers
  (but normally receiving energy from them) they
  radiate energy in form of radio waves, in order
  to transmit and receive info, to and from the
  tags
• The tags obviously the key component. They can
  be attached to any sort of object (there are many
  types of tags, especially designed for some kinds
  of materials) and imprinted with the unique ID
  that matches the product, allowing its tracing
  through the hole system

5
RFID Architecture Enterprise Systems

• Hardware components tag, antenna, reader and
  sensor/actuator
• Controller usually embebed in the readers
  firmware
• Edge provides the ability to control the reader
  without depending on its configuration
• Middleware the nervous core of the software
  system
• EBE and EBE interface business logic

6
RFID Market by application

• Source Venture Development Corporation (May,
  2005)

7
RFID system model - Example
8
RFID Anywhere
PlugPlay
Distributed architecture
Network management functions
High security level
Ease-of-use
9
RFID Anywhere

• How does it works? Pretty simple as you manage
  your PDA network you can also do the same with a
  sensor, barcode reader, Rfid reader, this means
  the Sensoring Network.
• The management is HW based, this get us a
  privileged position with HW manufactures. We
  built something like drivers.
• We simple put a message into a bottle and the
  bottle is delivered. BPI embebed? No DB, No APP
  Server
• Not a Middleware !!! It is an Open Solution
  Framework.
• Middleware manipulates integrates some
  information from one source to another.
• Framework manages information sources, manage
  information as is, and finally integrates with
  mixed targets.
• RA allows you to work in a mixed mode.

10
RFID Anywhere
11
RFID Anywhere advantages

• The RFID Anywhere platform allows you to simplify
  all steps regarding the implementation of an RFID
  project.
• Allows you to add business value to the data flow
  between the readers and the EBE
• Abstraction from hardware, standards and
  protocols
• Advanced architecture and management
  functionalities
• Development and integration tools
• Cut costs of development and deployment of RFID
  solutions
• Scalability to guarantee a safer future for
  current networks
• Reduces complexity of RFID networks using
  profiles and groups
• Integrates into existing corporate systems
• Provides real-time data to decision support
  systems
• Easy and seamless integration with existing
  relational database management systems

12
Sybase RFID Solution Center The Mission

• Founded in Setember 2006
• The 1st investigation center in Portugal
  exclusively dedicated to
• RFID technologies
• Future 1 HQ 3 labs in all country (partners)
• Mission
• Development and evangelization of RFID
  technologies in
• Portuguese World Market

14
13
Highlights

• 1st developement solution center in RFID
  technology in Portugal
• Investigation Developement of Vertical RFID
  Solutions
• Partnerships with institutes, universities,
  associations
• HQ in Sybase facilities Lisbon - Carnaxide
• Development of Aplicational Frameworks (1st
  release will be in Q4 2005) Industry Solutions
  Prototipes
• Strategic partnerships
• Symbol, Intermec/Datacomp, Alien/Creative
  Systems, between others

14
14
Core Business Module objective

• The Core Business Module main purpose is to
  deliver pre-studied business cases that will
  simplify the implementation of some RFID
  solutions.
• By filtering data generated by the physical layer
• Provides an even higher level of abstraction
• Automatically connect to provided messaging
  connectors

15
Core BM Arquitecture
16
Roadmap

• The black text identifies the phases of
  development of the platform
• In red you can find a short description of the
  prototypes

17
Core BM - Advantages

• Easy to deploy available business cases
• and even easily develop additional business
  scenarios
• Demonstrate full scale POCs
• Provide only vital information to your EBE system
• Achieving faster processing speed due to less
  data
• Some business logic embedded into each of the
  Core BM modules
• Less complexity means better understanding
• A client whose concern is, ultimately, business,
  will be more interested to understand a
  framework, which sits on top of RFID Anywhere,
  and deals with business itself

18
Tracking example

• Generic Tracking module
• Blueprint that explains portal placement for RFID
  system
• Some concepts behind the implementation of this
  module are discussed

19
Tracking explained visually

• The blue circles contain gateways but these only
  contain a single point
• The red circle does aggregate two points
• Of course each of those points will also be
  composed of one or more sources.

20
Concepts
21
Development phases of an RFID project
22
Success Case - Postal Office Spain

• GOAL
• - QoS
• The customer wants to know, at a primary stage,
  how much time takes move an object from one
  location to another
• Control concurrently up to 330 readers, 1980
  antennas and the initial stage up to 4.000 tags
  on 16 remote locations. Discover the tags in less
  than 20 seconds (68 tags / second).

23
Success Case - Postal Office Spain

• Issues
• Hardware Physics
• Metal Water.
• Number of antennas.
• Number of readers.
• Software
• Protocol implementation.
• Integration.
• Management Monitoring.
• Legal
• Is the frequency free?

24
Success Case - Postal Office Spain

• Facts
• Hardware Physics
• New specs coming.
• Reader Coordination.
• Handheld ready.
• Software
• Standard Protocol implementation.
• MSMQ, MQ-Series, JMS, WS
• Just configure the SNMP.
• Legal
• EU mandate Jan-2007 must be ready in all
  countries.
• ?

25
Success Case - Postal Office Spain

• Facts
• Hardware Physics
• New specs coming.
• Reader Coordination.
• Handheld ready.
• Software
• Standard Protocol implementation.
• MSMQ, MQ-Series, JMS, WS
• Just configure the SNMP.
• Legal
• EU mandate Jan-2007 must be ready in all
  countries.
• ?

26
Contacts
Sybase Portugal RSC Av. do Forte,
3Edifício Suécia IV, piso 12795-504
CarnaxidePORTUGAL Email.
rsc_at_sybase.pt Tel. [phone] Fax. 351
21 424 67 19