We've been
involved in developing systems that utilize RFID
technology for over a decade. There is great
promise (and an amazing amount of hype and
hysteria) surrounding this often misunderstood technology that many
believe will eventually replace bar codes.
The primary
advantage of RFID technology is that the reader
and the target don't need to be in an
unobstructed line-of-sight. Radio
waves bounce around corners and over and under
things, so an RFID tag doesn't necessarily need
to be "seen" by the reader or the person
operating it.
RFID in its
purest form is an identification
technology, not a finding technology. If
your primary need is to know, "Exactly where is my
stuff, right now?" then an RTLS system
might be truly what you require.
There are, as
previously alluded to, two main components in an
RFID system: a reader and a tag, often called a
transponder. The two need to be compatible and
there are a number of RFID standards and
technologies. Many are proprietary and a growing
number are not.
A sampling of
RFID tags is shown in the pictures at the left.
They can range from the size of a grain of rice
to a hockey puck.
RFID Readers are
comprised of electronic circuitry and one or
more antennae. They can be integrated into a
mobile computer, attached to a PC or mobile
computer through a cable connection, or function
as a fixed-in-place type of reader. In the
latter situation, pallets or boxes of
RFID-identified goods are typically moved
through the reader and antennae, which might be
situated in a doorway.
Aurora Bar Code
Technologies
8944 182 Street NW, Suite 316 Edmonton, AB T5T 2E3
Canada
Phone: 800.689.7696 Outside of NA: 780.483.6025 Fax: 780.484.8767
