CASAGRAS Open Seminar1th December 2008, Shanghai
The role of RFID within the Internet of Things
Eldor Walk, FEIG Electronic GmbH
RFID and the Internet of ThingsI
ntroduction and DefinitionsA
pplicationsR
FID Key Characteristics C
ategories of RFID SystemsS
tandards and RegulationsS
ummary2
Introduction and DefinitionsR
adio Frequency IdentificationRadio frequency or wireless communication used for identification purposes
Internet of Things
refers to a network of real world or real world related objects
RFID connects the real world to the Internet
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ApplicationsCE RFID,
a project funded by the European Commission, developed the RFID Reference Model
The RFID Reference Model
Designed to structure RFID applications
Differentiates RFID application fields as “mainly object tagging” and “tagging with reference or potential reference to individuals”
Model defines 40 RFID applications (called “subcategories”) summed up to 8 “Application Fields”
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The RFID Reference Model
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A. L
og
isti
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rack
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G. S
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B. P
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, Mo
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, Mai
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H. P
ub
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ervi
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F. e
Hea
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Car
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E. L
oya
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Mem
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, Pay
men
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C. P
rod
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Saf
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Qu
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D. A
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RFID Reference ModelRFID-Application Fields Description
A. Logistical Tracking & Tracing • Solely identification and location of goods and returnable assets (e.g. pallets or containers)
B. Production, Monitoring and Maintenance
• Smart systems in combination with RFID-Technology to support production, monitoring, and maintenance of goods and processes
C. Product Safety, Quality and Information
• Applications to insure quality (e.g. sensors to monitor temperature) and product safety (e.g. fight against counterfeiting)
D. Access Control and Tracking & Tracing of Individuals
• Single function tags for identification and authorisation applications for entries and ticketing
E. Loyalty, Membership and Payment
• Smart Card based identification and authorisation systems for multi-functional applications (e.g. loyalty, payment, and banking systems)
F. eHealth Care • Systems for hospital administration and smart systems to support and monitor health status
G. Sport, Leisure and Household • Sports applications, rental systems (e.g. cars or books), smart home
H. Public Services • Systems mandated by law or to fulfill public duties (e.g. ID-Cards, Health Insurance Cards, Road Tolling Systems)
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http://www.rfid-in-action.eu/internal/documents/copy_of_rfid-reference-model/ce-rfid-brochure-reference-model
ApplicationsL
ibrary
Inventory management
Self checkout and return of books and media
Remote check of availability
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ApplicationsL
ogistics
Tracking and tracing
Inventory management
Automated goods receiving and shipment
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ApplicationsH
ealth care
Real-time inventory management
Monitoring of equipment
Patient safety
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ApplicationsP
ublic transport
Electronic fare management
Toll collection
Airline baggage tracking
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RFID and the Internet of ThingsIntroduction and DefinitionsApplicationsRFID Key Characteristics Categories of RFID SystemsStandards and RegulationsSummary
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RFID Key Characteristics related to the Internet of Things
Wireless connectionObject-connected data
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Wireless connectionI
nformation exchange by electromagnetic radio linkA
llows mobility of connected objectsB
asically no line of sight is necessary to be connectedM
ultiple simultaneous connections D
ifferent frequency bands, UHF and HF, offer different properties
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14
System Characteristics and Environmental Effects
Communication zones Reflection Penetration Multiple reading
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Basic layout of communication zones
Communication zones
Antenna
Electromagnetic system, e.g. UHF
Inductive system, e.g. 13.56 MHz
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Communication zone
of an UHF system
without reflections
Reflections
Communication zone
with ground reflections
top viewside view
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No necessity of line-of-sight Limited by absorption effects
Penetration
Multiple Reading
Object-connected dataS
imple RFID tags carry only an identification code
More sophisticated tags can carry any kind of digital data and content.
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Object-connected datas
upport the management or processing of any kind of a variety of entitiesRaw materialComponentsSub-assembliesProductsPackagesPalletsContainersAnimals and human beings
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RFID and the Internet of ThingsIntroduction and DefinitionsApplicationsRFID Key Characteristics Categories of RFID SystemsStandards and RegulationsSummary
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Categories of RFID SystemsP
assive RFID tagsA
ctive RFID tagsS
ensor tagsS
ensor nodesC
ombination of RFID and other technologies21
Passive RFID tags
Two main components
Fixed or variable data memory
Radio frontend
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Radio
BasebandEEPROM Data
Memory
Active RFID tags
Additional components
Battery
Processing Unit
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Radio
BasebandMCU
DC-DC converter
Battery
ROM RAM
Sensor tags
Important components
Sensor
A/D converter
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Radio
BasebandEEPROM Data
MemoryA/D converter
Sensor
Sensor nodes
Sensor tag plus a microcontroller
Communication links to other sensor nodes and readers
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Radio
BasebandMCU
DC-DC converter
Battery
ROM RAM
A/D converter
Sensor
Link Layer
Network
OS
Applications
Combination of RFID and other technologies
Mobile RFID applications
Information services
Mobile payment
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RFID and the Internet of ThingsIntroduction and DefinitionsApplicationsRFID Key Characteristics Categories of RFID SystemsStandards and RegulationsSummary
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Standards and RegulationsC
ategoriesI
mportant IoT related standards and regulations
Challenges
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Categories of Standards and Regulations
RegulationR
egional or national regulations, directives, decisions
StandardsA
ir interface protocolsD
ata standardsN
etwork standards A
pplication standards
Important IoT related StandardsF
requency specifications and air interface protocols
Tag data standards such as identifiers and codes
Network standards (naming, addressing and querying the real world)
ChallengesA
dequate frequency spectrum for passive and active tags, sensor tags and sensor networks
Interoperability between different edge technologies like RFID and barcode
Interoperability between data structure and network standards of different formal and industry standardisation organisations
Suitable security standards and guidelines. Different application areas need a different level of security.
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RFID and the Internet of ThingsIntroduction and DefinitionsApplicationsRFID Key Characteristics Categories of RFID SystemsStandards and RegulationsSummary
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The role of RFID within the Internet of Things
Enabling technology for the “Internet of Things”
RFID connects the Internet to the real world
RFID makes items “smart” and able to communicate with their environment
RFID is a framework for a wide range of applications
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