Embed Doc
Copy Link
Readcast
Collections

CommentGo Back

Download

What is RFID?In a broad context, radio transmissions containing some type of identifyinginformation are considered Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). RFID is aboutdevices and technology that use radio signals to exchange identifying data.Birth of RFIDThe concept of automatic identification using a radio transponder originated inWorld War II as a way to distinguish friendly aircraft from the enemy; hence, thename Identification Friend or Foe (IFF). The “friendly” planes responded withthe correct identification, while those that did not respond were considered“foes.” In principle, IFF operates much the same as RFID. A coded interrogationsignal is sent out on a particular RF, which the transponder receives and decodes.The transponder then replies with encrypted identification information. Eachtransponder has a unique identifier; however, some secondary information canbe manually set by the pilot.IFF has expanded since WWII, and now includes several different identificationmodes for both civilian and military aircraft. These expanded modes add variousadditional pieces of information, such as the aircraft’s altitude. Even though itsmodern role now includes civilian aircraft, the system is still commonly knownas IFF.RFID Radio Basics

Radio waves

are electromagnetic waves occurring on the radio frequencyportion of the electromagnetic spectrum. A common use is to transportinformation through the atmosphere or outer space without wires. Radio wavesare distinguished from other kinds of electromagnetic waves by theirwavelength, a relatively long wavelength in the electromagnetic spectrum.Radio waves generally are utilized by antennas of appropriate size (according tothe principle of resonance -

resonance

is the tendency of a system to oscillate atmaximum amplitude at certain frequencies, known as the system's resonancefrequencies), with wavelengths ranging from hundreds of meters to about onemillimeter. They are used for transmission of data, via modulation. Television,mobile phones, MRI, wireless networking and amateur radio all use radio waves.Radio is a small piece of the “electromagnetic spectrum” that covers all forms ofradiation. The Radio Frequency (RF) area is broken down into a number of“bands” (i.e., grouped frequencies) (e.g., the Very High Frequency (VHF) bandcovers from 30 Megahertz (MHz) to 300 MHz.For RFID, most systems utilize one of three general bands: Low Frequency (LF)at 125 kHz to 134 kHz, High Frequency (HF) at 13.56 MHz, and Ultra HF at 860

to 930 MHz. There may be some variation of frequency use, depending on theregulations in a particular locale.Factor affecting RF selection1. How well the signal propagates in a specific environment.2. The physical size of the antennas3. Power transmission levels that can be used.RFID ArchitectureAn RFID solution uses a radio frequency (RF) signal to broadcast the datacaptured and maintained in an RFID chip. An RFID system is composed of threecomponents: a programmable transponder or tag, a reader (with anAntenna), and a host. Figure 2-1 shows the basics of how an RFID system works.

TAGSAn

RFID tag

is an object that can be applied to or incorporated into a product,animal, or person for the purpose of identification using radio waves. Most RFIDtags contain at least two parts. One is an integrated circuit for storing andprocessing information, modulating and demodulating a (RF) signal, and otherspecialized functions. The second is an antenna for receiving and transmittingthe signal.Actual RFID TagArchitectureFigure (below) shows the block diagram of an RFID tag chip. The antenna is theonly external component of the transponder. The tag chip consists of four mainblocks: an RF front end, an analog front end, a base-band processor, and anEEPROM section. The RF front end is responsible for power recovery,demodulation of the incoming RF signal, and the backscatter transmission ofreturn data. The analog part is to generate the system clock, current/sourcereference, and power-on-reset (POR) signal, etc. The base-and section andEEPROM memory handle power management, data recovery, operatingprotocols, and user-available data storage. In the RFID tag system, the signalflow can be divided into two paths of forward link and reverse link. The poweravailable to a tag is in inverse proportion to the square of the operating distance.In order to maximize the read range of a tag, the power consumption of the tagshould be lowered as much as possible.