RFID

Radio Frequency Identification

AMBER BHAUMIK

PG-DESD

What is RFID?

Radio Frequency Identification The use of radio frequency readers

and tags to identify real objects. New frontier in the field of information

technology One form of Automatic Identification

What does it mean to identify something?

Identification

Assign IDs to objects Link the ID to additional information

about the object Link the ID to complementary info Find similar objects

How Does RFID Work?

3 Components Transceiver – Tag Reader Transponder – RFID tag Antenna

RFID Hardware

Magnetic / Inductive Coupling

TransceiverTag Reader

antenna

RFIDTag

IC or microprocessor

antenna

RFID Hardware

Propagation Coupling

TransceiverTag Reader

antenna

RFIDTag

IC or microprocessor

antenna

RFID system

RFID reader

Also known an interrogator (as it is used to interrogate an Tag).

Reader powers passive tags with RF energy Can be handheld or stationary Consists of:

Transceiver Antenna Microprocessor Network interface

RFID tags

Tag is a device used to transmit information such as a serial number to the reader in a contact less manner

Classified as : Passive – energy from reader Active - battery Semi-passive – battery and energy from

reader

Components of a Tag

Types of Tags

Passive Tags No battery Low cost

Active Tags On-board transceiver Battery – must be replaced Longer range High cost

Types of Tags

Read Only factory programmed usually chipless

Read / Write on-board memory can save data can change ID higher cost

Different Tags available in Market

Real Tags

Frequency Ranges

Low – 100-500 kHz short range, low data rate, cost, & power

Intermediate – 10-16 MHz medium range and data rate

High – 850-950 MHz & 2.4-5.8GHz large range, high cost, high data rate needs line of sight

Frequency Trade-OffsF

req

uen

cy

Lifespan Range

Power Cost Bandwidth Line of Sight

Frequencies of operation Low frequency

30-300 kHz Tags need to be closer to the reader Poor discrimination

High frequency/radio frequency 3-30 MHz Tags can be read from relatively greater

distances Tags can hold more information

Ultra high frequency/microwave >300 MHz Longest range More interference

UHF passive tag

Maximum Distances to Read UHF Passive Tag

Antenna GainAntenna Gain

(dBi)(dBi)Distance Distance (meters)(meters)

DistanceDistance

(feet)(feet)

6 (legal)6 (legal) 5.85.8 19*19*

99 8.38.3 2727

1212 11.711.7 3838

1515 16.516.5 5454

*Reality: Today, in the lab 8 to 12 feet.

Applications, frequencies, and standards

ApplicationsApplications FrequenciesFrequencies StandardsStandards

Animal Identification, Animal Identification, dogs, cats, cattledogs, cats, cattle < 135 KHz< 135 KHz

ISO 18000–2ISO 18000–2ISO 11784ISO 11784ISO 11785ISO 11785ISO 14223ISO 14223

Smart cards, Passport, Smart cards, Passport, Books at libraryBooks at library

13.553 – 13.567 13.553 – 13.567 MHzMHz

ISO 18000–3ISO 18000–3ISO 7618 ISO 7618 ISO 14443ISO 14443ISO 15693ISO 15693

13.56 MHz ISM Band Class 113.56 MHz ISM Band Class 1

Supply chain for retailSupply chain for retail 868 – 928 MHz EPCglobal Class-1 Gen-2EPCglobal Class-1 Gen-2ISO 18000–6ISO 18000–6

Data Transfer

Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) Phase Shift Keying (PSK)

Frequency Shift Keying It is a frequency modulation scheme in

which digital information is transmitted through discrete frequency changes of a carrier wave.

FSK

Fc/8/10 0’s are the carrier divided by 8 1’s are the carrier divided by 10

Count clock cycles between changes in frequency

Slows the data rate Provides for a simple reader design Fair noise immunity

Phase Shift Keying It is a digital modulation scheme that

conveys data by changing, or modulating, the phase of a reference signal (the carrier wave).

PSK

One frequency Change the phase on the transition

between a 0 to 1 or 1 to 0 Faster data rate than FSK Noise immunity Slightly more difficult to build a reader

than FSK

Data Encoding

Multiple Tags?

What happens when multiple tags are in range of the transceiver?

All the tags will be excited at the same time.

Makes it very difficult to distinguish between the tags.

Collision Avoidance

Similar to network collision avoidance Probabilistic

Tags return at random times Deterministic

Reader searches for specific tags

General Applications used in our Day-to-Day Life

Keyless entry Electronic Product Code (EPC) Proximity cards

General Applications (cont’d)

Payment tokens Contact-less credit cards Automatic toll-payment

Euro banknotes Passports

General Applications (cont’d)

Libraries Security device

Bookstores

Current Applications

Livestock Tagging Wild Animal Tracking Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) Automated Toll Collection Animal Husbandry Vehicle Anti-Theft

More Applications

Passive / Secure Entry Airline Baggage Tracking Postal Package Tracking Time and Attendance

Security Applications

RFID used to grant entry to secure areas

Tracks time and movement of people Dynamically change access codes Provide automated entry

35

Electronic Passports

Dept. of State begins issuing e-passports Aug. 14, 2006 Contactless chip in rear cover

ISO 14443 Name, date of birth, gender, place of birth, dates of passport

issuance and expiration, passport number, digital image of the bearer’s photograph stored electronically

Digital photograph is used as biometric identifier Anti-skimming material in cover to prevent unauthorized

reading when it is closed Eavesdropping prevented by reading machine readable key

inside passport to unlock chip Randomized unique identification (RUID) to prevent tracking Information signed with a digital signature

Livestock Tagging

Meet Bobby the Cow

Bobby has an old fashioned ear tag for identification.

Bobby’s Part of a Herd

Benefits in Livestock Tagging

Each one needs to be recorded Why use RFID tags instead of the old-

fashioned tags? cows get dirty herds can be large

Animal Identification Standards

Pets such as dogs and cats Livestock such as cattle, pigs, etc. International standard 134.2 kHz

ISO 11784: “Radio-frequency identification of animals” – code structure

ISO 11785: “Radio-frequency identification of animals” – Technical concept

ISO 14223: “Radio-frequency identification of animals” – Advanced transponders

At these frequencies the RF can penetrate mud, blood, and water

VeriChip

Human implantable RFID tag operating at about 134 KHz because at these frequencies the RF can penetrate mud, blood, and water

About the size of uncooked grain of rice Oct. 22, 2002 – US Food and Drug Administration ruled

VeriChip not regulated device Oct. 2004 – FDA ruled serial number in VeriChip could be

linked to healthcare information Healthcare applications

Implanted medical device identification Emergency access to patient-supplied health information Portable medical records access including insurance information In-hospital patient identification Medical facility connectivity via patient Disease/treatment management of at-risk populations (such as

vaccination history)

Tracking Penguins

Automated Toll Collection

Package Tracking

Some RFID tags for consumer use

4 requirements for consumer use

Notify the consumer Visible and easily removable tags Disabled at point of sale Tag the product’s packaging

Barcode Vs RFID

Potential Applications

Smart Grocery Store Smart Kitchen Smart Sitterson

Smart Grocery Store

Every item in the store already has a bar code.

Why not use an RFID tag? Speed up checkouts

Smart Grocery Store

Several carts this full in early evening could seriously slow down the checkout process.

How much do cashiers cost?

Smart Grocery Store

Add an RFID tag to all items in the grocery.

As the cart leaves the store, it passes through an RFID transceiver

The cart is rung up in seconds.

RFID UPC

Artist conception courtesy Motorola

Smart Groceries Enhanced

Track products through their entire lifetime.

Diagram courtesy How Stuff Works

Smart Fridge

Recognizes what’s been put in it Recognizes when things are removed Creates automatic shopping lists Notifies you when things are past their

expiration

RFID Chef

Uses RFID tags to recognize food in your kitchen

Shows you the recipes that most closely match what is available

Smart Sitterson

Tag locations throughout Sitterson User walks around with handheld and

transceiver RFID tags point the handheld to a

webpage with more information about their location or the object of interest

RFID’s Advantages

Passive wireless

Store data on a tag Can be hidden Work in harsh environments Low cost?

RFID’s Disadvantages Lack of standards! Short range Cost Authentication Denial of service More open research issues

Nominal read range Rogue scanning range Tag-to-reader eavesdropping Reader-to-tag eavesdropping

Conclusion

RFID has many potential uses Likely to play a key technological role Perceptions of privacy and security

vary Privacy and security concerns must be

addressed

RFID revolution

THANKS FOR SHOWING INTEREST

…