An introduction to RFID (for computer science engineers)
Miguel.Pardal@IST .utl.pt
June 21st 2010
Outline
• RFID Technology
• Business Applications
– Software and standards
• Challenges
• @IST
Outline
• RFID Technology
• Business Applications
– Software and standards
• Challenges
• @IST
RFID tags
RFID antennas and readers
RFID in action
[Roussos06]
Radio
• ISM radio bands
– Frequencies differ in world regions
• Europe, Americas, and Asia
• LF/HF RFID or UHF RFID?
– Operating principles are different
– Near-field far-field boundary
• Lambda / 2 PI
Near-field RFID
• LF (Low Frequency): [30 .. 300] kHz
• HF (High Frequency): [3 ..30] MHz
• Inductive coupling
• Load modulation
Shower Analogy
Far-field RFID
• UHF(Ultra-High Frequency): [300..3 000] MHz
• MW (Microwaves): [2,5 .. 5,8] GHz
• Wave coupling
• Backscatter
Lighthouse Analogy
Tag components
Credits: Rafsec OY, [Sarma01]
Manufacturing trade-off
• Cost
• Range
• Functionality
Pick 2
Tag categories
• Passive or battery-less
– Use only power provided by the RFID reader’s signal
– Smaller, more flexible
– $ 0.20
• Semi-passive or battery-assisted
– Use a battery to boost response signal
– $ 5
• Active or battery-powered
– Have additional processing capabilities and autonomy because they have more power e.g. sensors
– Longer range
– $ 30
Outline
• RFID Technology
• Business Applications
– Software and standards
• Challenges
• @IST
Business applications
• Track & Trace – Monitor physical goods and keep history
• Industries:
– Warehousing – Maintenance – Pharmaceuticals – Medical Devices – Agriculture – Food – Retailing – Defense
Credits: Sybase.pt
Video
Software Layers
Architecture Framework
Outline
• RFID Technology
• Business Applications
– Software and standards
• Challenges
• @IST
RFID middleware is easy…
• All readers
• Read all tags
• At all times
Credits: Carlos Perdigão, IST
RFID middleware is easy…
• All readers
• Read all tags
• At all times
NOT
Credits: Carlos Perdigão, IST
cannot
Simulation
Credits: Carlos Perdigão, IST
Experimental setup
Credits: Nuno Correia, IST & Link Consulting
Field trials
Credits: Schuitema supermarkets, RFID Journal
Cloud deployment
Reliable network Reliable network +
RFID security is easy…
• All readers
• Read all tags
• At all times
NOT
Credits: Metro Group, RFID Journal
should not
Threats
[Garfinkel05]
Security
• Privacy – Misbehaving readers, well-behaving tags
• Authentication – Well-behaving readers, misbehaving tags
• Infrastructure security – Network
– Servers • ONS, EPCIS
Conclusions
• RFID is a set of technologies – No “one-size-fit-all” tag and reader
• All readers cannot and read all tags at all times – RFID middleware challenges
• All readers should not read all tags at all times – RFID security challenges
• RFID allows things and places in the physical world to
automatically generate data – An Internet of Things
Outline
• RFID Technology
• Business Applications
– Software and standards
• Challenges
• @IST
Completed
• Nuno Rodrigues
– RFID Logistics integration with Navision ERP
• Guilherme Pereira
– Open-source RFID track and trace
Completed
• Ricardo Carapeto
– Segurança de bagagens inteligentes
• Pedro Ferreira
– Interface EPCIS para BizTalk
• Carlos Perdigão
– Rede federada de rastreio de bens
• Miguel Pardal
– Scalable and secure Discovery services
Ongoing
Ongoing
• Nuno Correia – RFID Toys - Sistema de controlo de armazém robótico
– Fosstrak/Java, Arduino
Proposals
• C-Apps: RFID Capture Applications framework
– Componentes (ex. OSGi)
– Conveyors, gates, portals, …
– C-App “store”
• Cloud of Things – Virtualization of RFID software
– Fosstrak / Java / Cloud provider
– Virtual machine provisioning
Credits: trendsupdates.com
Miguel.Pardal@IST .utl.pt
Extras
Other RF technologies
How stuff works PWKits
Range
Credits: C. Floerkemeier, MIT
Supply Chains
Automatic data capture
Legal ownership ≠ Physical possesion
Why?
Credits: Christian Floerkemeier, MIT
Subscribe, Configure, Notify, Publish
[Floerkemeier07a]
Internet of Things @ IST