Automatic Identification Systems
Automatic ID Methods include RFID and Barcoding
RFID - radio frequency identification
RFID is the hot button technology driven by Wal-Mart and DOD is the concept for placing a radio frequency tag on every case to allow rapid and accurate scanning of cases during order pick and as a means to validate completed picks outbound as well as validate receiving inbound.
The potential to create productivity gains in all areas of material management are huge. Low-cost RF ID tags are still in development but the manufactures of these data sponges are working furiously to developing low cost tags and auto applications.
A basic RFID system consist of three components:
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An RFID antenna or coil:
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The antenna emits radio signals that activate the tag, to read and write data to it.
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Antennas are the conduits between the tag and the transceiver, which controls the system’s data acquisition and communication. Antennas are versatile, and available in a range of configurations, shapes, and sizes.
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The antenna can be built into a door opening to read tag data from persons or things that enter or leave the door. The electromagnetic field produced by an antenna can be persistent so that when multiple tags are expected continually, it can read them. The field can also be activated by a sensor device.
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A transceiver (with decoder)
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The antenna is sometimes packaged with the transceiver and decoder to become a reader. The reader can be configured as a hand held or a fixed-mount device.
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The reader emits radio waves in ranges of anywhere from 1” to a zone of more than 100 feet (or more). When an RFID tag passes through the zone, it detects the reader’s activation signal. The reader decodes the data encoded in the tag’s integrated circuit. The data is passed to the host computer for processing.
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A transponder (RF tag) programmed with unique information
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RFID can be active or passive.
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Active RFID tags are powered by an internal battery and are typically read/write. The data on the tag can be modified. The tag can keep a history of its work and processes. Active tags typically are battery-powered, and have a more limited operational life than passive tags.
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Passive RFID tags do not need a separate external power source. They are powered by the reader. This makes them much lighter than active tags—and less costly. They also have a very long operating lifetime. They have shorter reading ranges than active tags, and present some programming challenges as well. Their data cannot be modified.
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Barcodes
Standards for barcode remain in UPC applications and remain as a means to label picked cases and pallets. 2D barcodes approach the complex data information that RFID can deliver but must be read in clear vision field and often sequentially.
The ability to scan whole pallets simultaneously for validation of make-up is likely to be the driving reason in developing RFID to more and more use in distribution.