RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) – A Brief Guide

Among the most irritating experiences in shopping, standing long queues to get the items you have purchased run through a scanner into the system is on top of the list. However, this can be cut short by the application of RFID technology in the sector. What is RFID? RFID (radio frequency identification) refers to the technology in which data is encoded in unique tags and tracked by electromagnetic fields that interrogate radio waves from the labels and feed them into the system. Similar to UPC (universal product code), RFID can be used to track sales at a faster rate and within larger radii. With the application of this technology, shopping will be as easy as filling your basket with items and walking out of the mall. Electronic, magnetic fields will interrogate the codes on your products and fed into the system. After the system determines the amount that you should pay for the goods, the bill is then transmitted to your electronic bank and the amount charged. This technology will not only allow shopping centres to serve more people as queues will be a thing of the past. Additionally, companies will have an easier time tracking their products thus ensuring that no product goes out of stock. Working of RFID For an RFID system to operate, two major components are required; the key and the reader. The key is a label that is embedded with a transmitter and a receiver used to relay various information. The tag consists of a microchip and an antenna used for transmitting signals that contain serial numbers for particular products. When passed via an RFID reader, the system emits a signal that activates the tags in the products that in turn send encoded information which in most cases is a serial number to the system. The information is transmitted to a network through a communications interface. The host computer system uses this information to determine the amount of products purchased and their worth before transferring them to a billing system. However, two types of tags can be used in the procedure: an active tag that is fitted with a battery activated in the presence of an RFID reader and thus relaying information independently. A passive tag, on the other hand, has no power source of its own and therefore depends on the power of the frequency transmitted to relay encoded information to the reader. To avoid collision of data from different tags, collision detection is applied in the RFID system. This enables the system to read each code amidst similar tags thus allowing the order to determine the number of similar products. History of RFID RFID technology was first applied by Leon Theremin in 1945 when he designed a listening device for the Soviet Union. In Leon’s model, radio waves were transmitted with additional audio information. The sound waves vibrated the diaphragm of the model thus altering the resonator’s shape, therefore, modulating the reflected radio frequency. Later in 1948, Harry stockman conducted more research on the field and concluded that extra research needed to be carried to solve power problems that were reflected in the model. Twenty-five years later, the predecessor of modern RFID was brought into life by Mario Cardullo. Mario’s model consisted of a passive radio transponder with memory. This operated under sound and light media transmission. The technology was seen to apply to some fields that included the banking and the medical sectors. Later in 1973, the technology got a significant advancement after Stephen Depp, Robert Frayman and Alfred Koelle created a 915 MHz portable system that applied the use of 12-bit...
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