The term radio frequency identification is used to automatically identify an object that transmits the identification (in the form of a unique serial number) of an object wirelessly, using radio waves.
Abbreviated Radio Frequency Identification, as RFID is a dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) technology. It is very similar to barcode identification systems, but it has a big difference. RFID does not require line-of-sight access, but barcode scanning is required.
RFID technologies are grouped under the more generic automatic identification technologies (Auto ID). Existing identification systems are not sufficient for current use as their low storage capacity and the other fact that they cannot be reprogrammed.
One feasible solution is to put the data on silicon chips and contactless data transfer between the data transport device and its reader. The power required to operate the data transport device would also be transferred from the reader using contactless technology. All this leads to the development of RFID devices.
RFID TECHNOLOGY AND ARCHITECTURE: In an RFID system, the RFID tag, which contains the tagged data of the object, generates a signal containing the respective information, which is read by the RFID reader, which can then pass this information to a processor to process the information obtained for that particular application.
With RFID, electromagnetic or electrostatic coupling in the RF (radio frequency) part of the electromagnetic spectrum is used to transmit signals. An RFID system consists of an antenna and a transceiver, which read the radio frequency and transfer the information to a processing device (reader) and a transponder, or RF tag, which contains the RF circuitry and the information to be transmitted. The antenna provides the means for the integrated circuit to transmit its information to the reader which converts the radio waves reflected from the RFID tag into digital information which can then be transmitted to receivers where it can analyze the data.
Thus, an RFID system would follow three components:
RFID tag or transponder
RFID reader or transceiver
Data processing subsystem
The transponder or RF tag tags can be active or passive. While active tags have power on the chip, passive tags use power induced by the RFID reader’s magnetic field. Therefore, passive tags are cheaper but have the limitation that they work in a limited range (RFID frequencies: RFID systems are differentiated according to the frequency range in which they work. The different ranges are low frequency (LF: 125 – 134.2 kHz and 140 – 148.5 kHz), High Frequency (HF: 13.56 MHz) and Ultra-High Frequency (UHF: 850 MHz – 950 MHz and 2.4 GHz – 2.5 GH).
RFID, tag, transponder, radio, frequency, identification
Ultra High Frequency RFID systems offer transmission ranges of over 90 feet. But wavelengths in the 2.4 GHz range are absorbed by water, which includes the human body, which gives some limitations to its use.
The standards used in RFID: RFID standards stand out mainly in the following areas
air interface protocol – which deals with the way tags and readers communicate
data content – Organization of data in the Labels
Compliance – Tests that are required for products to verify that they comply with the standards
EPC standards for tags:
Class 1: a simple, passive, read-only backscatter tag with one-time field-programmable non-volatile memory.
Class 0: read-only tag that was programmed at the time the microchip was manufactured
Different RFID applications: Some other areas where passive RFID has been applied in the recent past are: people identification, location identification of a person, animal/pet identification, food production control, vehicle parking control/monitoring, Toxic Waste Monitoring, Valuables Insurance Identification, Asset Identification Management, Inventory Tracking, Access Control, etc.
RFID security:The basic privacy concerns associated with an RFID system is the ability to unauthorizedly track anyone without consent. These are the ways RFID can be used to circumvent personal privacy. Placing RFID tags hidden from the eye and using them for stealth tracking or using the unique identifiers provided by RFID to profile and identify consumer pattern and behavior or using hidden readers for stealth tracking and obtaining personal information.
For these reasons, some attempts are made to maintain privacy and reduce the above disadvantages.
RSA Blocker Tags: Any reader that attempts to scan tags without proper authorization, thereby misleading the reader into thinking that there are many tags in their proximity.
Kill Switches: The consumer will have the option to disable the RFID tag, thus avoiding the possibility of stealthy tracking and profiling.