TECHNOLOGIES

a. RFDC Technology :-

Radio Frequency Data Communications (RFDC) is exactly what the name suggests: the use of radio waves to communicate data from one location to another.
Radio Frequency Data communications is a technology that uses radio frequency (RF) waves instead of wires to transmit information, allowing real-time portable data collection and interaction with a host computer. RFDC is normally used for mobile remote data communication where wired terminals cannot easily be used. Radio waves can penetrate walls, floors and glass, creating a usable medium in a complex structural environment - a place where traditional networking solutions requiring cable are expensive or impractical.

From this point, it becomes a little more difficult.
There are four basic components in an RFDC: a terminal, a base station, a controller, and a gateway/access point. Most systems offer integrated base station/controllers or controller/gateways. The terminal is the user interface that collects and displays information and communicates to the rest of the system. (For "wireless networks" this could be a wireless modem that connects a PC or scale to the network.) Terminals and modems have radio transceivers and antennas that allow them to communicate with the wireless network. The base station essentially serves as the "traffic cop" that administers data communication between the network and the terminals (and sometimes among the terminals themselves). The system antenna is connected to the base station. The controller processes the data received from the base station or host and passes it on. The gateway/access point is the device that connects the wireless network to the wired network.

Since many RFDC applications require more than one antenna, it's typically required to have more than one base station/controller and/or access point. In some systems, this is accomplished by linking each antenna and base station/controller directly to the network, for example, an Ethernet as a node. In other cases, wireless repeaters are used, requiring only a single access point to the network.

When an RFDC system is implemented with appropriate technology, such as warehouse management with DataWise, software and bar coding or Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, you can expect more than an elimination of problems; you should see significant, measurable operational improvement. The following are some specific improvements that can be achieved with an RFDC system:

1. Reliable Information.

The point-of-use capabilities of RF systems provide an organization with reliable information on processes such as receiving, storing, picking, material handling, shipping, inventory control, quality control, distribution and Just-In-Time manufacturing processes.

2. A Sharper Competitive Edge.

Applying the information that RF data communication systems provide can lead to:

a. Increased inventory accuracy to between 99.5 percent and 100 percent (inventory management).
b. Increased throughput and productivity.
c. Paperless systems.
d. More flexible work force.
e. Overall, extending the reach of your existing computer systems with RF-based network segments and point-of-use applications positions your organization for the information needs of the 21st century. Data flows, attributable to specific users and locations, facilitate better task management and provide detailed audit paths for operational analysis and trouble-shooting. RF is the intuitive link to the powerful trend in automatic identification that your customers and suppliers are expecting.

Bar Coding with RF is a key to more precise management of inventories. Cost - conscious businesses can no longer support vague, inaccurate inventories and "just-in-case" safety stocks. RF systems help improve customer service through enhanced responsiveness and increased order accuracy.

b. Electronic ARTICLE SURVEILLANCE (EAS) :-

Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) is a technology used to identify items as they pass through a gated area. Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) is a form of electronic theft protection used by retailers, corporations, hospitals, and others. EAS systems save businesses and consumers literally billions of dollars in losses each year. Many stores today could not afford to stay open without the use of EAS systems. In fact, some stores would never have been built in certain areas without the use of these systems.
Several EAS technologies are widely used today, including electro magnetic, acousto- magnetic, swept radio frequency, and microwave. Each technology functions on the same basic principle: a transmitter sends a signal at defined frequencies to create an electromagnetic field (EMF) that functions as a surveillance area. This field operates usually between two pedestals placed at the exit of a store or building. Upon entering this area, a security tag or label that has not been removed or deactivated creates a signal in the electromagnetic field, which is detected by a companion receiver. An alarm sounds when the signal is detected.

EAS systems are used anywhere where there is a chance of theft from small items to large. By placing an EAS tag on an item, it is not necessary to hide the item behind locked doors and so makes it easier for the consumer to review the product.

Some Products using EAS

c. RFID Technology

A basic RFID system consists of three components:-
a. An antenna or coil
b. A transceiver (with decoder)
c. A transponder (commonly called as RF tag or smart label) that is electronically programmed with unique information.


The antenna emits radio signals to activate the tag and read and write data to it. Antennas are the conduits between the tag and the transceiver, which controls the system's data acquisition and communication. Antennas are available in a variety of shapes and sizes; they can be built into a door frame to receive tag data from persons or things passing through the door, or mounted on an interstate toll booth to monitor traffic passing by on a freeway. The electromagnetic field produced by an antenna can be constantly present when multiple tags are expected continually. If constant interrogation is not required, the field can be activated by a sensor device.

Often the antenna is packaged with the transceiver and decoder to become a reader (a.k.a. interrogator), which can be configured either as a handheld or a fixed-mount device. The reader emits radio waves in ranges of anywhere from one inch to 100 feet or more, depending upon its power output and the radio frequency used. When an RFID tag passes through the electromagnetic zone, it detects the reader's activation signal. The reader decodes the data encoded in the tag's integrated circuit (silicon chip) and the data is passed to the host computer for processing.

RFID tags come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Animal tracking tags, inserted beneath the skin, can be as small as a pencil lead in diameter and one-half inch in length. Tags can be screw-shaped to identify trees or wooden items, or credit-card shaped for use in access applications. The anti-theft hard plastic tags attached to merchandise in stores are RFID tags. In addition, heavy-duty 5- by 4- by 2-inch rectangular transponders used to track containers or heavy machinery, trucks, and railroad cars for maintenance and tracking applications are RFID tags.

RFID tags are categorized as either active or passive. Active RFID tags are powered by an internal battery and are typically read/write, i.e., tag data can be rewritten and/or modified. An active tag's memory size varies according to application requirements; some systems operate with up to 1MB of memory. In a typical read/write RFID work-in-process system, a tag might give a machine a set of instructions, and the machine would then report its performance to the tag. This encoded data would then become part of the tagged part's history. The battery-supplied power of an active tag generally gives it a longer read range. The trade off is greater size, greater cost, and a limited operational life (which may yield a maximum of 10 years, depending upon operating temperatures and battery type).

Passive RFID tags operate without a separate external power source and obtain operating power generated from the reader. Passive tags are consequently much lighter than active tags, less expensive, and offer a virtually unlimited operational lifetime. The trade off is that they have shorter read ranges than active tags and require a higher-powered reader. Read-only tags are typically passive and are programmed with a unique set of data (usually 32 to 128 bits) that cannot be modified. Read-only tags most often operate as a license plate into a database, in the same way as linear barcodes reference a database containing modifiable product-specific information.

RFID systems are also distinguished by their frequency ranges. Low-frequency (30 KHz to 500 KHz) systems have short reading ranges and lower system costs. They are most commonly used in security access, asset tracking, and animal identification applications. High-frequency (850 MHz to 950 MHz and 2.4 GHz to 2.5 GHz) systems, offering long read ranges (greater than 90 feet) and high reading speeds, are used for such applications as railroad car tracking and automated toll collection. However, the higher performance of high-frequency RFID systems incurs higher system costs.

The significant advantage of all types of RFID systems is the noncontact, non-line-of-sight nature of the technology. Tags can be read through a variety of substances such as snow, fog, ice, paint, crusted grime, and other visually and environmentally challenging conditions, where barcodes or other optically read technologies would be useless. RFID tags can also be read in challenging circumstances at remarkable speeds, in most cases responding in less than 100 milliseconds. The read/write capability of an active RFID system is also a significant advantage in interactive applications such as work-in-process or maintenance tracking. Though it is a costlier technology (compared with barcode), RFID has become indispensable for a wide range of automated data collection and identification applications that would not be possible otherwise.

Developments in RFID technology continue to yield larger memory capacities, wider reading ranges, and faster processing. It is highly unlikely that the technology will ultimately replace barcode - even with the inevitable reduction in raw materials coupled with economies of scale, the integrated circuit in an RF tag will never be as cost-effective as a barcode label. However, RFID will continue to grow in its established niches where barcode or other optical technologies are not effective. If some standards commonality is achieved - whereby RFID equipment from different manufacturers can be used interchangeably - the market will very likely grow exponentially.

D. Barcode Technology

Bar Code is perhaps the oldest of the AIDC technologies. The automatic identification industry has played a key role in the advancement of identification technology. With its primary focus on capturing information both quickly and accurately, automatic identification provides the fastest and most efficient means of gathering data. Barcodes can also be produced easily and inexpensively. They can be printed on most dot matrix, laser, and thermal transfer printers depending on the quality you demand. A minimum setup of a dot-matrix printer and a wand produces acceptable results. We are all familiar with the basic bar code on our box of cereal, or the jar of honey that we buy in the supermarket. This bar code is called UPC/EAN and is but one variation of over 250 bar codes that have been designed over time. Bar codes like this are referred to as linear bar codes as they are made up off a collection of bars and spaces side by side. Fortunately many of these bar codes have never gained broad acceptance and we usually only consider 10-12 linear bar codes. The most common examples in use today are: UPC/EAN, Code 128, Code 39, Code 93, and Interleaved 2 of 5. Typical data content capacity varies from 8 to 30 characters with some bar codes restricted to numerals only, and others using full alphanumeric information.

e. Biometrics Technology

The term biometrics has two distinct meanings: bio meaning living creature and metrics meaning the ability to measure an object quantitatively. Biometrics falls under the umbrella of what is referred to as AIDC. Automatic Identification and Data Capture is the term used to describe data collection by means other than manual notation or keyboard input. The optimum significance of automatically captured data includes a more efficiently run organization; improved and more timely decision making; and efficient use of time, people, and materials. There are a number of discrete biometrics technologies on the market today. They can include: fingerprint identification, iris identification, retinal identification, hand geometry, hand, palm, and wrist subcutaneous vein pattern identification, signature identification, voice identification, keystroke dynamics identification, facial feature identification, body salinity (salt) identification, body odor identification, and ear identification. Collectively, biometric technologies are defined as "automated methods of verifying or recognizing the identity of a living person based on a physiological or behavioral characteristic".

f. Smart Card Technology give

g. Smart Labels

Radio Frequency Identification is finding its way and further into our everyday lives. Originally developed as a tagging technology to record is now poised to take a quantum leap into helping us identify and control many aspects of our daily activity, whether it is centered on social or business drivers. The first of these drivers is the introduction of automated processes for inserting the tags into items that can be utilized to track and trace products.

We specialize in offering a labeling solution to the AIDC industry in the form of both conventional barcode labels and the powerful new RFID 'smart labels'. We operate state of the art equipment allowing us to manufacture bespoke labels tailored to meet the exacting requirements of the end users.

Altersoft Technologies will focus exclusively on radio frequency tagging where the tag is cheap enough to be disposable or left on a product through life. This is the big need. Remarkable new sales successes will be reported where such tags are only a few cents or tens of cents. However, more sophisticated labels and cards costing up to a few dollars are also covered where they have potential for high volume sales. The emphasis will be on the needs of real and potential users and the capabilities of exceptional low cost RFID products, many announced for the first time at this conference.

Once again, the sheer breadth of interest was testimony to the fact that this is about far more than the replacement of barcodes. Indeed, transport is the biggest success so far, from remote vehicle access to contactless smart cards for bus and train passengers and the 15 million non-stop tolling tags in vehicle windshields

h. Electromagnetic Data Capture Technology

Electromagnetic data capture methods include radio frequency identification (RF/ID) and radio frequency data communication (RF/DC).

RFID: The components of an RFid system include the tag or transponder, antenna or transceiver, and reader or control board. The tag is secured to the physical object to be tracked or monitored. RFID systems can be classified by how the tag is energized. RFID tags are referred to as either active or passive. The tags contain memory or a code from which identification can be acquired. Batteries are installed in active tags. When the tag enters the electromagnetic field (transmission zone) generated by a reader, the tag goes high (on), and data can be written to, or read from, the tag. Active tags can be expected to have a life of 10 years or 4-5 million read/write operations before the battery expires. Active tags can transmit data further than passive tags. Passive RFID tags do not use a battery. Typically, passive tags can only be interrogated for a unique preprogrammed serial number once the tag has entered the transmission zone of the RFID system.

RFDC: The use of radio frequency data communication (RF/DC) does not identify physical objects; rather, it is a mode of data communication. RF/DC allows real time data communication from a selected ADC technology to a host computer system. Radio frequency data communication replaces traditional wires for sending information. The use of selected bandwidths is commonly referred to as narrow and spread spectrum. Narrow band typically operates in the 450-470MHz range and spread spectrum in the 902-928Mhz, 2.4GHz, and the potential near future 5.6GHz range. Radio frequency data communication systems are classified by the power they emit from their base radios.

i. Magnetic Data Capture Technology

Magnetic technology as used in the automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) industry commonly involves the use of magnetic stripe cards.
The magnetic stripe itself is made up of tiny permanent bar magnets called domains. Each domain is about 20 millionths of an inch long. These bar magnets are mixed into a binder (paint) and shaped into what has been referred to as slurry. Before the slurry is dry, the magnetic particles are polarized so they can be encoded with data by the card issuer. The slurry can be attached to virtually any substrate or media material. The most common substrate materials are polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyester, or paper. The magnetic stripe itself holds information within tracks on the slurry.
Tracks are predefined widths on the magnetic stripe. Much like a bar code having a start/stop character to define the data string, so do magnetic stripes. Magnetic stripes use a start sentinel and a stop sentinel to define a data string.

Magnetic ink character recognition is another type of magnetic data capture that can be referred to as MICR At the bottom of a personal check for example, is a character set printed with a magnetized ink. When checks are fed through a reading machine, the magnetic signal strength is sensed for each character to determine, for example, the check number, account number, and banking institution. An advantage of this ADC technology is that pencils or pens markings over any of these characters does not render it useless. Since the characters are read magnetically rather than optically, they can still be read and decoded. Secondly, not only are the characters readable by machine, but also by humans.