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RFID: RTLS - Tag! You're It! May 17, 2007 RFID Connections interviewed Sharon Barnes, CEO of RFind Systems
Inc. to get her views on asset tracking and identification for RFID.
Sharon’s views can
be heard by clicking on the “podcast” in the article. So if you don’t have time to read Sharon’s
entire interview now, download it onto your iPod/MP3 player and listen in on your way home.
Note:
Written transcript has been edited from audio interview for grammar and syntax.
RFID
Connections: Asset identification and tracking is one area where RFID is showing real ROI these days.
So as a result, Real Time Locating Systems or RTLS have gotten a lot of attention recently. Typically these systems
use one or more antennas to identify an asset’s location relative to the antennas location, and I know that RFind has
taken a different approach to RTLS. So wondering, can you briefly describe the thinking behind your approach and how
it differs from more common types of RTLS?
Sharon Barnes: Certainly, the thinking behind
our approach is that RTLS works by having data transmitted from a transceiver to another transceiver and that signal measured
in some manner. What we did was we looked at the antenna structures that are used by many RTLS systems out there and
realized that we could actually change the model a little bit and just use tags.
And the reason is because
every tag that we build has a transceiver in it. So, we can actually have tags communicate with each other and that
allows us to measure the signals between tags. Some of those tags are in fixed known locations, and that provides us
with our fixed data points that we can then do our triangulation on and do locating very similar to the way other RTLS systems
do it, only without the heavy infrastructure in place.
Well wondering then, are tags attached only
to items, and if not, how are they used?
We look at the facility and the areas that we’re going to be working
in and we will put tags onto some fixed positions within that facility. For example, the bay poles that hold up the
ceiling of the building, we’ll go and attach some fixed reference tags to those bay poles. And the reference tags
are the same as an asset tag only they know where they’re located specifically.
And then when an asset
needs to be identified and needs to be located, we’ll put a tag on that asset and we’ll identify what the asset
is. And as that asset moves into an area where there’s reference tags in that area, the asset tag will communicate
with the reference tags and collect some data about the signals and the types of communication it’s having, and send
that data up to a database where the locating algorithms do their magic and we come out with the identification of where that
asset’s sitting at any given point in time.
What then is the range when tags communicate with adjacent tags?
Or in other words, what is the general area covered by communication when a new tag moves into the area?
Tags can
communicate with each other over distances of up to 750 feet. Even though we can do that, if we do that in a closed
metal box which many manufacturing facilities are, what we end up with is we end up with a lot of noise, RF noise, in the
environment and it really makes it difficult to locate.
By using tags as reference points, we can actually add more tags to the environment and cut that communication
power way down so that we’re only communicating about 40 feet at any given time. And that allows us to collect
data from anywhere from three to eight reference tags in our general area, and then use that data which is much cleaner data
than if we had to transmit over 750 feet indoors.
As a follow-up to that, wondering is the tag that is moved
into an area the only one that communicates with the network, or do all the tags report the presence of the new tag?
When a tag moves into an area it does its locating sequence, we call it, when it first stops in the area. And that
is a locating sequence. And the tag that stopped in the area, the asset tag, is the only one that communicates with the location
data up to the database. However, both the asset tags and the reference tags do periodically send messages up to the
database that are status messages and some health monitoring data.
So then wondering, using this approach
if someone is trying to locate an item either in the head office or on a lift truck, how do they do that if tags only communicate
when they’re moving?
Tags only communicate their location when they first come to a stop. When they
first go into motion they actually send a message out that says – it’s a message that says, “I’m in
motion.” And then while it’s in motion and while it’s sitting stationary after it’s finished
its locating data, it will periodically communicate with the database just to let it know that it’s still there and
it’s still okay.
At all times the user can go into a web interface and pull up an image of their facility
that’s a map that we’ve imported into our system. They can pull up that map and say, “Where is my
tag?” have it identified right on a map of their facility. They can click on it and tell it to blink and the tag
will immediately start blinking.
Okay, then wondering also as another follow-up, is this type of system
designed more for large items or do you also see it being applicable to small items as well?
It is specifically
designed for manufacturing and large industrial warehousing. The tag itself is about the size of a hockey puck.
We do have a smaller form factor coming out, but the tag is really intended for large industrial environments. It’s
not designed for small items. It’s not intended for that kind of use. It’s really intended for the
bigger manufacturers.
Well, then you’ve covered all my initial thoughts. Then wondering, do
you have any additional thoughts you want to pass on to our listeners and readers that I haven’t touched on?
I think it’s an exciting world. I think that RFID is changing a lot every day. RTLS is changing a lot
and I think that as we all continue to look at the different applications and the different environments that we can go into,
we’ll see the technology continue to grow and continue to expand to meet the needs.
About Sharon Barnes
Sharon Barnes is the Chief Executive Officer of
RFind Systems Inc. Sharon brings to the organization over 15
years of experience in the executive management of start-up organizations and over 5 years of experience implementing active
RFID solutions in manufacturing environments . Prior to starting with RFind Systems , Sharon worked with several large manufacturing
organizations that were evaluating active RFID solutions and was recognized for her leadership in the implementation of solutions
for these organizations . She has also worked with several start-up organizations during the early stages to bring the organizations
to a point of production readiness with their products . Sharon has an MBA from Athabasca University in Canada coupled with
an undergraduate degree in Technology specializing in communications systems . Contact Sharon at info@RFind.com
About
RFind Systems Inc.
RFind Systems Inc. was formed in 2005 specifically to address the needs of industrial manufacturers
in the real time locating system or RTLS RFID market. The founders had worked for over 12 years in manufacturing facilities
deploying RFID systems. As recipients of Six Sigma awards for process improvement, they understood that client problems were
not being adequately addressed with the current RTLS technology offerings for. It was expensive, and difficult to deploy and
manage. They saw client frustration and set about to build a different system.
Source: aimglobal.org
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