Omron Adds Secure RFID Protocol to EPC Gen 2 Reader

But the Hibiki consortium continued its work under METI and, in response to a survey of RFID end users, decided to convene the Secure Electronic Tag Project to create a means of securing data encoded to ISO 18000-6C and EPC Gen 2 tags. The two tag standards, which are essentially identical, already support a password function that can be employed to prohibit an unauthorized party from writing to or altering data encoded to a tag. The Secure RFID protocol, however, also enables users to prohibit unauthorized parties from reading the data encoded to the tag, while allowing them to control the tag's read range so that it can be shortened or increased dynamically. Andrechak says Hitachi plans to establish the commercial use of tags with the Secure RFID protocol before making any efforts toward introducing the protocol as a candidate ISO standard.

The µ-chip Hibiki IC has 256 bits of memory dedicated to storing a kill password, an access password and five custom passwords, which the tag's user can generate to protect data written to any of five blocks of user memory stored within the chip's 1,356 bits of user memory. The µ-chip Hibiki IC is available now, and Hitachi is working to find inlay makers that will bring the tags to market.

In April, tag maker Alien Technology introduced the Higgs 3, the third iteration of its chip compliant with the EPC Gen 2 standard. The Higgs 3 supports a password function allowing users to make tag data unreadable, and this function can be utilized with any standard ISO 18000-6C or EPC Gen 2 interrogator (see Alien Technology Announces New EPC Gen 2 Chip). The Alien chip does not offer variable read range settings, however.

Hitachi also manufacturers a 2.45 GHz RFID tag called the µ-chip, which is read-only, has an integrated antenna and is designed for product authentication applications. This, Andrechak explains, is a completely different product than the µ-chip Hibiki.

According to Omron, its V750 readers with RFID Security protocol support will be available in July 2008.