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New Impinj Reader Goes on Autopilot
The reader includes a dynamic antenna switch enabling it to devote more of its resources to antennas receiving signals from a high quantity of tags than antennas receiving signals from a small quantity of tags.
In addition, the Revolution comes with a carrier-cancellation feature that can be used to compensate for a strong reflector signal. A metallic forklift parked temporarily in front of an antenna, for instance, could bounce the RF signal back to that antenna. In such a scenario, the interrogator's transmission could be reflected back toward its antennas, thus making it difficult to read the much weaker signal coming from a tag. A powerful reflector signal can even damage some interrogators if they are not designed to receive it. To counter this, the Revolution can squelch a reflector signal by creating an RF wave identical in strength but 180 degrees out of phase, similar to a mirror image.
All of the Revolution's patented features are, in large part, enabled by firmware controlling the interrogator's core radio, with algorithms within the system taking information from RFID reads and making adjustments according to the various external factors. Hardware components also contribute to the carrier-cancellation feature, Krause says.
The new interrogator will be easier to install and set up, Krause claims, because it will accomplish its own configuration based on the environment. "The goal," he says, "is to make it easier to take it out of the box and get it running."
Speedway Revolution, which measures 6.75 inches by 5.5 inches by 1 inch in height, can also be powered with an Ethernet cable in Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) mode, meaning the installation of power lines is not required for each interrogator. The four-port version costs $1,585, while the two-port model costs $1,385. By comparison, the previous reader, the Speedway, costs $1,985.
Last week, Impinj announced that RFID distributor BlueStar will begin selling Impinj's RFID readers and antennas, including the Speedway and Speedway Revolution, in the North America and Latin America regions. BlueStar works exclusively with value-added reseller (VAR) partners.
In addition, the Revolution comes with a carrier-cancellation feature that can be used to compensate for a strong reflector signal. A metallic forklift parked temporarily in front of an antenna, for instance, could bounce the RF signal back to that antenna. In such a scenario, the interrogator's transmission could be reflected back toward its antennas, thus making it difficult to read the much weaker signal coming from a tag. A powerful reflector signal can even damage some interrogators if they are not designed to receive it. To counter this, the Revolution can squelch a reflector signal by creating an RF wave identical in strength but 180 degrees out of phase, similar to a mirror image.
All of the Revolution's patented features are, in large part, enabled by firmware controlling the interrogator's core radio, with algorithms within the system taking information from RFID reads and making adjustments according to the various external factors. Hardware components also contribute to the carrier-cancellation feature, Krause says.
The new interrogator will be easier to install and set up, Krause claims, because it will accomplish its own configuration based on the environment. "The goal," he says, "is to make it easier to take it out of the box and get it running."
Last week, Impinj announced that RFID distributor BlueStar will begin selling Impinj's RFID readers and antennas, including the Speedway and Speedway Revolution, in the North America and Latin America regions. BlueStar works exclusively with value-added reseller (VAR) partners.
