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Impinj Launches New High-Performance RFID Chips
"It's like having two separate tags in different orientation, but they share the same information and communicate with the reader as one," Colleran says. "In fact, it's better than two tags, because if both antennas are angled at 45 degrees from the reader, you actually get better performance than one tag angled at 90 degrees from the antenna."
According to Colleran, with True3D antennas, the Monza 4 chips deliver a read range 66 percent better than that of their closest competitor, based on internal tests conducted under the same conditions. Additionally, he says, the chips have more than double the write range.
The Monza 4QT also has unique privacy features enabling a user to switch a chip from "public mode" to "private mode" and back again. Private mode allows all of the data on the tag to be read, and the tag to respond to all commands, and is designed to be used by companies internally. The tag can be switched to public mode when it leaves a company's facility, so that no information can be read except for a generic serial number.
The QT technology also enables a tag owner to selectively switch the tag into a short-range mode that makes private profile data accessible only at a very short range. This additional security hurdle helps prevent unauthorized interrogators from retrieving private data, further protecting both a business' confidential information and, in the case of retail applications, consumer privacy.
The orientation insensitivity and privacy features will likely be attractive to companies looking to track apparel, Colleran says. He also sees benefits for baggage-tracking applications, as well as those involving manufacturing. "Some products go through a number of manufacturing processes done by partners," he states, "and the Monza 4QT would enable them to switch to public mode when they don't want their partner to see information about who the final customer is, or other sensitive data."
Impinj has performed internal reviews and testing to make sure the tags are compliant with the ISO-18000-6C and EPC Gen 2 specifications. At this time, the company has not yet completed external testing and received EPCglobal certification, but given that previous generations of its tag chips are certified, the company is confident the Monza 4 chips will win certification as well.
RFID inlay manufacturers, including Avery Dennison, Invengo, Smartrac and UPM Raflatac, are currently developing inlays made with the Monza 4 chips. Sample tags using the chips should be available within weeks, Impinj reports. The company is ramping up production now, and its partners are expected to begin volume production soon. The Monza 4 tags should be available in production quantities in the second quarter of this year.
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According to Colleran, with True3D antennas, the Monza 4 chips deliver a read range 66 percent better than that of their closest competitor, based on internal tests conducted under the same conditions. Additionally, he says, the chips have more than double the write range.
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| William T. Colleran, Impinj's president and CEO |
The QT technology also enables a tag owner to selectively switch the tag into a short-range mode that makes private profile data accessible only at a very short range. This additional security hurdle helps prevent unauthorized interrogators from retrieving private data, further protecting both a business' confidential information and, in the case of retail applications, consumer privacy.
The orientation insensitivity and privacy features will likely be attractive to companies looking to track apparel, Colleran says. He also sees benefits for baggage-tracking applications, as well as those involving manufacturing. "Some products go through a number of manufacturing processes done by partners," he states, "and the Monza 4QT would enable them to switch to public mode when they don't want their partner to see information about who the final customer is, or other sensitive data."
RFID inlay manufacturers, including Avery Dennison, Invengo, Smartrac and UPM Raflatac, are currently developing inlays made with the Monza 4 chips. Sample tags using the chips should be available within weeks, Impinj reports. The company is ramping up production now, and its partners are expected to begin volume production soon. The Monza 4 tags should be available in production quantities in the second quarter of this year.
