Impinj Introduces New, Lower-Cost UHF Reader Chip

The R500 is designed for applications in which tags are read one at a time at short range, so they can be used in RFID label printers, access-control solutions or any scenarios in which files or other items are checked in and out one at a time. Colleran also foresees the new chip's use in embedded reader modules in industrial inkjet printers and some medical equipment. By embedding readers in the printers and integrating tags in ink cartridges, for example, printer manufacturers can authenticate cartridges used with the device, as well as prevent the use of unauthorized cartridges.

In addition, Impinj foresees the emergence of a new class of handheld devices that don't require the long read range of industrial RFID handhelds. The units could be utilized, for instance, to scan file folders or price tags.

Impinj does not plan to use the R500 in its own line of Speedway interrogators, Colleran indicates, in order to avoid making readers that compete directly with those manufactured by companies that buy Impinj's Indy chips. Instead, Impinj will sell the chips to partners. It hopes the R500 will compete on price with existing reader chips on the market, such as Phychips' PR9000 reader chip and the AS3990 from Austriamicrosystems.

Sample chips will be available starting on Aug. 16, 2010, as will the R500 Indy development platform (IDP), for a suggested price of $1,500. The IDP, intended to enable reader designers to begin work immediately, includes a development board, a reader module, a reference design, software and documentation.

Impinj expects production quantities of chips to be available in the fourth quarter of this year. Colleran declines to provide pricing, noting that the unit cost will depend on volume, and on which distributor a customer purchases the chips from. The R500 is anticipated to be incorporated in new UHF readers sometime next year, the company reports.