Feb 18, 2016The following are news announcements made during the past week by the following organizations:
Trimble, ThingMagic;
Nedap Retail, Axis Communications;
Checkpoint Systems;
Nedap Identification Systems; and
Thin Film Electronics.
Trimble Introduces High-Performance USB UHF RFID Reader
Trimble's ThingMagic division has announced the new ThingMagic USB ProRFID ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) reader, designed to allow solution developers to support applications that require desktop reading and writing of EPC Gen 2 RFID tags.
The new reader measures 97 millimeters by 61 millimeters by 25 millimeters (3.8 inches by 2.4 inches by 1.0 inch) and is designed for such applications as RFID tag programming stations, manufacturing work-in-process workstations, health-care patient-care check-in and checkout applications, document tracking, event and hospitality solutions, and retail point-of-sale.
Based on Trimble's Micro LTE UHF RFID module, the USBPro is controlled and powered by a host PC or laptop through a USB interface that can support autonomous operation. The device, which comes with its own integrated antenna and a port for an external antenna, offers a read range of up to 4 feet (1.2 meters) depending on tag sensitivity and orientation with the reader's internal antenna, and up to 20 feet (6.1 meters) with an external 6dBi linearly polarized wideband antenna, ThingMagic reports.
The new reader is compatible with ThingMagic application-development tools, including Universal Reader Assistant and Autonomous Configuration tools, and features instant read autonomous operation and a +30dBm TX power (maximum) with dual USB and power cable. It is backward-compatible with the ThingMagic USB Plus+ desktop reader, supports Android and Microsoft Windows mobile platforms, and is configurable for worldwide UHF frequencies. In addition to being compatible with the RAIN RFID specifications (the EPC Gen 2 and ISO 18000-63 standards), USBPro is available with optional support for the ISO 18000-6B, ISO 18000-6D (IPx) and AEI ATA protocols.
Nedap, Axis Communications Launch Integrated EAS-Video Solution
Nedap Retail and Axis Communications have introduced a joint solution based on Nedap's electronic article surveillance (EAS) solutions and Axis' cameras and video-management software, in order to simplify integration between the two, as well as save time and help reduce shrinkage.
By combining Nedap's !Sense EAS solution with Axis cameras and software, the two companies report, the system enables retailers to benefit from a future-flexible IP alternative to enhance their in-store security network. The joint solution is designed to enable the recording of all RF or RFID EAS alarms in the video-management software. The Axis software can also raise alarms and display live views. This, they explain, saves time and reduces shrinkage more effectively.
"This cooperation between Nedap and Axis Communications marks another milestone in our approach to provide retailers with smart and intelligent solutions which strengthen their security level and reduce losses," said Ralph Siegfried, Axis Communications' business-development manager for retail, in a prepared statement. "Applications directly embedded in the camera significantly reduce cost for additional hardware and installation, whilst at the same time simplifies integration and usage. We very much appreciate our partnership with Nedap and are looking forward to working together."
Hilbert Dijkstra, Nedap Retail's product manager, said in the statement that the two partners have complementary strategies, including that of connecting individual devices to offer integrated solutions to retail customers. "We both have a standards- and IP-based approach," he added, "which makes the solution extremely scalable and easy-to-install."
Checkpoint Announces Tunnel Readers for Boxed and Hanging Goods
Checkpoint Systems has announced two new RFID tunnel readers for distribution centers, to help retailers and manufacturers become more productive and improve shipping accuracy. The RFID Box Tunnel and RFID Hanging Garment Tunnel can be used to verify that items within each bulk shipment are accurate, so that any errors can be instantly identified and triaged before a shipment leaves a DC. Valid shipments generate automatic advance shipping notifications, Checkpoint reports, and are sent for delivery. As the boxes are unloaded from the delivery vehicle at the intended retail location, associates, using a simple handheld RFID reader, can verify merchandise's authenticity and receipt.
The tunnels are constructed of durable, fabricated metal, and are insulated for sound and RF shielding to eliminate both noise and stray RFID tag reads. According to the company, they can be mounted directly to the manufacturing floor to ensure stability.
The RFID Box Tunnel was designed for totes, cartons and boxes in any DC environment, Checkpoint says, and does not impact existing production performance. This tunnel offers a read capacity of 200 items per box, at a maximum conveyor speed of 240 feet per minute, and a minimum distance of 3 feet between boxes at a tested 99.9 percent read accuracy, when used with Checkpoint's OATFoundation Suite.
The Box Tunnel is available in two sizes for two standard conveyor widths. The RFID Box Tunnel Conveyor 500 Box 600 version fits conveyors up to 500 millimeters (19.7 inches) in width and reads boxes up to 600 millimeters (23.6 inches) in height. The unit is 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) in length and 1.35 meters (4.43 feet) in width. Its height (tunnel only) is 1.74 to 1.95 meters (5.71 to 6.40 feet), and the stack light/signal light tower adds another 770 millimeters (30.32 inches). The tunnel weighs 350 kilograms (772 pounds).
The RFID Box Tunnel Conveyor 800 Box 500 version fits conveyors up to 800 millimeters (31.5 inches) in width and reads boxes up to 500 millimeters (19.7 inches) in height. It is 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) in length and 1.6 meters (5.25 feet) in width. Its height (tunnel only) is 1.74 to 1.95 meters (5.71 to 6.40 feet), and the stack light/signal light tower adds another 770 millimeters (30.32 inches). The tunnel weighs 400 kilograms (882 pounds).
The RFID Hanging Garment Tunnel was designed for hanging goods and, like the RFID Box version, works in any DC environment, doesn't impact production performance and is offered in two sizes. This tunnel offers a read capacity of 450 items per bundle at a speed of 90 feet per minute, and a minimum distance of 2 feet between bundles at a tested 99.9 percent read accuracy, when combined with OATFoundation Suite. This tunnel is 1.1 meters (3.61 feet) in length, 1.44 meters (4.73 feet) in width and 2.4 to 2.75 meters (7.88 to 9.03 feet) in height, and weighs 125 kilograms (275 pounds). The RFID Hanging Goods Passive Station is 1.05 meters (3.44 feet) in length, 1.28 meters (4.2 feet) in width and 2.4 to 2.75 meters (7.88 to 9.03 feet) in height, and weighs 115 kilograms (253 pounds).
Both solutions can be purchased standalone or in combination with Checkpoint's OATFoundation Suite to further optimize performance through its software algorithms and hardware tuning—which, according to Checkpoint, provide the highest performance rates, regardless of label type or orientation. The company also offers a full line of complementary RFID tags and inlays that can be pre-encoded to customer specifications, and a full line of RFID solutions to ensure operational efficiency from source to shopper. Checkpoint says it has already installed more than 100 RFID Tunnels to date at several large European retailers, including C&A. Both RFID Tunnels are available immediately.
Missouri School District Tests Nedap's RFID-enabled Technology to Improve Security
According to Nedap, the Hollister R-V School District, in Hollister, Mo., is testing RFID technology from Nedap Identification Systems across its schools in order to improve the safety of students and personnel. The addition of the RFID technology is designed to prevent unauthorized individuals from entering city schools or accessing school buses.
The Hollister R-V School District serves approximately 1,400 students and has more than 224 employees. To improve security, the campus implemented Nedap's solution for hands-free door access. According to Nedap, its access card technology features extended range authorization on a passive credential—a credential that is the same size as a common proximity access card. Nedap's ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) reader, the uPASS Access, is small enough to be mounted on a standard doorpost, can be integrated with most access-control systems, and can read a credential from as far away as 6 feet, the company reports. These performance capabilities facilitate hands-free access authorization, Nedap says, making high throughput portals flow freely while maintaining security protocols.
With help from local integrator Tuxen and Associates, the Nedap uPASS Access readers were mounted at multiple building entrances, and cards were issued to the appropriate personnel. For the purposes of the pilot, only teachers, administrators and some staff members are currently testing the system.
"The addition of this technology combines the best of both worlds—free-flow access and maintained security," said Sean Woods, the Hollister R-V School District's assistant superintendent, in a prepared statement. "It's common for teachers and staff to have a handful of items when approaching a door and having to search for and present an access card is both a hassle and a hazard. This eliminates that need. Plus, the added convenience has resulted in better compliance with our security protocols. In the past it was more common for teachers to prop open a door or hold the door open for others in order to either be polite or helpful. And while we encourage polite behavior, in this case it was circumventing our security policies. That is very important because the best polices in the world won't work if your people don't adhere to them."
Long-range vehicle access readers and tags are also being used to address vehicle access needs. Nedap TRANSIT Standard readers were installed at the ingress and egress points of the bus yard, and Dual!D transponder boosters are mounted on the interior of the windshield of busses. The Dual!D transponder booster is able to relay both the encrypted identifier native to the transponder, as well as boost the read range of a standard proximity card to a maximum distance of 10 meters (33 feet). This, according to Nedap, allows the back-end system to correlate the driver, via their personal card credential, and bus, via the in-vehicle transponder, together in a "two-man rule" for purposes of increased security, as well as audit- and fleet-management functions. To bridge any technology dissonance when needed, Nedap issued its UHF/Prox combi-cards so that users still only require a single credential to use both frequencies of readers.
The readers and tags for vehicle access is designed to ensure that only authorized drivers driving an assigned district vehicle can enter and leave the premises, preventing unauthorized vehicle exit or entry within school premises. The solution is also designed to reduce or eliminate gate access chokepoints, Nedap says. The extended read range afforded by the Nedap readers means that as soon as the bus comes within the read zone, authentication can be initiated and the gate will begin to open, thereby eliminating the need for the driver to stop and present a credential. The enhanced security system also creates a record of every event and documents which drivers were driving which vehicles on any given day. Moreover, the solution prevents a vehicle undergoing maintenance from exiting the yard before it is released for service.
Global Consumer Goods Company Orders Thousands of Thinfilm NFC Tags
Thin Film Electronics (Thinfilm), a provider of printed electronics and smart systems, has announced that a global fast-moving consumer goods (FCMG) brand has placed a five-figure unit order for its Near Field Communication (NFC) SpeedTap tags. The client is working with Thinfilm on conversion and product application initiatives, according to Thinfilm, and discussions for future field trials are currently underway. The client's total sales volume is several billion units annually.
Thinfilm's SpeedTap tags are part of the company's OpenSense product line—thin, flexible labels that can both detect a product's "factory sealed" and "opened" states and wirelessly communicate contextual content with the tap of an NFC-enabled smartphone. The tags were initially designed for use on bottles, to authenticate a bottle's contents or to indicate (when the tag is read) if its seal has been broken (see Thinfilm Launches OpenSense Printed NFC Sensor Label for Bottles). The SpeedTap tags support 13.56 MHz high-frequency (HF) operation for compatibility with fixed and mobile NFC RFID readers (from smartphones to industrial readers), have 128 bits of read-only memory (roadmap to 256 bits) and adhere to a subset of the ISO 14443 Type A RFID standard. The tags support popular data structures such as 96-bit GS1 EPC, according to Thinfilm, and are less than 300 μm thick.
Including this purchase, the company indicates, Thinfilm has now received pilot orders for its NFC products from companies spanning several targeted verticals, including wine and spirits, specialty foods, pharmaceutical packaging, tobacco, and medical devices. Thinfilm says it expects NFC-enabled products featuring Thinfilm's OpenSense technology to reach the market during the first half of 2016.
