Jul 06, 2017The following are news announcements made during the past week by the following organizations:
Zonar;
DRB Systems;
Checkpoint Systems;
iDTRONIC;
Elatec RFID Systems;
Smartrac; and
STMicroelectronics.
Zonar App Increases Bus Rider Safety With Real-Time Data
Zonar, a provider of smart fleet management technology, has introduced Zonar Count, an app designed for Zonar tablets that enables users to accurately count passengers that enter and exit a vehicle, as well as track average travel times, passenger trip lengths and operating costs per passenger trip. This data allows fleet managers to ensure safer vehicle operations, balance ridership and streamline federal reporting, including Medicaid reimbursement.
"We built Zonar Count to help managers better understand how their fleets perform so they could make their vehicles safer and routes more efficient for drivers and passengers," said H. Kevin Mest, Zonar's senior VP and general manager of passenger services, in a prepared statement. "Operations managers would know how many students were actually riding a route in comparison to how many were assigned, providing a key productivity metric to right size fleets to actual load counts and accurately capturing state ridership information for state reporting."
Zonar Count can only be used when a vehicle is not in motion and a driver wakes up his or her tablet to conduct a count. This ensures that a driver will not be distracted while operating the vehicle. With the touch of the screen, drivers can conduct a rider count and transmit that data to a secure database for immediate access with Zonar's Ground Traffic Control. When paired with Zonar's Z Pass—an RFID reader that, with passive Zonar RFID cards, logs each entry and exit from the bus—the Zonar solution provides fleet managers with visibility into when and where riders board and leave a bus.
In additional to providing schools and mass-transit organizations with increased access to ridership data, Zonar Count's data-collection functionality helps to eliminate the complexity and paperwork involved in tracking and submitting ridership information regarding special-need students. With an accurate digitally recorded count of these students, school administrators can then submit the information to receive reimbursements from Medicaid.
Chicagoland Car Wash Issues Seven Millionth FastPass Tag from DRB Systems
DRB Systems has announced that it has issued its seven millionth FastPass tag to a Chicagoland Wash U car-wash guest, Dick Portillo. Wash-U is a new car-wash system that features environmentally responsible sustainable technology that uses a fraction of the water and power of a traditional car wash. Two locations are currently open in Plainfield and Villa Park, Ill. The FastPass program is designed to provide car-wash service to monthly pass customers via RFID and the SiteWatch Xpress Pay Terminal.
DRB Systems is a business solutions company that provides technology and marketing support to enhance the consumer experience and the operational efficiency of a car wash. FastPass is a wireless acceptance system that allows a car wash to identify individual vehicles for any type of loyalty program. Wash U offers the monthly passes as a value to guests, which can be used at any time with the service selected by a user.
"Wash U Car Wash is proud to be on the cutting edge of environmental sustainability in the industry, utilizing less fresh water, superior reclamation and significantly reduced energy amounts while providing an awesome clean for our customers," said Michael Timmer, the car wash's head of wash operations, in a prepared statement.
"With Wash U's dual belt technology, our clean and bright facilities can handle a wider variety of vehicles, including dually pickup trucks, in a stress-free loading environment which vastly improves the customer car wash experience," Timmer said in the prepared statement. "Wash U Carwash is thrilled to be partnered with DRB Systems in the use of technology to improve efficiencies and the overall value proposition for today's time challenged consumer."
Checkpoint Systems Offers RF Label Protection for Eyewear, Other Hard-to-Tag Merchandise
Checkpoint Systems, a global supplier of electronic article surveillance (EAS) and RFID solutions for the retail industry, has announced its MicroFlex solution, an RF label designed to help retailers reduce external shrinkage on traditionally hard-to-protect merchandise. With the majority of retailers choosing to display merchandise openly to allow customers to try before they buy, MicroFlex is intended to help improve the customer experience by enabling full interaction with products, while simultaneously deterring opportunistic thieves.
MicroFlex features Checkpoint's clear Micro EP labels with a visible circuit and the company's Black Lock logo, both of which discourage potential dishonest shoppers. According to the company, MicroFlex can be easily applied, both in store by employees or at the point of manufacture by brands themselves.
Retailers that have introduced Checkpoint's 2928 EP Clear Micro Tamper Tag onto other merchandise, such as cosmetics, have seen shrinkage reduce by 30 percent or more and sales increase by 10 percent or more. The versatility of the new solution, which features a small label on an adhesive carrier, means that it can be used on a range of metallic items, such as jewelry, small accessories, golf clubs, handbags and kitchenware.
"MicroFlex offers minimal impact on the customer experience and product display," said Carl Rysdon, Checkpoint's VP of inventory control solutions, in a prepared statement, "while carrying the Black Lock logo for maximum deterrence using the smallest, best-performing label on the market. In addition, it improves the checkout experience, as the label is quickly deactivated at the point of sale and can be removed at home."
The company has also announced an enhancement to its EVOLVE-STORE solution, which is designed to bring together individuals, processes and products to expand the potential of physical stores by combining various sensing devices into a single, actionable data-led solution, with enterprise-wide data analytics. The latest feature, Event Visualizer, enhances alarm management and booster/magnet monitoring, by providing a visual of an event as it occurs, in real time, to an EVOLVE-Store-enabled smart watch, allowing personnel to recognize the source of the alarm and respond appropriately.
iDTRONIC Intros New RFID-enabled Door Locks
iDTRONIC has unveiled three new door locks incorporating radio frequency identification technology.
The ID Lock 2000 is a compact, wireless lock for lockers and drawers that is suitable for fitness centers, hotels and public lockers. The electronic door lock is in the form of a coin-operated locker that opens by an electric motor. When closing, the ID Lock 2000 locks by itself.
The ID Lock 2000 will be delivered with a single battery, with which the locker can be opened and closed more than 10,000 times. A second battery can be optionally integrated, increasing the service life to approximately 20,000 times. The battery will be checked every 72 hours, even when there is a lack of activity. An acoustic signal indicates a low battery level.
The electronic door lock can be installed in the back of the cabinet door with an external antenna and an LED cover. When the LED lights red, the lock is closed, while if it is green, the lock is free. The color blue indicates the opening and closing process. The lock can be shifted to the left or right.
The electromechanical ID Lock 3000, designed for indoor use, is a card-operated locking system with RFID technology and a manually operated turning knob. It can be used in wooden and metal doors. An LED ring integrated in the knob permanently indicates the lock's status. Due to its three-volt lithium batteries, the ID Lock 3000 has a life span of approximately 50,000 locking cycles. It can be integrated in existing card systems and lockers.
The ID Lock 4000 electronic number code stam lock is suitable for use in cupboards and footlockers, with no medium required for opening. Via a numeric code, the ID Lock 4000 provides access to cupboards. If numerical codes are entered incorrectly more than once, the lock will remain locked for a minute. The lock can be manually operated via programming. Fastening frames and screws are included.
Elatec Expands Development Board for RFID Modules
Elatec RFID Systems, a manufacturer of RFID reader-writer modules, has announced an expansion for its TWN4 MultiTech Nano Development Board. The device, called an I/O Extender, provides additional interfaces. The expanded Development Board provides RFID solution developers with an environment in which they can use the TWN4 MultiTech Nano multi-standard RFID reader module, which covers all current 125 kHz, 134.2 kHz and 13.56 MHz RFID technologies.
The TWN4 MultiTech Nano measures 31 millimeters by 17.8 millimeters by 2.5 millimeters, the company reports, and is single-sided, making it suitable for surface mounting. It can be directly soldered to a printed circuit board or mounted via connectors.
Elatec is providing an optional expansion with additional interfaces for its TWN4 MultiTech Nano Development Board: Omron and Wiegand for time-tracking and access control, as well as the CAN bus and RS485/RS422 interfaces that are common for industrial applications.
The expansion to the Development Board features an LC display, an I2C temperature sensor and a relay for switching peripheral devices on and off. Like the board to which it is attached, it features LEDs to indicate whether commands have reached the right interfaces.
Smartrac Launches RFID-enabled Cable Ties
Smartrac has announced its Ratch tag product line of RFID-enabled cable ties with fully integrated RFID tags. Available for both the high-frequency (HF) and ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) frequency bands, Ratch tags are suitable for the tagging and asset control of critical equipment in such applications as lifting, automotive wiring and supply chain, as well as offshore operations or entertainment and stage rigging.
Previous types of RFID-enabled cable ties, the company reports, use transponders that are fixed to the ties. Instead, Smartrac has securely concealed the RFID component on the inside surface of the tag housing. This ensures that the transponder unit is bonded within the housing and mechanically retained within a Nylon material engineered for durability and strength. This crystalline polyamide material supports the product's use in demanding industrial environments, while a single-use ratchet mechanism helps to prevent easy removal and decreases the risk of unseen tampering.
The integration of the transponder units into the cable ties provides tamper evidence, and thus fraud protection. Wrapping or threading Ratch tags to wire harnesses or cable assemblies at defined stages of manufacturing, construction processes or during planned inspections, the firm explains, allows any subsequent manipulation to become easily detectable.
"By introducing the industry's first RFID-enabled cable tie with a fully integrated RFID tag, Smartrac is proving its continuing ability to innovate and shape the RFID market," said Smartrac's Heath Parkin in a prepared statement. "The new Ratch tag is ideal for tagging formerly hard-to-tag items in numerous safety-critical areas, and is set to conquer additional application areas in industrial subassembly tracking as the industrial Internet of Things evolves."
In both the HF and UHF (RAIN RFID) frequency bands, a focused and short read range ensures single-tag detection, the company reports, and eliminates multiple tag reads. An NFC-compatible version is being developed to broaden the number of use cases, and to provide greater compatibility with emerging reader technologies. Available in discreet black or highly visible yellow, the Ratch tag measures 195 millimeters by 4.6 millimeters for the cable tie element, with a width of 8.5 millimeters for the transponder portion.
BLE Chip from STMicroelectronics Accelerates Spread of Connected Smart Things
STMicroelectronics has announced a new Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) system-on-chip (SoC). According to the company, the new SoC can help to accelerate the spread of connected smart objects throughout homes, shopping areas, industry, toys and gaming, personal health care and infrastructure.
Built into all new mobile phones, tablets and computers, BLE wireless technology enables consumers to interact with any BLE-enabled object from their own devices. Similarly, service providers can connect assets to the cloud for service delivery and data collection.
ST's BlueNRG-2 chip offers a power-efficient programmable processor and low-power features, including an ultra-frugal standby mode. The high RF signal strength saves system power by ensuring reliable wireless communication, while on-chip memory for BLE software and application code simplifies system design by saving external memory components. BlueNRG-2 is Bluetooth 5.0-certified, providing interoperability with the latest generation of smartphones.
"The BlueNRG-2 ushers in an era of connected smart things all around us, enabling secure, reliable and energy-efficient interaction with any object, like a toothbrush or lighting switch, from our mobile devices," said ST's Benedetto Vigna in a prepared statement. "Moreover, the objects can benefit from simple construction, fully sealed if necessary, and yet fully interoperable through natural voice control or the feature-rich and stylish user interface of an Android or iOS smart application."
A software development kit (SDK) is available, featuring the BlueNRG Navigator Graphical User Interface (GUI), which helps designers and innovators to create connected devices with the BlueNRG-2 chip. BlueNRG-2 is available now in a 32-pin QFN. Further options will be introduced later in the year, offering more GPIO in a 48-pin QFN. Pricing for the BlueNRG-232 (QFN package) is $1.95 apiece for orders of 1,000 pieces. The SDK can be downloaded for free at ST's website.
ST has chosen ARM's Cortex-M0 core to provide 32-bit processing performance for BlueNRG-2. Other integrated features include cryptographic processing, power management, clock management and up to 256 kilobytes of Flash memory, providing extra flexibility to handle code and data storage. Multiple power-saving modes, including standby mode drawing 0.5µA, help to meet functional requirements with a minimal power budget.
An integrated BLE radio with +8dBm RF output power maximizes communication range and saves overall energy consumption by avoiding data errors and retries. The device is specified for operation up to 105 degrees Celsius, allowing use in a wide range of scenarios, including automotive environments.
ST has developed a dedicated ultra-miniature balun (BALF-NRG-02D3) for its BlueNRG devices. Integrating a matching network and harmonics filter, the enhanced balun simplifies RF complexity and provides optimized link budget with a footprint of less than 1.2 square millimeters. Designed on a non-conductive glass substrate, it offers low dispersion over temperature.
The BlueNRG Navigator GUI simplifies and streamlines device configuration, setup and testing, enabling makers or developers to quickly get started and implement new ideas for smart devices without requiring any specific RF or BLE skills. An intuitive graphical interface enables users to become productive in just a few hours. Application examples, code snippets and tool support allow coding to begin quickly using the BlueNRG-2 Evaluation Kit.
The BlueNRG-2 Evaluation Kit (STEVAL-IDB008V1) contains MEMS sensors, LEDs, push-buttons and programming interfacing to run the provided demonstration software out-of-the-box. An Arduino-compatible connector is featured on-board, allowing the development of more complex applications by adding extra expansion boards.
