The following are news announcements made during the past week by the following organizations:
Farsens;
WiSpry, SkyeTek;
ZeitControl Cardsystems;
CipherLab;
U.S. Transportation Command; and
Endeavour.
Farsens Unveils Battery-free RFID Voltage-Level Monitoring Tag
Farsens, a Spanish developer of RFID sensor tags, has announced a new passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID tag designed to measure voltage levels. The battery-free tag complies with the EPC Gen 2 specifications, and is capable of transmitting a unique identifier and associated voltage-level measurement data to a UHF commercial reader.
The VMETER-DCLV10 can measure voltages in a range from 0 volts to 1.5 volts, with an adjustable gain of 1 to 1,000. According to Farsens, it features 96 bits of Electronic Product Code (EPC) memory, a 32-bit tag identifier (TID) and a password-protected kill command. The tag comes in a variety of antenna designs and sizes, in order to adapt performance to the required application in the 860 to 960 MHz band. A reader transmitting a 2-watt effective radiated power (ERP) signal can read the tag at a distance of up to 1.5 meters (5 feet). The VMETER-DCLV10 can also be encapsulated in an IP67 or IP68 casing for usage within harsh environments. Evaluation kits are now available, the company reports.
WiSpry Announces Incorporate MEMS-Tuned Antenna Technology in SkyeTek Readers
WiSpry, a provider of tunable radio frequency micromechanical (RF MEMS) semiconductor products for the wireless industry, has announced that SkyeTek‘s SkyeModule Nova reader module uses WiSpry’s MEMS digitally tunable capacitor array. The WiSpry technology is designed to automatically correct impedance mismatches between a reader and an antenna.
The SkyeModule Nova is a compact ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) EPC Gen 2 RFID module. SkyeTek, a provider of RFID technology headquartered in Denver, Colo., announced the device in July 2014 (see SkyeTek Unveils New UHF RFID Module). Competing RFID readers face difficulties in achieving a maximum read range with real-world antennas, and either consume additional RF energy or simply fail to work at full range, according to the two companies. With the tunability and low loss of WiSpry RF MEMS, the firms explain, the SkyeModule Nova reader optimizes the match between the antenna and reader without sacrificing power or range. This allows the system to run with greater efficiency, generating less heat and saving energy even at long read ranges.
SkyeTek employs the SkyeModule Nova to make its SuperNova reader. With a footprint smaller than a business card, the SuperNova is the world’s smallest fixed RFID reader, SkyeTek claims. Released in July, the SuperNova does not require any other power source besides USB to achieve maximum output power. Each of two antenna ports can be selected via software, and the system utilizes WiSpry’s MEMS digitally tunable capacitor array, so that any antenna can be connected and automatically tuned for optimal performance.
“The WiSpry MEMS Digitally Tunable Capacitor Array has allowed us to provide adaptive antenna tuning without significant reduction in module output power,” said Mark Matlin, SkyeTek’s senior RF engineer and antenna-tuning project manager, in a prepared statement. According to Matlin, the technology has enabled SkyeTek to tune over a significant range of impedances with a single part—a process that would not be possible with any other device at this time, he indicated.
The SuperNova reader is available through SkyeTek resellers, including Atlas RFID Solutions. The SkyeModule Nova is also available via resellers, including Digi-Key.
ZeitControl Intros Industrial RFID Reader for Controlling Machinery
German company ZeitControl Cardsystems‘ contactless and RFID transponder group has introduced a new RFID reader, known as the TagTracer Industrial MiFare. The device is designed to work as a functional component for control units in machinery and plant engineering applications.
Designed to be integrated into industrial machinery, the new reader features a compact, low-depth construction, so it can be mounted into low operating terminals and enable contactless data recording. It is specially designed to allow personnel with RFID badges or tags to log onto machines, the company reports. The reader captures a tag’s ID number and automatically transfers that information to a computer. The TagTracer Industrial is supported by Microsoft‘s Windows HID-Interface (Human Interface Device) on Windows 2000 and higher operating systems.
Neither a device driver nor administrator rights are required for installation, and by using the reader’s free, downloadable software, an operator can modify the readout mode to suit that user’s specified system. The serial number can optionally be converted from decimal into hexadecimal, and the control character can be altered (CRLF or CR, for instance, or no control character at all). The user can select which RFID chips, based on the ISO/IEC 14443 Type A 13.56 MHz contactless smart-card standard, should be used with the TagTracer Industrial.
CipherLab Launches Longer-Range UHF RFID Handheld Reader
CipherLab has announced its new 1862 ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID handheld reader for EPC Gen 2 and ISO 18000-6C tags. The reader is part of the company’s 1860 series of RFID products for asset management and item-level tagging.
The 1862’s maximum read range, 16.5 feet, is longer than that of the previous model in the 1850 series, according to CipherLab, making data collection easier from the ground. Companies can use the device to collect data from hard-to-reach locations, the firm reports, and the reader is designed to interrogate multiple and various UHF RFID tags simultaneously.
Like the other readers in the 1860 series, the 1862 features Bluetooth technology so that it can communicate with CipherLab’s own 8400 or 9600 series of mobile computers, as well as many other Bluetooth-enabled mobile computers. The 1862, however, includes a Bluetooth V4.0 dual mode, which is backward-compatible with current and future smart devices. The new reader follows the company’s introduction of the CipherLab 1861 in September 2012 (see CipherLab Announces Availability of UHF Handheld Bluetooth RFID Reader), which enabled users to read tags from a distance of up to 1 meter (3.3 feet), and to write to tags from up to 0.5 meter (1.6 feet) away.
Defense Dept. Seeks Info Regarding Use of RFID to Track Soldiers’ Remains
The Logistics Enabling Support Division of the U.S. Transportation Command (USTC) has partnered with Arlington National Cemetery to solicit information from individuals working in government, industry and academia regarding the use of RFID or RFID-like solutions to track caskets and cremation urns from the time they arrive at the cemetery until six months after they are interred.
Arlington National Cemetery, located just outside of Washington, D.C., in Arlington, Va., serves as the final resting place for more than 400,000 service members, veterans and their family members throughout its 624 acres. Approximately 6,900 funeral services are conducted there annually.
The resultant request for information (RFI), released on Feb. 4, states that its primary purpose is to seek information about existing technologies (or those with reasonable modifications) that can be used to meet the needs of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) for tracking capabilities at Arlington National Cemetery. The RFI will also be used to identify qualified contractors able to meet the DOD’s requirements, determine the appropriate contract type (that is, firm fixed-price, cost-reimbursement or time and materials), understand commercial pricing practices, and gather other readily available market information. Responses are due by Mar. 2.
The RFI identifies a number of features that the USTC would like to have in the tracking capability. The tracking tags, according to the RFI, should be small and compact, and a cemetery representative must be able to quickly secure them to the side of a casket or cremation urn. The tag must feature user read-write memory, with up to 10 data elements of information. Each data element must comprise fewer than 40 characters that the cemetery employee, using a handheld device, will write to (and store) data upon the arrival of the casket or cremation urn. The tag is to remain in the casket or urn, and the tag data must be readable at subsurface depths of up to 9 feet, as well as in varying soil types and under a variety of conditions, for at least six months. In addition, the tag should operate in listen mode for any signal, and should only transmit to the correct or desired query signal.
Cemetery representatives currently use Apple iPad or iPhone devices, accessing an already-built app that shares and displays data linked to an information technology (IT) system of record at Arlington National Cemetery. As such, the DOD would like the iPad or iPhone to be able to communicate with the tag. However, the RFID stipulates, if an intermediate tag reader is required, that device must be compatible with an iPad or iPhone. In addition, the DOD wants the solution to be flexible enough to allow a cemetery representative to read and edit information on the tag. Furthermore, the RFI specifies that no tags, markers or other devices should be located aboveground, or between the ground and the tag that is on the casket or urn inside the concrete grave line underground, and that no fixed interrogators should be placed throughout the cemetery grounds.
More information about the RFI can be found at the FedBizOpps.gov website.
Endeavour Announces Bluetooth-enabled Beacon-Management Platform
Endeavour, a mobile-consulting firm and systems integrator, has announced its Beacon Management Platform, a solution that works with Bluetooth-enabled beacons to provide retailers and other organizations with the ability to develop proximity campaigns. The platform includes a content management system (CMS) that facilitates loyalty programs and coupons, mobile e-commerce, advertising and promotions, in-store navigation, self-checkout and other services.
Currently, the solution includes Bluetooth 4.0 beacons supplied by BluSpots. The beacons offer a read range of up to 70 meters (230 feet) and have an IP57 rating, signifying that they are dustproof and waterproof in up to 1 meter (3.3 feet) of immersion. Each beacon comes with a coin battery that has an operational lifespan of two years. The beacons can be registered and managed by Endeavour’s Beacon Management Platform, Endeavour reports.
The platform enables organizations to build micro-location-enabled apps, supported on both public and private cloud platforms. The CMS lets companies design mobile-optimized content and allocate beacons remotely via Bluetooth 4.0, in order to trigger interactions with customers. In addition to the CMS, the platform also includes an integrated analytics module that provides insights into customer intent and behavior. Key performance indicators (KPIs) can be established to analyze product views, engagements, time spent on product views and other information. According to the company, a mobile app lets an organization discover the beacons for easy registration into the system.
With Endeavour’s Beacon Management services, a retailer can enhance its customers’ shopping experience, making it quicker and easier for customers to access the information and products they seek, or to provide special offers or discounts to loyal shoppers, according to Vinay Shukla, Endeavour’s president and global head of sales operations. It also provides a retailer with data about customers’ shopping habits, as well as the activities of its staff, thereby allowing the company to make improvements to the store layout by identifying store flow.
The platform is designed to be hardware-agnostic and can work with other beacons. “Our plan is to let customers use any beacons they choose,” Shukla says. Endeavour can provide an entire solution, including hardware and software, or provide the software and customize the platform to meet a customer’s needs. The solution works with either Android or iOS platforms. Endeavour is currently testing the platform with a hospital and a company in the hospitality sector, both located in Texas.