French RFID solutions provider Tagsys RFID is marketing two new ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) tags designed to be smaller than standard RFID tags, for use on textiles, garments and other items with small form-factors. Tagsys developed the AK Tag and MuTrak tags in cooperation with RFID hardware developer and supplier Impinj. Both tags, commercially available now, come with a built-in Impinj Monza 5 chip.
At present, some potential users of passive UHF tags have not deployed RFID systems due to their inability to find tags small enough to meet their particular requirements. The solution that Tagsys has developed with Impinj, the companies report, is intended to provide some of the smallest tags on the market to reach those end users.
The AK Tag measures 10 millimeters by 12 millimeters (0.4 inch by 0.5 inch) as an inlay, and 20 millimeters by 20 millimeters (0.8 inch by 0.8 inch) when converted into an RFID label. Despite its small size, the tag provides read ranges similar to those of much larger tags, by harvesting RF energy from the goods or packaging to which it is attached. The AK Tags can be placed over or attached to a metal object that serves as a secondary antenna to boost read distance.
Traditional long-range UHF tags are manufactured with an RFID chip attached to an antenna that totals 15 centimeters (6 inches) in length—typically, by zigzagging or looping in such a way as to minimize the tag’s footprint. However, says Christophe Loussert, Tagsys’ RFID integration VP, the use of a 6-inch antenna is impractical for several reasons. Even when it is looped around the chip to create as small an inlay as possible, he explains, it still consumes space—enough so that most UHF tags have been too large, in some applications, to be considered practical. In the garment industry, for example, it is difficult to sew a UHF tag into an aesthetically pleasing label, since the tag is generally too big. Moreover, Loussert adds, an antenna’s zigs and zags cause a loss in performance by reducing read range.
With a built-in loop antenna, however, the AK Tag can connect, via magnetic coupling, to something else that can then act as a supplemental antenna. Any metal object can serve this function, such as the metal strip inserted into some shoes to stiffen or reinforce them. In the case of apparel, a metallic thread can be sewn into a garment label’s fabric, or into the clothing itself. In this way, the AK Tag can magnetically couple with thread, which acts as the antenna, thereby boosting read range from mere inches to feet.
With this antenna extension, Tagsys reports, the new tag is designed to become part of a product’s packaging. The silicon chip and antenna inlay are intended to be customizable according to a specific item’s needs and characteristics, including its size and the materials it contains, and can be embedded in that item. Some anticipated applications include the tagging of small apparel, plastic or paper folders used to contain paper documents, and surgical equipment.
The MuTrak is a small, black, rubber-encased tag measuring 7 millimeters (0.3 inch) in length and width and 1.4 millimeters (0.06 inch) in thickness. The tag is intended for laundry or sterilization applications, such as garments or reusable surgical tools, or for other environments requiring high temperature and chemical processes. It can be heat-sealed onto garments or linens, inserted into sewn-in pouches or embedded within a recess of a surgical tool. Its read range is up to 30 centimeters (11.8 inches). The MuTrak can withstand a maximum temperature of 200 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit) for 15 seconds, as well as a maximum water pressure of 2.5 bars (36.28 PSI).
Impinj and Tagsys have been collaborating since 2007 to develop solutions for smaller and more effective RFID tags, says Nikhil Deulkar, Impinj’s senior product line manager. According to Loussert, the Monza 5 chip—which offers 128 bits of Electronic Product Code (EPC) memory—provides sufficient read sensitivity to enable interrogators to read as many as 2,000 tags within a cart passing through a reader portal. What’s more, he adds, both the Monza 4 and Monza 5 tag chips provide a feature known as TagFocus, which allows an Impinj reader to instruct tags that have already been interrogated to remain unresponsive while the device searches for additional unread tags. This process leads to quicker tag reads, he says, due to a less crowded RF environment.
More than 80 percent of Tagsys’ tags contain Impinj chips, Loussert reports. Three years ago, the company began including Impinj readers in its solutions as well.
Initially, Tagsys expects the AK and MuTrak tags to be in demand among those in the retail and laundry environments. However, Loussert notes, “I wouldn’t be surprised if we see interest [in the tags] from other industries.” He adds that the tags will be less expensive than existing UHF tags currently on the market.
Impinj and Tagsys continue to develop technology together, Deulkar says, though he declines to reveal the details of other projects.
The two companies will host a webinar on Wednesday, Nov. 28, at 9 a.m. EST. The webinar, which will last for approximately one hour, will focus on the AK and MuTrak tags, explaining how their designs eliminate the need to make tradeoffs between size and performance, and how they offer read ranges comparable to those of tags up to three times their size. To register for this event, click here.