User's Guide

CHAPTER 2 RFID OVERVIEW
 In access control applications, a tag read whose ID is on a list of
authorized IDs can trigger the opening of a door or gate.
 In warehouse applications, reading the tag on a specific pallet can turn
on a light, or ring a bell to indicate the desired case has been located.
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NPUT FUNCTIONS (OPTIONAL)
An RFID system may also be designed to respond to certain input conditions.
Readers are often configured to interface with input devices such as
presence detectors. A presence detector can be used, for example, to power
up a reader only when an object is within range so as to conserve energy or
minimize the radio noise in a given environment.
MIT, AIDC and the RFID (ePC) Initiative
The Auto ID Center (AIDC) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) is currently coordinating industry efforts to establish a new standard
system for identifying objects using RFID. In place of barcodes and UPCs
(universal product codes), objects would contain “ePCs” or electronic product
code tags or labels.
The benefits of ePCs are the same, in many ways, as those for generic RFID
in terms of its potential for increased range, ability to read through many
materials, read/write functionality and discrete identification of individual
objects.
The goal of the ePC initiative, however, goes beyond performance issues to
embrace practical issues as well, such as cost, logistics and fostering healthy
competition.
The final AIDC-endorsed standard will set price goals for products competing
in the new ePC marketplace. Compliant products will be required to conform
to certain configuration, interface and performance standards so that
competing products will remain compatible with one another, giving users a
range of suppliers from which to purchase their systems and ePC services.
The AIDC has defined four classes of RFID tags that will eventually address
the various ePC performance and price requirements of the marketplace, as
shown in the table below.
Alien Technology will have offerings in most of the AIDC classes plus special
tag configurations outside the AIDC spec for other applications.
The first class of tags to be introduced under this initiative (AIDC Class 1) will
be targeted primarily for use initially in manufacturing and supply-chain
operations to track movement of pallets, cases, cartons and other larger units
of product.
Once the technology has been integrated successfully into the supply side, it
will be introduced for widespread implementation at the individual item level.
Tests are currently being conducted to prove the efficacy of the RFID/ePC
technology in reducing theft of items from point-of-sale (POS) displays.
NANOSCANNER READER USER GUIDE • DOC # 8101001-000A 14
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