CHAPTER 2.

RFID ARCHITECTURE
Contents
1 . A Confluence of Technologies

2 . Key Functionalities

3 . RFID System Components

4 . Systemic Quality

Considerations

5 . Architecture Guidelines
1. A Confluen ce of Techn ologies
v Advances in semiconductor technologies
Ø RFID would have remained a niche
technology if it was not for Moore's law
and the ability of the semiconductor
industry to produce chips that package
processing power at a level that makes
it affordable for the mass RFID market .


v Intelligent devices
Ø Advances in semiconductor technologies
haven't just brought down the cost of
RFID chips they are also the primary
drivers behind the development of
intelligent devices , including sensors
such as RFID readers .
1. A vConfluen ce of Techn ologies
v Broadband wired and wireless networks and
cheaper edge processing servers
Ø The availability of pervasive broadband data
networks , coupled with affordable yet
powerful servers , has led to the development
of architectures that move processing to
where the business processes are carried out .


v Edge processing capability

Ø Edge processing capability derives from having
powerful yet low - cost personal computers and
servers deployed at the edges of the
enterprise network as well as a broadband
connection to the data center .

v Service-oriented architecture
Ø Service - oriented architectures allow us to
develop and deploy loosely - coupled modules
that interface with each other using web
services - based standards .
Ø the overall RFID system architecture follows
the principles widely accepted today as the
2. Key Function alities
v The ability to encode RFID tags
Ø Deciding on an item - numbering scheme
 ID and the serial number is created by UDC
 ID Center established universities and
companies hope was that they could develop
standards that would reduce the cost of
individual tags the component and that
standard identifiers could facilitate
information - sharing among industry partners .
 we can , and some bar code encoding systems are
already being used to make RFID tags .
Ø
Ø Encoding identities on RF tags
 Each type of identification tag , from bar
codes and optical scatter codes to magnetic
stripes and RFID tags , has a particular
encoding that allows it to represent an
identity .
 if the identity only needs to be read by the
automated system , print the identity in a
form that it can read very easily ex ) bar
code
 In order to select the proper encoding to
write an identity to an RFID tag , you must
know both the type of identity you want to
write and the memory capacity and type of
the tag itself . ex ) GID encoding
2. Key Function alities

üEx) bar code

v
v
v
v
üEx) GID encoding
urn:epc:tag:gid-96:FilterValue.GeneralManagerNumber.ObjectClass.SerialNumber

urn:epc:tag:gid-96:0.00012345.054322.4208
2. Key Function alities
v Attaching RFID Tags
Ø Bar codes are often applied using print - and -
apply machines that press or blow an adhesive
tag onto an item as it passes by on an
assembly line , and similar devices exist for
smart label RFID tags .
Ø One important consideration when weighing the
cost of adopting an automated method for
attaching smart labels is the relatively high
defect rate of these RFID tags due to their
delicacy and sensitivity .
Ø
v Tracking the Movement of Items
Ø Tags attached to the item more sooner , that you
can see more useful information .
Ø
v Using RFID Data in Business Applications
v Sharing RFID Data B2B
v Self Organization of Intelligent Devices
3. R FID System C omponents
Data center
RFID enterprise
Information service
Enterprise - level
RFID information EPS information
Enterprise application service
Service

Enterprise service bus RFID

database

Firewall
Business partners RFID information service

Business services

Firewall

Store
RFID edge
Information service

Edge applications RFID information

Service
RFID middleware
RFID
database

Reader

RFID Tags
3. R FID System C omponents
vTag
1 here

Anybody here?

Tag 1
2 here !

Tag 2
3 here !

Tag 3

Communication between RFID tags and a reader

3. R FID System C omponents
vReaders
ØReader API
ØCommunications
ØEvent management
ØAntenna subsystem
Reader API
ØSelecting Readers

Readers , as powerful radio

RFID reader

Communications
transmitters , must also
conform to local
regulations concerning
Event management frequency , power level , and
duty cycles ( how often the
reader is actually
transmitting ).
Antenna subsystem When selecting a reader , also
pay close attention to the
physical environment in
which it will be operated .
An often - overlooked
tags consideration in selecting
a reader is how well it
will cooperate with your
current IT monitoring and
management tools .
Ø
3. R FID System C omponents

vRFID Middleware
Ø One of the primary benefits of using RFID
middleware is that it standardizes ways
of dealing with the flood of information
these tiny tags produce .
Ø

RFID middleware

Application level interface

Event management Reader adapter
 3. R FID System C omponents
Ø Motivations for using RFID middleware
 Via the reader adapter : providing connectivity with
readers .
 Via the event manager : processing raw RFID
observations for consumption by applications .
 providing an application - level interface to manage
readers and capture filtered RFID events .

Enterprise application Enterprise application

RFID middleware

Readers Readers Readers Readers

Exposing applications directly to RFID readers ] Using RFID middleware

3. R FID System C omponents
Ø The reader adapter
 Reader interfaces , as well as data access and device
management capabilities , differ widely , so you
should try to use middleware that shields you from
having to learn the idiosyncrasies of individual
readers .
 The reader adapter layer encapsulates the proprietary
reader interfaces so that they don't come in
contact with the application developers .

Ø The event manager
 Most of these observations would be too fine - grained
to be meaningful to applications , so you want to
encapsulate the reader interface to keep the
applications from being bombarded by raw data .
 Enterprises will thus need to deploy special - purpose
RFID middleware near the edges of their IT
infrastructures .
 An RFID event manager aggregates raw RF read data
from multiple data sources ( such as readers ) and
consolidates and filters it based on previously
configured application - level event filters .
 Most event managers then feed the filtered data to
the backend systems .

3. R FID System C omponents
 A filtering and smoothing system devised to
address typical scenarios experienced in
retail stores .

3. R FID System C omponents
Ø The application-level interface
 The application - level interface is the top
layer in the RFID middleware stack .
 Its primary purpose is to provide a
standardized mechanism that enables
applications to register for and receive
filtered RFID events from a set of
readers .
 the application - level interface also
provides a standard API for configuring ,
monitoring , and managing RFID middleware
and the readers and sensors it controls .

3. R FID System C omponents
v The RFID Service Bus
 An enterprise service bus ( ESB ) is a
distributed integration platform designed
for application connectivity , data
transformation , guaranteed transactions ,
and messaging .
 An RFID service bus is a type of ESB used
to integrate applications using RFID data .
 Generally , ESBs orchestrate business
processes across application , or sometimes
enterprise , boundaries .
Ø
Ø The RFID information service
3. R FID System C omponents

Ø The RFID information network

 As RFID - tagged products move through
the supply chain , various
participants in the supply chain will
need standards - based means to share
their tracking information and to get
reference information on products
based on their product tags ( EPCs ).

 The RFID information network provides
five principal services .
3. R FID System C omponents
 one vision of the RFID information
network

EPC global

EPC discovery
services
ONS
(root )

ONS ONS
(local )
(local )

EPCIS

EPCIS EPCIS

Manufacture Distributor Retailer

4. Systemic Qua lity Considera tion s
v Privacy and Security
 As in any enterprise system , security
considerations for an RFID system ensuring
the authenticity of the information stored on
the tags themselves , securing the
transmission of information between tags and
readers , and ensuring overall application and
infrastructure security permeate the various
layers of its architecture .
v Performance
 Performance is measured in terms of time taken
to perform a unit of activity .
 Depending on the layer of the RFID system at
which you're working , the performance
considerations will vary .
v Scalability
 Scalability has to do with how small a system
may start and how quickly it must be ready to
grow .
 For RFID systems , scalability involves much more
than " CPU headroom ."
4. Systemic Qua lity Considera tion s
v Manageability
 RFID information servers are typically housed
in a data center or server room . Operations
staff can monitor and manage the servers
using procedures developed for any other
application server .
A reader may be just as complex as a server ,
requiring software or firmware upgrades ,
monitoring , and management .
 An event manager is likely to be located on
server hardware but deployed close to the
readers .
v Extensibility and Maintainability
 For most organizations , RFID readers are the
first step into a new space at the edge .
 RFID systems are in a state of flux as
technology advances and standards only begin
to solidify .
 An RFID installation of any size must be
prepared to plug in readers with different
mounting requirements , different management
interfaces , and even different manufacturers
depending on what is available this week .
5. Architecture Gu idelin es
 The infrastructure for RFID edge components must be
incredibly robust .
 Ideally , the readers , RFID middleware , and so on should
support effortless plug - and - play functioning .
v Begin with Business Requirements
 While you're defining the business requirements and
capturing functional requirements , pay careful
attention to accounting for exception processing .
v Don't Forget Your Existing Infrastructure
 More often than not , RFID systems will have to coexist
with bar code systems , providing alternate , more
automated capabilities .
v Process Data at the Edge Where Possible
 Process as much data as possible at its source .
 the raw RFID observations collected by readers should
be filtered at the edge before sending only what is
meaningful to applications .
v Track Items to the Level Your Business Processes Will
Support
v The real challenge is not in identifying an RF tag
uniquely , but in figuring out what you are going to
do with that information .
v Weigh the cost of generating , storing , and processing
this information against the business benefits .

THANK YOU *^^*