|
RFID Components
| 1. |
Tag: The most basic component of the RFID system, It is used to identify objects and is placed on any object that has to be tracked. It consists of a set of covered devices to emit radio signals. The tags can be basically of three varieties and this variety decides their cost and usage. These are active, passive and semi active also known as semi passive.
|
| 2. |
Active Tags: As their names suggest the active tags are capable of tracking mobile objects by emitting radio signals for which they have their own power.
|
| 3. |
Passive tags do not have their own power source and hence absorb and use the emitted power to transmit radio signals. Passive tags are of three types, namely RO (Read Only), RW (Read Write) and WORM (Write Once Read More). All the names are self suggestive of their functions.
|
| 4. |
Semi active or the semi passive tags: have their own power source but uses the energy of the reader to send out radio signals. The passive tags also use the emitted power to transmit signals however; passive tags are inferior to the semi active or semi passive tags. Unlike passive tags the semi active or semi passive tags do not need time to emit signals due to the power source present within. Also, this enables these semi-active or semi-passive tags to work even if they are moving which is impossible in case of passive tags.
|
| 5. |
Readers: Equipment required to read the information. The reader reads that information present in a tag and in addition writes information on a tag too. The reader can also destroy the data present on a tag and this is done when the tag has to be destroyed or reused.
The reader is essential to the RFID technology as it is the only component that can read and hence extract information from the tags. Also, it can write information on tags and hence update data on tags. The reader consists of the following components:
- Microprocessor
- Memory
- Receiver
- Transmitter
- Input/output Channels
- Controller( Necessary component)
- Power
|
| 6. |
Software system and Communication system: this is the system that provides the software solution to the RFID system. Also this acts as the link between all the hardware peripherals of the RFID system. |
Software
Software of RFID is basically the solution that puts together the above devices to help locate the objects which are tagged. The software solution is integral part of this technology and the best part is that it can be custom designed to suit the needs of any particular sector or industry. Radio frequency is used to propagate information from various computers to the tags and back from the tags to the computers. The software forms the main part of this system and is what decides how the data interpreted from the tags is categorized in the central database. The software can be created in such a way that it has inbuilt alerts and directions. So that unauthorise person can use the system
|
|
