How do RFID readers work and what applications do they have?
RFID tags have revolutionized several industrial sectors, including the food and logistics industries. But how do these smart tags work?
Regardless of the frequency at which they operate (low, high, or ultra-high), RFID readers emit a signal and then interpret the tag’s response. RAIN RFID (a tag that operates within the UHF frequency) provides the ability to:
Uniquely identify individual items regardless of their product type
Identify and locate items without direct line of sight
Identify many items quickly (up to 1,000 items per second)
Read items within a range of a few centimeters to 10 meters
How it Works
The tag’s operation is divided into two important steps:
Create the message. To initiate communication with the tag, the reader’s first step is to create a signal, which is emitted through the RFID antenna, according to the system’s characteristics.
The response is interpreted. In the second phase of operation, the tag must respond to the signal. This response is captured and interpreted by the reader, allowing access based on permissions.
Inventory Management
Now that we’ve explained how it works, let’s move on to the practical application. The application we’ll discuss today is inventory management. An inventory control system allows you to control goods and stock, record movements, and track purchases.
With the information contained in the RFID tag, you can see, in real time, throughout the warehouse, whether stock is about to run out or is at an optimal level. The tags track the goods entering and leaving a warehouse. It all starts with the entry, where the tags are read from the pallet, which then passes through an RFID portal. This extracts information from the packages, such as product characteristics (type, price, batch number, etc.), and uploads it to the cloud. Once a shipment is read, two things can happen: one is that it remains in the warehouse, and the other is that it is sent to another warehouse where there is no stock. When the merchandise leaves the warehouse, the shipment is encoded, allowing the recipient to check the merchandise in the order using the RFID reader. Inventory management can be carried out according to customer specifications, monthly, daily, or annually. RAIN RFID technology achieves maximum operational efficiency with automated processes that change the way machines and humans work.
In MIM, it is used for machine maintenance purposes. The tag, located on the machine, emits a code, which is read by the reader, allowing the operator to know the task to be performed.