RFID Essentials

RFID Essentials

by Bill Glover, Himanshu Bhatt
Released January 2006
Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ISBN: 9780596009441

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Book description

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is rapidly changing the way businesses track inventory and assets. From Wal-Mart and Tesco to the U.S. Department of Defense, early efforts are already showing benefits, but software, integration, and data processing for RFID still present a challenge. If you are a developer or an architect charged with developing an RFID system, this book is for you. Drawing on extensive experience, Bill Glover and Himanshu Bhatt provide you with essential information on this emerging technology.

With the knowledge you gain in these pages, you will possess the information and understanding you need to start designing, building, or integrating with RFID systems.

In RFID Essentials you will find information on:

  • Tags and tag protocols, including the Electronic Product Code (EPC)

  • Readers and reader protocols

  • RFID middleware

  • Security and privacy

  • Managing RFID devices

  • RFID's impact on your architecture

    • Bill Glover has been writing software since 1981 and has worked as a programmer, lead developer, or architect on systems of all sizes, from small, automated systems controlling dams and feedmills up to a complete redesign and reimplementation of one of the world's busiest travel web sites. Bill first worked with RFID in 1995, tracking individual cattle using ear tags. He is currently a Senior Java Architect with Sun Microsystems, Inc., and works with Sun's RFID consulting practice and the RFID Test Center.

    Himanshu Bhatt heads the U.S. RFID Practice and Software Technology Lab for Sun Microsystems, Inc. Prior to assuming this role, Himanshu was responsible for business development and consulting in emerging areas of technology. Himanshu has over 16 years of experience in the architecture and development of distributed, multitier systems using a host of technologies for Fortune 1000 companies. Himanshu has spoken at industry conferences such as JavaOne and the LoneStar Symposium and has published articles on Java/J2EE technologies.

    "The Information Age is over. We're entering an era where network connectivity is almost ubiquitous - it's participate or perish." --Jonathan Schwartz, President and COO, Sun Microsystems, Inc.

    "Unique competitive advantage erupts from enterprises that couple the RFID technologies laid out in RFID Essentials with modern business integration using service-oriented architectures. This is the book to read in order to understand this new landscape." --Mark Bauhaus, Senior Vice President, Sun Microsystems, Inc.

    "This is a must read for RFID Software and Solution architects and is highly recommended for anyone needing to gain more insight into the myriad of components, standards and technologies that make up an RFID solutions environment." --Bryan Tracey, Chief Architect, GlobeRanger Corporation

    "The authors have done a commendable job of covering a lot of ground in the RFID space, including the infrastructure needed to share the volumes of data RFID will likely generate." --Graham Gillen, Senior Product Manager, VeriSign

    Table of contents

    1. Praise for RFID Essentials (1/2)
    2. Praise for RFID Essentials (2/2)
    3. Contents
    4. Preface
      1. Who This Book Is For
      2. Structure of This Book
        1. Everyone
        2. Developers and Architects
        3. What’s in Each Chapter
      3. Conventions Used in This Book
      4. Comments and Questions
      5. Safari® Enabled
      6. Acknowledgments
    5. An Introduction to RFID
      1. The Case for RFID
        1. Advantages of RFID over Other Technologies
        2. The Promise of RFID
      2. The Eras of RFID
        1. The Proprietary Era
        2. The Compliance Era
        3. The RFID-Enabled Enterprise Era
        4. The RFID-Enabled Industries Era
        5. The Internet of Things Era
      3. Application Types
        1. Access Control
          1. Considerations
          2. Implementation
        2. Tag and Ship
          1. Considerations
          2. Implementation
        3. Pallet and Carton Tracking
          1. Considerations
          2. Implementation
        4. Track and Trace
          1. Considerations
          2. Implementation
        5. Smart Shelf
          1. Considerations
          2. Implementation
        6. Challenges
        7. RFID Adoption Guidelines
      4. Summary
    6. RFID Architecture
      1. A Confluence of Technologies
      2. Key Functionalities
        1. Encoding RFID Tags
          1. Deciding on an item-numbering scheme
          2. Encoding identities on RF tags
        2. Attaching RFID Tags
        3. Tracking the Movement of Items
        4. Using RFID Data in Business Applications
        5. Sharing RFID Data B2B
        6. Self-Organization of Intelligent Devices
      3. RFID System Components
        1. Tags
          1. Selecting tags
        2. Readers
          1. Selecting readers
        3. RFID Middleware (1/2)
        4. RFID Middleware (2/2)
          1. Motivations for using RFID middleware
          2. The reader adapter
          3. The event manager
          4. The application-level interface
          5. Relevant EPCglobal standards
        5. The RFID Service Bus
          1. The RFID information service
          2. The RFID information network
      4. Systemic Quality Considerations
        1. Privacy and Security
        2. Performance
        3. Scalability
        4. Manageability
        5. Extensibility and Maintainability
      5. Architecture Guidelines
        1. Begin with Business Requirements
        2. Don’t Forget Your Existing Infrastructure
        3. Process Data at the Edge Where Possible
        4. Track Items to the Level Your Business Processes Will Support
      6. System Management
        1. Start with Architecture
        2. Use RFID Middleware
      7. Summary
    7. Tags
      1. Basic Tag Capabilities
      2. Physical Characteristics
      3. Power Source
      4. Air Interface
        1. Operating Frequency
        2. Communications Mode
        3. Types of Keying
        4. Encoding
        5. Coupling
          1. Backscatter coupling
          2. Inductive coupling
          3. Magnetic coupling
          4. Capacitive coupling
      5. Information Storage and Processing Capacity
        1. One-Bit EAS Tags
        2. Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) Tags
        3. State Machines and Microprocessors
      6. Standards
        1. EPCglobal Tag Types
        2. IS0/IEC 18000 Tags
        3. IS0 15693 Vicinity Smart Cards
      7. Summary
    8. Tag Protocols
      1. Protocol Terms and Concepts
      2. How Tags Store Data
        1. GS1 SGTIN Encoding
          1. Find the header
          2. Find the partition
          3. Concatenate the header, filter value, and partition
          4. Append the Company Prefix, Item Reference, and Serial Number
          5. Calculate the CRC and append the EPC to it
      3. Singulation and Anti-Collision Procedures
        1. Slotted Aloha
        2. Adaptive Binary Tree
        3. Slotted Terminal Adaptive Collection (STAC)
        4. EPC UHF Class I Gen2 (1/2)
        5. EPC UHF Class I Gen2 (2/2)
          1. Tag memory
          2. Inventory commands
          3. The Select command
          4. Access commands
          5. Tag states
      4. Tag Features for Security and Privacy
        1. Destroying and Disabling Tags
        2. Encrypting Information
      5. Learn to Troubleshoot Tag Communications
      6. Summary
    9. Readers and Printers
      1. Physical Components of an RFID Reader
        1. Antenna Subsystem
        2. Controller
        3. Network Interface
      2. Logical Components of an RFID Reader
        1. Reader API
        2. Communications
        3. Event Management
        4. Antenna Subsystem
      3. Parts of an RFID Printer and Applicator
        1. Reader
        2. Printer
        3. Verifier
        4. Applicator
      4. Types of Readers
        1. Shapes and Sizes
        2. Standards and Protocols
        3. Regional Differences
      5. Layout for Readers and Antennas
        1. Portals
        2. Tunnels
        3. Handhelds
        4. Forklift Readers
        5. Smart Shelves
      6. Configuring Readers
      7. Summary
    10. Reader Protocols
      1. Parts of a Reader Protocol
        1. Commands
        2. Notifications
          1. Asynchronous
          2. Synchronous (polling)
      2. Vendor Protocols
        1. Alien
        2. Symbol
      3. EPCglobal Protocol Overview
        1. The Reader Layer
          1. Read subsystem
          2. Event subsystem
          3. Output subsystem
          4. Communication subsystem
        2. The Messaging Layer
        3. The Transport Layer
          1. The TCP MTB
          2. The HTTP MTB
      4. Simple Lightweight RFID Reader Protocol
      5. Future Protocols
      6. Summary
    11. RFID Middleware
      1. Motivations
        1. Providing a Reader Interface
        2. Filtering Events
        3. Providing a Standards-Based Service Interface
      2. Logical Architecture
      3. Application Level Events Specification
        1. Key Concepts and Terminology
          1. Event originators
          2. Read cycles
          3. Event cycles
        2. Interaction Models
          1. Synchronous mode
          2. Asynchronous mode
          3. Data elements
        3. ALE Service Interface
        4. Usage Scenarios
          1. Synchronous mode
          2. Asynchronous mode
        5. Filtering and Grouping
          1. Filtering
          2. Grouping
        6. Data Model (1/2)
        7. Data Model (2/2)
          1. ECSpec
          2. ECBoundarySpec
          3. ECTime
          4. ECTimeUnit
          5. ECTrigger
          6. ECReportSpec
          7. ECTerminationCondition
          8. ECReport
          9. ECReports
          10. ECReportSetSpec
          11. ECReportOutputSpec
          12. ECReportGroup
          13. ECReportGroupList
          14. ECReportGroupListMember
          15. ECReportGroupCount
          16. ECFilterSpec
          17. EPCGroupSpec
      4. Commercial RFID Middleware
        1. Sun Microsystems
        2. ConnecTerra/BEA
        3. GlobeRanger
      5. Summary
    12. RFID Information Service
      1. RFID Data
        1. Event Data
        2. Master Data
        3. Data Volume
        4. Data Storage
      2. The EPCglobal Network
      3. The Object Naming Service
        1. DNS
        2. Understanding the ONS
        3. Understanding ONS Query Result Formats
      4. The EPC Information Services
      5. Summary
    13. Manageability
      1. Edge Deployment Options
        1. Centralized Deployment
        2. Distributed Deployment
        3. Self-Organizing Deployment
      2. Capabilities Needed for Edge Management
      3. Standards and Technologies
      4. Summary
    14. Privacy and Security
      1. Privacy and Security Issues
        1. Public Perception Matters
      2. RFID Privacy
        1. Addressing RFID Privacy
          1. Government legislation
          2. Government guidelines
          3. Industry guidelines
          4. Privacy/security thought leaders
          5. Watchdog organizations
          6. Privacy-enhancing technologies
      3. RFID Security
        1. RFID Security Zones
          1. Zone 1: RF tags
          2. Zone 2: RFID readers
          3. Zone 3: RFID service bus
          4. Zone 4: Enterprise information systems
      4. Summary
    15. The Future
      1. Standards
        1. EPCglobal Road Map
        2. Convergence
          1. ISO/EPCglobal
          2. China
      2. Technology
        1. More-Numerous and More-Varied Sensors
        2. More Active Tags
          1. EPC Class IV and Class V tags
          2. Real Time Location Systems
          3. Printable batteries
        3. More Manageability
          1. IEEE 802.15.4 (ZigBee)
          2. Jini
        4. More-Interconnected Systems (1/2)
        5. More-Interconnected Systems (2/2)
          1. IPv6
          2. Wireless mesh
          3. Ubiquitous and amorphous computing
          4. Micro payments
          5. Augmented reality
      3. Business
      4. Summary
    16. EPC Identity Encodings
      1. GS1 SGTIN Encoding
      2. GS1 SSCC Encoding
      3. GS1 GLN/SGLN Encoding
      4. GS1 GRAI Encoding
      5. GS1 GIAI Encoding
    17. References
      1. Organizations, Standards, and Specifications
        1. AIM Global RFID
        2. EPCglobal, Inc.
        3. GS1
        4. International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
        5. Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
        6. RFID Tribe
      2. Important Papers on RFID
      3. Related Books
      4. Periodicals
        1. RFID Journal
        2. RFID Operations
        3. Transponder News
        4. RFID Weblog
      5. History
        1. The Signals Collection ‘40–‘45
        2. Eagle’s Nest
      6. Free Tools
        1. epcTranslator
        2. Radioactive Project
        3. Singularity Project
    18. Glossary
      1. Abbreviations
      2. Terms
    19. Index (1/4)
    20. Index (2/4)
    21. Index (3/4)
    22. Index (4/4)

    Product information

    • Title: RFID Essentials
    • Author(s): Bill Glover, Himanshu Bhatt
    • Release date: January 2006
    • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
    • ISBN: 9780596009441