OMRON RFID Technical Guide
Easy to Read and
Easy to Understand
RFID
Technical Guide
Table of
Contents
What is RFID? ....................................................... 3
Types of RFID.......................................................6
OMRON’s RFID Products: Features.....................10
Precautions for Use ...........................................15
1
What is RFID?
What is RFID?
Automatic identification (auto ID) is a process where people and things are automatically identified. Some familiar
examples are barcodes used to identify products and fingerprint authentication used by smartphones to identify users.
Radio frequency identification, or RFID, is an auto ID technology whereby reader/writers use radio waves to capture
information recorded on RF tags.
RF tag Reader/writer
Radio waves
Data recorded to tag Reads data from RF tag
(or writes data to RF tag)
3
Strong Points
RFID has the following advantages over barcodes and other auto ID technologies.
1. Relatively stain-resistant.
2. RF tags can be read from or written to even when they are not in close proximity to the
reader/writer (as long as they are within the reach of the radio energy used for
communication).
3. Data can be rewritten.
AAAA BBBB
Stain-resistant Tags can be read from/
written to if within communication range
Rewritable
4
Common Applications of RFID
RFID has many applications that take advantage of the technology’s strong points.
1. Railway ticket gates
Transit fare cards (e.g. Suica) use RF tags.
Information encoded in the card is read to control ticket gate operation.
The tags are rewritable, making them perfect for storing balance and other information.
2. Cafeteria checkout counter
RF tags are attached to all tableware used at the cafeteria to enable an unmanned
automatic checkout system.
3. Store product management
A major clothing manufacturer attaches RF tags to their products to streamline inventory
management.
Cafeteria
POS antenna
With the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan planning to attach RF tags to all products sold in
convenience stores by 2025, RFID is sure to become even more pervasive in our daily lives.
Reference: METI website
https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2017/0418_003.html
RF tag
5
2
Types of RFID
Categorized by Frequency Band
The chart below groups RFID according to the frequency band used for communication.
Each type has its strong and weak points, and so should be selected according to purpose.
Electromagnetic inductionTransmission method
135 kHz or lowerUsed frequencies 13.56 MHz
Communication
range
Oil/chemical resistance
(impact of moisture)
Application
Fair
A few to a few dozen cm
Good
(no impact)
Relatively limited
range of usage
Widely used in a vast
range of applications
(virtually unaffected by
all substances except
metals and therefore
highly versatile)
Electromagnetic induction Radio wave
Radio wave
920 MHz 2.4 GHz
Good
A few meters
Fair
(substantial impact)
Warehouse gates
(because it can
communicate over
long distances)
Good
A few to a few dozen meters
Fair
(substantial impact)
Mostly active RFID
Uses magnetic fields for coupling.
Suited for short-range communication, for drop off in field
strength is inversely proportional to the distance squared.
Magnetic fields are virtually unaffected by water
Reader/writer RF tag Reader/writer RF tag
Uses radio waves for coupling.
Can communicate over long distances, for drop off in field strength
is inversely proportional to the distance.
Greatly affected by water
6
Loading...