ThingMagic Mercury API User Manual

875-0049-10 RevA

Mercury API Programmer’s Guide

For: Mercury API v1.23.0 and later Supported Hardware: M6 and Astra-EX (firmware v4.19.1 and later)

M6e (firmware v1.13.1 and later) Micro (firmware v1.3.0 and later) M5e, M5e-C, USB and Vega (firmware v1.7.1 and later)

Government Limited Rights Notice: All documentation and manuals were developed at private expense and no part of it was developed using Government funds.

The U.S. Government’s rights to use, modify, reproduce, release, perform, display, or disclose the technical data contained herein are restricted by paragraph (b)(3) of the Rights in Technical Data — Noncommercial Items clause (DFARS 252.227-7013(b)(3)), as amended from time-to-time. Any reproduction of technical data or portions thereof marked with this legend must also reproduce the markings. Any person, other than the U.S. Government, who has been provided access to such data must promptly notify Trimble.

ThingMagic, Mercury, Reads Any Tag, and the ThingMagic logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Trimble.

Other product names mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of Trimble or other companies.

©2014 ThingMagic – a division of Trimble Navigation Limited. ThingMagic and The Engine in RFID are registered trademarks of Trimble Navigation Limited. Other marks may be protected by their respective owners. All Rights Reserved.

ThingMagic, A Division of Trimble 4 Cambridge Center, 12th floor Cambridge, MA 02142

10 Revision A June, 2014

Revision Table

Date Version Description

6/2009 01 Rev1 First Draft for MercuryAPI RC1

8/2009 01 Rev1 Updates to Reader methods for changes in v1.1

updates to gpoSet and gpiGet methods other updates for official v1.1. release.

12/2009 02 Rev1 Added info on automatic antenna switching to Virtual Antennas sec-

tion.

2/2010 02 Rev1 Added protocol configuration additions for M6e.

Added details/clarification to various content based on customer feedback.

7/2010 02 Rev1 Added M6e Beta content:

• new/updated parameters for M6e

• C language content

• TagOp info

• Java/JNI appendix

12/2010 03 Rev1 Added performance tuning section.

2/2011 03 Rev1 Added M6 info

5/2011 04 RevA Added updates for M6e and M5e new functionality

• Custom tag commands

• Status reporting

11/2011 05 RevA Added M6 LLRP information

• LLRPReader type

• On reader application build process

1/2012 06 RevA Added M6, M6e, M5e Jan2012 firmware enhancement info:

• /reader/gen2/writeReplyTimeout & writeEarlyExit info added

• new ISO6b configuration parameters: delimiter, modulationDepth

• Gen2.IDS.SL900A command info

2/2012 07 RevA fixed ISO6b Delimiter information

Date Version Description

8/2012 08 RevA • Added details on C porting

• Added details about transportTimeout to Connect info

• Removed Select/Filter limitation when Continuous Reading

• Added details on locking tags

• Improved Performance Tuning section with details on more settings.

• added software license info

• added .NET specific section with project build requirements

• add new IDS CoolLog command support

9/2013 09 RevA • added read duration details

• updated antenna usage info

• Updated exception details

• android support details

6/2014 10 RevA • added info on StopTriggerReadPlan - return on N tags functionality.

• added info on iOS support to C Language chapter

• created Advanced Customization chapter to provide information about creating new transport layers for all 3 API languages, including example of serial-over-tcp tranport layer.

• info on support for standard WinCE USB drivers and example WinCE reader application added to .NET Language chapter

• added information about new independent LLRP jar file containing only ThingMagic custom custom commands for Java Language

• added info on new reboot() method in Level 2 chapter

• Updated Android section in Java Language chapter and mentioned new example reader app.

Introduction to the MercuryAPI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Language Specific Reference Guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Supported Languages and Environments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Language Specific Build and Runtime Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Example Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Hardware Specific Guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Hardware Abstraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

ThingMagic Mercury API Software License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Level 1 API . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Connecting to Readers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Reader Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Create 20 Connect 21 Destroy 22 URI Syntax 22 Region of Operation 23

Reading Tags - The Basics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Read Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Reader.read() 25 Reader.startReading() 26 Return on N Tags Found 27

Reading Tag Memory 28

ReadListener . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

ReadExceptionListener . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

TagReadData . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

TagData . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Writing To Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Status Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Mercury Embedded Modules Developer’s Guide 5

StatusListener . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Exceptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

ReaderCommException . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

ReaderCodeException . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

ReaderParseException . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

ReaderFatalException . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

FeatureNotSupportedException . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Level 2 API . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Advanced Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

ReadPlan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

SimpleReadPlan 36

StopTriggerReadPlan 37

MultiReadPlan 37

In-Module Multi-Protocol Read. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Selecting Specific Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

TagFilter Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

MultiFilter 39

Gen2.Select 40

ISO180006B.Select 40

Tag Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Advanced Tag Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

TagOp Invocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Direct Invocation 42

Embedded TagOp Invocation 43

Gen2 Standard TagOps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Gen2.WriteTag 44

Gen2.ReadData 44

Gen2.WriteData 45

Gen2.Lock 45

Gen2.Kill 47

Gen2 Optional TagOps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Gen2.BlockWrite 47

Gen2.BlockPermaLock 48

Gen2 Tag Specific TagOps - Alien Higgs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Gen2.Alien.Higgs2.PartialLoadImage 48

Gen2.Alien.Higgs2.FullLoadImage 48

Gen2.Alien.Higgs3.FastLoadImage 48

Gen2.Alien.Higgs3.LoadImage 49

Gen2.Alien.Higgs3.BlockReadLock 49

6 Mercury Embedded Modules Developer’s Guide

Gen2 Tag Specific TagOps - NXP G2* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Gen2.NXP.G2I.SetReadProtect and Gen2.NXP.G2X.SetReadProtect 49

Gen2.NXP.G2I.ResetReadProtect and Gen2.NXP.G2X.ResetReadProtect 49

Gen2.NXP.G2I.ChangeEas and Gen2.NXP.G2X.ChangeEas 49

Gen2.NXP.G2I.EasAlarm and Gen2.NXP.G2X.EasAlarm 50

Gen2.NXP.G2I.Calibrate and Gen2.NXP.G2X.Calibrate 50

Gen2.NXP.G2I.ChangeConfig 50

Gen2 Tag Specific TagOps - Impinj Monza4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Gen2.Impinj.Monza4.QTReadWrite 51

Gen2 Tag Specific TagOps - IDS SL900A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.AccessFifo 51

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.GetBatteryLevel 51

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.GetCalibrationData 51

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.GetLogState 51

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.GetMeasurementSetup 52

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.GetSensorValue 52

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.EndLog 52

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.Initialize 52

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.SetCalibrationData 52

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.SetLogLimit 52

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.SetLogMode 52

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.SetPassword 53

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.SetShelfLife 53

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.SetSFEParameters 53

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.StartLog 53

ISO18000-6B TagOps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Iso180006b.ReadData 53

Iso180006b.WriteData 53

Iso180006b.Lock 54

Advanced Tag Operations [Deprecated] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Killing Tags. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

killTag() 55

Locking Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

lockTag() 55

Tag Memory Access. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

readTagMemBytes() 55

readTagMemWords() 56

writeTagMemBytes() 56

writeTagMemWord() 56

Antenna Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Mercury Embedded Modules Developer’s Guide 7

Automatic Antenna Switching. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Virtual Antenna Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

GPIO Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Get/Set Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

GPIO Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Firmware Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Rebooting Readers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Protocol License Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Deprecated API . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Debug Logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

TransportListener Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Configuring Readers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Reader Configuration Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

paramGet() 64

paramSet() 64

paramList() 64

Save and Restore Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Reader Configuration Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65

/reader 65

/reader/antenna 68

/reader/gen2 70

/reader/gpio 75

/reader/iso18000-6b 76

/reader/radio 77

/reader/read 80

/reader/region 81

/reader/status 82

/reader/tagReadData 83

/reader/tagop 85

/reader/version 86

Level 3 API . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

.NET Language Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

.NET Development Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Mercury API Library (desktop): 91

Mercury API CE Library (embedded Compact Framework) 91

RFID Searchlight: 91

Universal Reader Assistant 1.0 92

8 Mercury Embedded Modules Developer’s Guide

Universal Reader Assistant 2.0 92

USB Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

WinCE Driver Installation Procedure 92

WinCE Sample Application Installation Procedure 92

C Language Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

C Language Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

C Read Iterator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Build Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

API Changes Required for Different Hardware Platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

C Conditional Compilation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Protocol-Specific C Compilation Options 98

IOS Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Development Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Supported IOS Versions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Testing Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

README File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Java Language Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

JNI Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

LLRP ToolKit (LTK) Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Usage 102

Required Windows Runtime Libraries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Android Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Development Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Testing Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Tested Android Versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Advanced Customization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Custom Serial Transport Naming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Implementation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Changes Required for C#/.NET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Example 108

Changes Required for C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Example: 110

Changes Required for Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Example 112

On Reader Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Mercury Embedded Modules Developer’s Guide 9

Building On-Reader Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Installing the Cross Compiler Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Compiling an Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Troubleshooting 116

Installing the Application on the M6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Via NFS Mount 116

Via wget 116

Running an On-Reader Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Connecting the M6 to an NFS Mount . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Exporting an NFS Mount Point 118

Mount the NFS Share on the M6 118

Telnet to the Reader. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Saving the Program to the JFFS2 File System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Performance Tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

How UHF RFID Works (Gen2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Transmit Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Reader-to-Tag Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Tag-to-Reader Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Tag Contention Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Optimizing Gen2 settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

10 Mercury Embedded Modules Developer’s Guide

Introduction to the MercuryAPI

The MercuryAPI is intended to provide a common programming interface to all ThingMagic products. This MercuryAPI Programmer’s Guide provides detailed information about the programming interface and how to use it to connect, configure and control ThingMagic products.

This version of the MercuryAPI Guide is intended for use with the following hardware firmware versions:

M6 and Astra-EX (firmware v4.19.1 and later)

M6e (firmware v1.13.1 and later)

M5e, M5e-C, USB and Vega (firmware v1.7.1 and later)

Micro (firmware v1.3.1 and later)

Language Specific Reference Guides

For language specific command reference see the corresponding language (Java, C#, C) reference Guides included in the API source and libraries package under their respective subdirectories:

Java - [SDK Install Dir]/java/doc/index.html

Introduction to the MercuryAPI 11

C#/.NET - [SDK Install Dir]/cs/MercuryAPIHelp/index.html

C - [SDK Install Dir]/c/doc/index.html

Note

All code examples in this document will be written in Java, unless otherwise

noted.

12 Introduction to the MercuryAPI

Supported Languages and Environments

The MercuryAPI is currently written in Java, C# and C and is supported in the following environments:

Managed code in the .NET Compact Framework v2.0 SP2, callable from .NET

applications written in any language on any Windows platform supporting the Compact Framework v2.0.

Note: .NET interface does not support LLRPReaders on WinCE and Windows Mobile platforms.

Windows 2000, XP, Vista and Windows 7 applications in the Java Framework

Linux (Intel) and MacOSX applications in the Java Framework

POSIX compliant systems in the C Framework

Windows in the C Framework for SerialReader connections only.

On Reader Applications for LLRPReaders in the C Framework (requires the cross-

compiler toolchain from ThingMagic)

Note

The platform limitations for Java are primarily due to support for low level

serial and USB communication support. For non-serial based products, such as the Astra-EX and M6, the Java API should be usable on any platform.

It is also expected that the API will work on WinCE devices that use Intel x86, ARM, MIPS and Hitachi SH processors.

Language Specific Build and Runtime Details

The document also contains information on unique characteristics, build and runtime requirements relevant to specific languages and platforms in the following sections:

.NET Language Interface - Provides requirements for the development environment

and instructions for creating WinCE USB drivers and installing the WinCE sample app.

C Language Interface - Describes some of the unique characteristics of the C interface

in addition to help with building for embedded platforms. and the iOS environment.

Java Language Interface - Provides details on support for the low level JNI Serial

Interface library required to communicate with SerialReaders along with details on how to build the library for other platforms, including Android devices.

Advanced Customization - Provides instructions for creating a custom serial transport

layer and for using the tcp serial transport layer included in the MercuryAPI SDK.

Introduction to the MercuryAPI 13

Supported Languages and Environments

On Reader Applications - Describes how to build and install C language applications on

LLRPReaders.

Performance Tuning - Describe how to tailor the reader’s settings to fit your unique

RFID environment.

14 Introduction to the MercuryAPI

Example Code

In addition to using this guide, there are several example application and code samples that should be helpful in getting started writing applications with the MercuryAPI.

Please see the following directories in the MercuryAPI zip package for example code:

/cs/samples - Contains C# code samples in the ./Codelets directory and several

example applications with source code. All samples include Visual Studio project files.

/java/samples_nb - Contains Java code samples and associated NetBeans project

/java/samples - Contains Java code samples for Android Operating System

/c/src/samples - Contains C code samples, including a Makefile (in ../api) for building

the samples.

/c/ios/Samples - Contains C code samples for the IOS Operating System

Example Code

Introduction to the MercuryAPI 15

Hardware Specific Guides

The MercuryAPI is intended to allow cross-product development. However, due to differences in product features and functionality, 100% compatibility is not possible and specific feature differences are not all clearly described in this Guide. It is important to read the product specific hardware guide to fully understand the features and functionality available for each product. Product hardware guides are available on the ThingMagic website rfid.thingmagic.com/devkit.

Hardware Specific Guides

16 Introduction to the MercuryAPI

Hardware Abstraction

The MercuryAPI is intended to allow cross-product development. The same application can be used to connect, configure and control any ThingMagic product. However, due to differences in product features and functionality, 100% compatibility would not be possible without limiting the capabilities of the API. To allow for application requiring maximum compatibility and provide full access to all products functionality the MercuryAPI is conceptually divided into four layers:

Level 1 API - contains basic reader operations and is hardware and implementation

independent.

Level 2 API - contains a more complete set of reader operations, including more

complex variations of items in Level 1.

Level 3 API - contains the set of all operations specific to the different hardware

platforms. Levels 1 and 2 are built using these interfaces. Level 3 is hardware dependent.

Hardware Abstraction

Level 4 API - provides raw access to the underlying reader protocol for each specific

hardware platform. Level 3 is built on these interfaces. This level is not public and not supported for user applications.

Note

This is not a technical division, all four layers are available at all times. For

maximum cross-product compatibility the user must be aware of specific reader capabilities if using classes/interfaces below Level 2.

CAUTION!

Every level implicitly provides support for multiple tag protocols, including Gen2/ISO18000-6c and ISO18000-6b, even though not all products support them. For maximum cross-product compatibility the user must be careful when “switching” from high level, protocol independent tag operations (basic reads and writes) to protocol specific operations, as defined by the protocol specific subclasses of the TagData class.

Introduction to the MercuryAPI 17

ThingMagic Mercury API Software License

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,

OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

18 Introduction to the MercuryAPI

Level 1 API

The objects and methods described in this section provide basic reader operations and are hardware and implementation independent.

Level 1 API 19

Connecting to Readers

Reader Object

Create

The operations of the MercuryAPI are centered around a single object that represents the state of the reader. This object is called “Reader”. Except when otherwise specified, all functions described in this document are of the Reader class.

The user obtains a Reader object by calling a static factory method:

Reader create(String uriString);

The create() method return an instance of a Reader class that is associated with a RFID reader on the communication channel specified by the uriString parameter. There are currently two subclasses of Reader:

Connecting to Readers

URI Syntax of the

SerialReader

The SerialReader class provides access to commands and configuration specific to devices which communicate over and use the embedded modules serial command protocol. These devices include:

– Mercury5e Series (including the M5e, M5e-Compact, M5e-EU, and M5e-PRC)

– USB Reader (M5e-based)

– Vega Reader (M5e-Based)

– Mercury6e Series (including the M6e, M6e-A, and M6e-PRC)

– Micro Series (including the Micro and Micro-LTE)

RqlReader

The RQLReader class provides access to commands and configuration specific to devices which can use the RQL command protocol. These devices include:

– Astra (Not Astra-EX) (v4.1.24 firmware)

LLRPReader

The LLRPReader class provides access to commands and configuration specific to devices which can use the LLRP communication protocol. These devices include:

– Mercury 6 (v4.9.2 firmware and later)

20 Level 1 API

Connecting to Readers

– Astra-EX

Connect

The communication channel is not established until the connect() method is called. Calling:

void connect()

will establish a connection and initialize the device with any pre-configured settings. Calling connect() on an already connected device has no effect.

Note

SerialReaders require the Level 2

paramSet(), after the connect(), in order for any RF operations to

succeed.

When attempting to open a connection the API will wait for /reader/transportTimeout for the reader to respond. If a response isn’t received in that period of time an exception will be thrown. Certain transport layers, such as Bluetooth, may require a longer transportTimeout, especially during initial connect.

Region of Operation, /reader/region/id, to be set using

For RQLReader connections this opens a TCP connection to port 8080 (or another port if specified in the URI). For the SerialReaders when the specified serial device is opened the baud rate is “auto-detected”. Once connected the serial device is set to the preferred baud rate (115200 by default, for maximum compatibility with host serial devices). The baud rate can also be manually set, prior to calling Connect(), using the

Configuration Parameters /reader/baudRate, this can avoid attempts using the wrong baud

rate during “auto-detect” for certain types of serial readers.

The connected reader is then queried for information that affects further communication, such as the device model. After the connect() succeeds the be set (unless the hardware only supports one) and is checked for validity, and the default protocol is set to Gen2.

Existing configuration on the device is not otherwise altered.

Region of Operation should

Reader

Note

It is the user’s responsibility to handle device restarts. If a device is restarted it is recommended that the previously existing Reader object be destroyed, and a new Reader object created.

Level 1 API 21

Connecting to Readers

Destroy

When the user is done with the Reader, Reader.destroy() should be called to release resources that the API has acquired, particularly the serial device or network connection:

void destroy()

In languages that support finalization, this routine should be called automatically; however, since languages that support finalization do not generally guarantee when or whether they will be invoked, explicitly calling the destroy() method to guarantee release is highly recommended.

Multiple Reader objects may be obtained for different readers. The behavior of create() called repeatedly with the same URI without an intervening destroy() is not defined.

URI Syntax

The URI argument follows a subset of the standard RFC 3986 syntax:

scheme://authority/path

The scheme defines the protocol that will be used to communicate with the reader. the supported “schemes” for ThingMagic devices are:

tmr - (ThingMagic Reader) indicates the API should attempt to detemine the protocol

and connect accordingly. The API will select among eapi, rql, and llrp, but any custom serial protocols, such as tcp will have to be explicitly specified.

eapi - indicates a connection to a SerialReader type device via a COM port (or a USB

interface acting as a virtual COM port).

rql - indicates a connection to an RqlReader type device.

llrp - indicates a connection to an LLRPReader type device.

The authority specifies an Internet address and optional port number for protocols with network transport (currently only rql), or is left blank to specify the local system.

The path is currently unused for rql and is used to specify the serial communications device to which the reader is attached for eapi. The tmr scheme assumes that the protocol is rql if there is a non-blank authority and a blank path, and the serial protocol if the authority is blank and the path is non-blank. tmr is the preferred scheme.

The C#.NET API allows users to add custom transport interfaces for readers. The samples include the URI “tcp”, which indicates a connection to an device via a TCP bridge.

SerialReader type

22 Level 1 API

Connecting to Readers

URI Examples

Please note the specific format of the URI path will depend on the OS and drivers being used. The following are some common examples but it is not an exhaustive list.

tmr:///com2 - typical format to connect to a serial based module on Windows COM2.

tmr:///dev/cu.usbserial - common format for the USB interface on MacOSX.

tmr:///dev/ACM0 or tmr:///dev/USB0 - common format for Linux depending on the

USB driver being used.

tmr://192.168.1.101/ - typical format to connect to a fixed reader connected on a

network at address “192.168.1.101”. This will try first to connect to an port 5084, if no response then it will try to connect to an

RqlReader on port 8080.

LLRPReader on

eapi:///com1 - typical format to connect to a serial based module on Windows COM1

eapi:///dev/ttyUSB0 - typical format to connect to a USB device named ttyUSB0 on a

Unix system.

rql://reader.example.com/ - typical format to connect to a fixed reader connected on

a network at address “reader.example.com” on the default RQL port of 8080

rql://reader.example.com:2500/ - typical format to connect to a fixed reader

connected on a network at address “reader.example.com” on the non-default RQL port of 2500

llrp://reader.example.com/ - typical format to connect to a fixed reader connected on

a network at address “reader.example.com” on the default, standard LLRP port of 5084

llrp://reader.example.com:2500/ - typical format to connect to a fixed reader

connected on a network at address “reader.example.com” on the non-default LLRP port of 2500

Sample files within the MercuryAPI SDK may be used implement an additional URI (which is not “discovered” by the “tmr” URI):

tcp://reader.example.com/ - custom format to connect to a fixed reader connected

on a network at address “reader.example.com” on the default port of the tcp bridge.

tcp://reader.example.com:2500/ - custom format to connect to a fixed reader

connected on a network at address “reader.example.com” on the non-default tcp port of 2500

Region of Operation

The Region enumeration represents the different regulatory regions that the device may operate in (see reader specific Hardware Guide for supported regions). Supported Region enumeration values are:

Level 1 API 23

Connecting to Readers

Reader.Region.NA (North America/FCC)

Reader.Region.EU3 (European Union/ETSI Revised EN 302 208)

Reader.Region.KR2 (Korea KCC)

Reader.Region.PRC (China)

Reader.Region.IN (India)

Reader.Region.JP (Japan)

Reader.Region.AU (Australia/AIDA LIPD Variation 2011)

Reader.Region.NZ (New Zealand)

Reader.Region.OPEN (No region restrictions enforced)

Reader.Region.NONE (No region Specified)

Note

The available, supported regions are specific to each hardware platform. The supported regions for the connected device are available as a

Configuration Parameters under /reader/region/supportedRegions. Please refer to

the specific device’s User Guide for more information on supported regions.

Reader

24 Level 1 API

Reading Tags - The Basics

Read Methods

Reader Object provides multiple ways of reading/inventorying tags. The tag reading

methods:

Reader.read()

Reader.startReading()

issue one or more search commands to the device to satisfy the user’s request for searches of a particular duration, duty cycle, antennas, and protocols.

Reading Tags - The Basics

The result of a read operation is a collection of access to the information about the tag and the metadata associated with each tag read.

The default read behavior is to search for all tags on all detected antennas using all supported protocols. such as setting antennas (see criteria used for the search. These are controlled by the

reader/read/plan parameter of the Reader Configuration Parameters.

Level 2 API can be used for advanced control over read behavior,

Antenna Usage for more details), protocols and filtering

TagReadData objects, which provides

ReadPlan object assigned to the /

Note

Not all antennas are detectable by the readers. The antenna needs to have some DC resistance if it is to be discovered by the antenna detection circuit. If, when using the Level 1 read functionality, reads are not occurring it is possible the antennas are not detectable and require explicit setting in the

ReadPlan.

Reader.read()

The read() method takes a single parameter:

TagReadData[] Reader.read(long duration)

Level 1 API 25

Reading Tags - The Basics

duration - The number of milliseconds to read for. In general, especially with

readers of type avoid filling up the tag buffer. Maximum value is 65535 (65 seconds).

SerialReader, the duration should be kept short (a few seconds) to

It performs the operation synchronously, and then returns an array of objects resulting from the search. If no tags were found then the array will be empty; this is not an error condition.

When performing a synchronous read() operation the tags being read are buffered on the reader and stored in the reader’s Tag Buffer. During a single read() operation tag deduplication will occur on the reader so re-reads of the same tag will result in the tag’s ReadCount metadata field to be incremented, a new created for each. The reader specific hardware guide should be referenced for information on the size of the Tag Buffer.

TagReadData instance will not be

TagReadData

Note

The C-API read() implementation takes 3 arguments, reader pointer,

duration in milliseconds and the reference to the tag count. The third parameter is an output parameter which gets filled by the read() method. Upon successful completion of read() the method returns TMR_SUCCESS status with the number of tags found. The

C Read Iterator methods need to be

used to retrieve the tags.

Reader.startReading()

The startReading() method is an asynchronous reading method. It does not take a parameter.

void Reader.startReading()

It returns immediately to the calling thread and begins a sequence of reads or a continuous read, depending on the reader, in a separate thread. The reading behavior is controlled by the

Reader Configuration Parameters:

/reader/read/asyncOnTime - sets duration of those reads,

/reader/read/asyncOffTime - sets the delay between the reads.

The results of each read is passed to the application via the listener registered with the addReadListener() method is called with a object for each read that has occurred. In the event of an error during these reads, the

ReadExceptionListener interface is used, and each listener registered with the

addReadExceptionListener() method is called with a ReaderException argument.

The reads are repeated until the stopReading() method is called.

ReadListener interface; each

TagReadData

26 Level 1 API

Reading Tags - The Basics

Note

The C# version of this API uses the native delegate/event mechanism with

delegates called TagReadHandler and ReadExceptionHandler and events named TagRead and ReadException, rather than the Java-style listener mechanism.

Pseudo-Asynchronous Reading

In pseudo-asynchronous reading a synchronous search is looped over and over again running indefinitely in a separate thread. Tags are off-loaded once every synchronous search is completed. i.e., read listeners will be called once for every “/reader/read/ asyncOnTime” milliseconds. On all readers except the M6, M6e and Micro pseudoasynchronous reading is the only implementation used for background reading operations.

Continuous Reading

The M6, M6e and Micro also support true continuous reading which allows for 100% read duty cycle - with the exception of brief pauses during RF frequency hops. Continuous reading is enabled when streamed to the host processor as they are read.

/reader/read/asyncOffTime is set to zero. In this mode tags are

Note

In continuous mode there is currently no on-reader de-duplication, every tag read will result in a tagread event being raised. This can result in a lot of communication and tag handling overhead which the host processor must be able to handle it. Consider the details on setting Gen2 Session and

Target values, as described in

How UHF RFID Works (Gen2), to decrease the

frequency of tag replies to inventory operations as a way to decrease traffic.

Return on N Tags Found

In addition to reading for the specified timeout or asyncOnTime period and returning all the tags found during that period, it is also possible to return immediately (more specifically, the time granularity is one Gen2 inventory round) upon reading a specified number of tags.

The behavior is invoked by creating a tags and setting it as the active

For optimum performance it is recommended to use a StaticQ setting for appropriate for the specified value of N, where:

/reader/read/plan.

StopTriggerReadPlan with the desired number of

/reader/gen2/q

Level 1 API 27

Reading Tags - The Basics

N <= 2

For example, if return on N tags is 3, then optimal Q is 2, but there is a chance that module may find and report 4 tags.

See sample codelets in the SDK.

Note

Not currently supported with

Continuous Reading.

Reading Tag Memory

Additional methods for reading individual tags are available in the Level 2 API.

ReadListener

Classes that implement the ReadListener interface may be used as listeners (callbacks) for background reads. The interface has one method:

void tagRead(Reader r, TagReadData t)

This method is called for each tag read in the background after Reader.startReading() has been invoked.

See the example applications, i.e. readasync.java, for typical implementations.

CAUTION!

When performing asynchronous read operations the reader is operating in a continuous or pseudo-continuous read mode. During this mode performing other tag or reader operations, including GPIO operations, are not supported. As such, other tag and reader operations MUST NOT be performed within the tagRead() ReadListener method. Doing so can have unexpected results.

Embedded TagOp Invocation in order to perform an operation on every tag

Use found, or perform

Reader.read() and iterate through the tags found, perform-

ing the desired tag operations on each.

ReadExceptionListener

Classes that implement the ReadExceptionListener interface may be used as listeners (callbacks) for background reads. The interface has one method:

28 Level 1 API

Reading Tags - The Basics

void tagReadException(Reader r, ReaderException re)

This method is called for any Exceptions that occurs during a background tag read after

Reader.startReading() has been invoked.

See the example applications for typical implementations.

Level 1 API 29

Status Reporting

Status information about the reader and the environment the reader is operating in is available both while the reader is idle and during active background reading.

Note

Status reporting is currently only available for support

StatusListener

During Continuous Reading operations it is possible to get status reports at every frequency hop by the reader. A StatusReport object is sent to each Status listener upon receiving the status response. A status report can contain the following information:

Temperature - The current temperature of the reader as detected on the RF board.

Continuous Reading, only the M6e at this time.

Status Reporting

SerialReader type readers which

Frequency - The frequency the reader just completed using. This is the frequency the

noise floor is reported on.

Tx and Rx port - The antenna port that the reader just completed an operation on,

which the status is associated with.

Protocol - The protocol that the reader is currently using.

RF On time - The cumulative time this port has been actively transmitting since the

reader was rebooted or this statistic was reset. (This information can be used with total time to calculate the average transmit duty cycle since reset.)

Noise Floor- The noise floor at the current frequency with TX on. (This information

can be used to measure changes in the amount of reflected power in the RF environment.)

The specific status report fields returned are defined by the

Parameters under /reader/status.

The desired status report fields must be explicitly selected. All default to off (false) to minimize communications overhead.

Reader Configuration

32 Level 1 API

Exceptions

In the event of an error, methods of this interface may throw a ReaderException, which will contain a string describing the error. Several subtypes exist:

ReaderCommException

This exception is used in the event of a detected failure of the underlying communication mechanism (timeout, network fault, CRC error, etc). This class includes a method:

byte[] getReaderMessage()

that returns the message where the failure was detected.

ReaderCodeException

Exceptions

This exception is used for errors reported from the reader device. The class includes a method:

int getCode()

that returns the numeric error code reported by the device. This code can be very useful to ThingMagic Support when debugging a problem.

See the reader specific Hardware Guide for details on the error codes returned.

ReaderParseException

This exception is used when a message was successfully received from the device, but the format could not be understood by the API.

ReaderFatalException

This exception is used in the event of an error in the device or API that cannot be recovered from. All device operations will fail after reception of this exception. This exception indicates a potentially damaging situation has occurred, or the reader is damaged, and the reader has reset.

In the event of receiving a ReaderFatalException error from a reader device, the message returned with the exception will be included in the exception string, in ASCII

Level 1 API 33

Exceptions

form and should be provided immediately to ThingMagic Support along with the code which caused the ReaderFatalException.

FeatureNotSupportedException

The method being invoked or parameter being passed is not supported by the connected reader. Please see the reader specific Hardware Guide and

Parameters for more details on reader supported features.

Reader Configuration

34 Level 1 API

Level 2 API

The objects and methods described in this section provide a more complete set of reader operations, including more complex variations of items in Level 1. The Level 2 API is intended to be hardware and implementation independent.

Level 2 API 35

Advanced Reading

ReadPlan

An object of class ReadPlan specifies the antennas, protocol and filters to use for a search (

read/plan in Reader Configuration Parameters. The three current subclasses are:

SimpleReadPlan

StopTriggerReadPlan

MultiReadPlan

Each ReadPlan object contains a numeric weight parameter that controls the fraction of the search used by that plan when combined in a

SimpleReadPlan

Read Methods). The ReadPlan used by a search is specified by setting /reader/

Advanced Reading

MultiReadPlan.

A SimpleReadPlan constructor accepts the following parameters:

Tag Protocol - defines the protocol to search on. The default is Gen2. To search on

multiple protocols a

MultiReadPlan should be used.

int[] of antennas - defines which antennas (or virtual antenna numbers) to use in

the search. The default value is a zero-length list.

– When the list of antennas is zero-length the reader will run antenna detection on

each port in

– When the list of antennas is not zero-length, all the specified antennas will be

used, unless include detectable antennas.

See

Antenna Usage for more information on antenna configuration and usage.

/reader/antenna/portList and use all detected antennas.

/reader/antenna/checkPort is enabled in which case the list can only

Note

Not all antennas are detectable by the readers. The antenna needs to have some DC resistance if it is to be discovered by our antenna detection circuit. If, when using the zero-length array method requiring antenna detect, reads are not occurring it is possible the antennas are not detectable and require explicit setting.



TagFilter Interface - defines a subset of tags to search for.

TagOp Invocation - defines a tag operation (ReadData, WriteData, Lock, Kill, etc.) to be

performed on each tag found, as its found. When read operations are performed the

36 Level 2 API

Advanced Reading

data read will be stored in the resulting TagReadData Data field.

int weight - default value is 1000. See MultiReadPlan for how weights are used.

boolean useFastSearch - optimizes performance for small tag populations moving

through the RF field at high speeds.

Constructors exist to create SimpleReadPlan objects with various combinations of antennas, the list of all constructors.

TagFilter Interface and weights. See the language specific reference guide for

StopTriggerReadPlan

This sub-class of SimpleReadPlan accepts the following additional parameter and, when set as the active

Tags Found instead of waiting for the full timeout or /reader/read/asyncOnTime to expire:

StopOnTagCount - This class contains an integer field N which specifies the number

of tags read required to trigger the end of the read operation. See

Found for suggestions on optimizing configuration for a particular N value.

/reader/read/plan, will cause the Read Methods operation to Return on N

Return on N Tags

Note

Not currently supported with

Continuous Reading.

MultiReadPlan

A MultiReadPlan object contains an array of other ReadPlan objects. The relative weight of each of the included subtotal read time is allotted to that sub-plan.

For example, if the first plan has a weight of 20 and the second has a weight of 10, the first 2/3 of any read will use the first plan, and the remaining 1/3 will use the second plan).

MultiReadPlan can be used, for example, to search for tags of different protocols on different antennas and search on each for a different amount of time.

CAUTION!

The M6e does not currently support MultiReadPlans when operating in

Continuous Reading mode. If a MultiReadPlan is being used on an M6e with

the Reader.StartReading() method then greater than zero.

ReadPlans is used to determine what fraction of the

/reader/read/asyncOffTime must be

Level 2 API 37

Advanced Reading

In-Module Multi-Protocol Read

M6e Only

The M6e supports reader-scheduled, multi-protocol reads This allows you to specify a set of protocols and the M6e schedules on its own, reading on all protocols and return the results without repeated communications with the client application to switch protcols.

To allow M6e to use multi-protocol search, create a ReadPlans have weight=0. This signals the API to defer to the module for read plan scheduling.

See the MultiProtocolRead

Example Code for language specific code samples.

MultiReadPlan where all child

Note

Your M6e must be

Rebooting Readers installed for multiple protocols in order

to support multi-protocol reads.

38 Level 2 API

Selecting Specific Tags

TagFilter Interface

TagFilter is an interface type that represents tag read filtering operation. Currently classes which implement the TagFilter Interface provide two ways to filter tags:

Selecting Specific Tags

1. Air Protocol Filtering - When specifying a TagFilter as parameter for

Reading or Advanced Tag Operations [Deprecated], the filter will be applied at the air

protocol level, i.e. to tags “in the field”. That is, only tags matching the TagFilter criteria will be returned in an inventory operation or operated (write, lock, etc.) on.

2. Post Inventory Filtering - Objects of type TagFilter provide a match() method

that can be used to check whether a This filtering is not applied to tags “in the field”.

TagData object matches the TagFilter criteria.

Advanced

Note

Currently, post inventory filtering with match() can only be used to filter against a

The TagData class implements the TagFilter interface and TagData objects may be used as such to match a tag with a specific EPC. The protocol specific classes:

Gen2.Select and ISO180006B.Select, among others, represent the protocol selection

capabilities of their respective protocols and can be used to perform the protocol-specific filtering operations. Applying a filter of one protocol to an operation of another protocol will result in an error.

MultiFilter object can be used to create more elaborate filters from a list of simpler filters.

MultiFilters are not currently supported by any readers.

Any TagFilter may match more than one tag in an operation; they do not guarantee uniqueness.

TagData EPC value.

Note

The Mercury4, Mercury5 and Astra readers currently only support TagData

filters. They do not support [Protocol].Select type TagFilters.

MultiFilter

Contains an array of objects that implement the TagFilter Interface. When used as a TagFilter the array of TagFilters in the MultiFilter object will be applied for tag selection.

Level 2 API 39

Selecting Specific Tags

Note

Currently, the sequence in which the TagFilters are applied is not guaranteed.

Gen2.Select

The Gen2.Select class represents selection operations specific to the Gen2 protocol. This class provides the capability to select Gen2 tags based on the value in any Gen2 tag memory bank, except RESERVED. The tag selection criteria can be specified using the

Gen2.Select constructor:

Gen2.Select(boolean invert, Gen2.Bank bank, int bitPointer, int bitLength, byte[] mask)

invert = Whether to invert the selection (deselect tags that match the filter criteria

and return/operate on the ones which don’t)

bank = The Gen2.Bank enumeration constant (EPC, TID, USER) indicating the

memory bank to be matched.

bitPointer = The memory bank offset, in bits (zero-based 16 bit multiples), at

which to begin comparing the mask value.

bitLength = The length, in bits (16 bit multiples), of the mask.

mask = The value to compare with the data in the specified memory bank (bank) at

the specified address offset (bitPointer), MSB first.

ISO180006B.Select

The ISO180006B.Select class represents a selection operation in the ISO18000-6b protocol. This class provides the capability to select ISO18000-6B tags based on the value of data stored on the tag. The tag selection criteria can be specified using the

ISO180006B.Select constructor:

ISO180006B.Select(boolean invert, ISO180006b.SelectOp op, int address, byte mask, byte[] data)

invert = Whether to invert the selection (deselect tags that match the filter criteria

and return/operate on the ones which don’t)

op = The type of The operation to use to compare the tag data to the provided data.

See the ISO180006b.SelectOp class info.

address = The address of the tag memory to compare to the provided data.

mask = Bitmask of which of the eight provided data bytes to compare to the tag

memory. Each bit=‘1’ indicates the corresponding byte will be compared. If bit[0]=1 then byte[0] value will be compared with found tags.

data = The data to compare. Exactly eight bytes.

40 Level 2 API

Selecting Specific Tags

Tag Protocol

The TagProtocol enumeration represents RFID protocols. It is used in many places where a protocol is selected or reported. Some possible values are:

TagProtocol.GEN2

TagProtocol.ISO180006B

TagProtocol.IPX64 (64kbps link rate)

TagProtocol.IPX256 (256kbps link rate)

Each protocol may have several configuration parameters associated with it. These parameters can be found in the [protocol name].

Note

Not all devices support all protocols. The list of supported protocols for a connected device is available in the

version/supportedProtocols. See the specific hardware’s User Guide or

datasheet for more details on its supported protocols.

Reader Configuration Parameters section under /reader/

Reader Configuration Parameters:/reader/

Level 2 API 41

Advanced Tag Operations

Note

These new TagOp data structures replace the older individual

Operations [Deprecated] and Level 3 API.

TagOp Invocation

A TagOp is a data structure which encapsulates all the arguments of a particular, protocol-specific command. The following groups of TagOps are supported:

Gen2 Standard TagOps

Gen2 Optional TagOps

Gen2 Tag Specific TagOps - Alien Higgs

Gen2 Tag Specific TagOps - NXP G2*

Advanced Tag Operations

Advanced Tag

Gen2 Tag Specific TagOps - Impinj Monza4

ISO18000-6B TagOps

Using TagOp provides a scalable architecture for extending supported tag operations than an ever-increasing number of individual API methods. TagOps have the added benefit of being embeddable in larger structures; e.g., SimpleReadPlan with a TagOp allowing for operations to be automatically performed on every tag found during an

Advanced Reading operation.

Specific tagop structures depend on the structure of the protocol commands. See the

Language Specific Reference Guides TagOp subclasses for detailed information.

Direct Invocation

The Reader.ExecuteTagOp() method provides direct execution of TagOp commands. Using ExecuteTagOp() results in the following behavior:

The reader operates on the first tag found, with applicable tag filtering as specified by

the

TagFilter Interface object passed in ExecuteTagOp().

The command will be attempt for the timeout value specified in the /reader/

commandTimeout.

The reader stops and the call returns immediately after finding one tag and operating

on it, unless the timeout expires first.

The operation is performed on the antenna specified in /reader/tagop/antenna

42 Level 2 API

Advanced Tag Operations

The /reader/tagop/protocol parameter selects the RFID Tag Protocol to use and can

affect the semantics of the command, as some commands are not supported by some protocols.

Embedded TagOp Invocation

TagOps may also be executed as a side effect of an Advanced Reading operation. When a

SimpleReadPlan is created with a TagOp specified in the tagOp parameter the following

behavior results:

The specified operation will be executed on each tag as each tag is found during the

Advanced Reading operation.

The specified operation will be performed on the same antenna the tag was read on

during the overall read operation.

The rules of the Advanced Reading operation and specified ReadPlan apply.

Note

Embedded TagOps are only supported with Gen2 (ISO18000-6C) protocol tags and when connected to readers of type SerialReader and RQLReader type M6.

Note

In previous versions of the API this functionality required the use of

API operations. Those operations should no longer be used.

Level 3

Embedded TagOp Success/Failure Reporting

Current reader functionality (May 2011) does not provide a means to report the success or failure of an embedded tagop for each invocation, except for ReadData operations where the presence or absence of the data is an implicity indicator. Summary success/ failure information is available through the following

/reader/tagReadData parameters:

/reader/tagReadData/tagopSuccess

/reader/tagReadData/tagopFailures

Note

Depending on the Gen2

Tag Contention Settings used the operations

Succeeded/Failed counts can be misleading since in Session 0, for example, the tag may respond many times during an inventory round and the command may be attempted many times. This would result in counts higher than the actual number of unique tags the operation succeeded or failed on.

These counters are reset to zero at the beginning of each Reading operation and behave as follows:.

Level 2 API 43

Advanced Tag Operations

Reader.read() -Counters resets to 0 at beginning of call and accumulates values until

call completes.

Reader.startReading() -Counters reset to 0 when Reader.StartReading is called and

accumulate values until StartReading() is called again. Counter values can be retrieved while the read is still active. Reader.StopReading has no effect on counters.

Gen2 Standard TagOps

The following tag operations are supported by ALL Gen2 tags and all Reader Types.

Gen2.WriteTag

Writes the specified EPC ID value to the tag. It is preferred over using Gen2.WriteData because WriteTag will automatically lengthen or shorten the EPC ID, by modifying the PC bits, according to the Tag EPC specified. If WriteData is used, the specified data will be modified but the EPC ID length will not be modified.

Note

Gen2.WriteTag will always use

/reader/gen2/q=0 if set to Gen2.DynamicQ.

For use with large tag populations a StaticQ appropriate for the population size should be used to avoid collisions.

Gen2.ReadData

Reads the specified number of memory words (1 word = 2 bytes) of tag memory from the specified Memory Bank and location.

Note

Currently limited to returning 123 words of data per standalone ReadData invocation or 32 words when performed as an Embedded TagOp Invocation.

When used as an Embedded TagOp Invocation the data read can be used an a unique identifier of the tag by setting with the same EPC ID but different values in the specified Gen2.ReadData memory location to be treated as unique tags during inventories.

Note

Specifying 0 (zero) as the data size to read will result in the entire contents of the specified memory bank (up to the maximums specified above) being returned.

/reader/tagReadData/uniqueByData = true. This allows tags

44 Level 2 API

Advanced Tag Operations

Gen2.WriteData

Writes the specified data to the tag memory location specified by the Memory Bank and location parameters.

Note

Currently limited to writing 123 words of data per WriteData invocation.

By default this method will perform a word by word write but it can be made to attempt a

Gen2.BlockWrite by setting /reader/gen2/writeMode = Gen2.WriteMode.BLOCK_ONLY or

BLOCK_FALLBACK.

Gen2.Lock

Sends a command to a tag to lock and/or unlock segments of tag memory. The lock operation to perform is represented as an instance of the

In order to lock Gen2 Memory the desired password must first be written to Reserved Memory. Once the Access passwordhas been written the desired memory can be locked using the AccessPassword. This can be done by either:

Gen2.LockAction Class.

Set /reader/gen2/accessPassword to the correct value and specify 0 in the Gen2.Lock

instance’s password field

Set the password parameter of the Gen2.Lock instance to the correct password.

Gen2.LockAction Class

Instances of this class represent a set of lock and unlock actions on a Gen2 tag. It is based on the LLRP syntax for C1G2Lock.

There are 5 lockable fields within the tag memory (LLRP calls these “DataFields”): EPC, TID, User, Kill Password and Access Password. Each field may be assigned one of 4 possible lock states (LLRP calls these “Privileges”):

Lock: Writes not allowed. If the field is a password, then reads aren’t allowed, either.

Unlock: Reads and Writes allowed.

Permalock: Permanently locked – attempts to Unlock will now fail.

Permaunlock: Permanently unlocked – attempts to Lock will now fail.

Gen2.LockAction encapsulates a field and a lock state. Predefined constants are provided for every possible combination of field and lock state.

Gen2.LockAction.KILL_LOCK

Gen2.LockAction.KILL_UNLOCK

Level 2 API 45

Gen2.LockAction.KILL_PERMALOCK

Gen2.LockAction.KILL_PERMAUNLOCK

Gen2.LockAction.ACCESS_LOCK

Gen2.LockAction.ACCESS_UNLOCK

Gen2.LockAction.ACCESS_PERMALOCK

Gen2.LockAction.ACCESS_PERMAUNLOCK

Gen2.LockAction.EPC_LOCK

Gen2.LockAction.EPC_UNLOCK

Gen2.LockAction.EPC_PERMALOCK

Gen2.LockAction.EPC_PERMAUNLOCK

Gen2.LockAction.TID_LOCK

Gen2.LockAction.TID_UNLOCK

Gen2.LockAction.TID_PERMALOCK

Advanced Tag Operations

Gen2.LockAction.TID_PERMAUNLOCK

Gen2.LockAction.USER_LOCK

Gen2.LockAction.USER_UNLOCK

Gen2.LockAction.USER_PERMALOCK

Gen2.LockAction.USER_PERMAUNLOCK

To lock a single field, provide one of these predefined constants to

Gen2 tags allow more than one field to be locked at a time. To lock multiple fields, a Gen2.LockAction constructor is provided to combine multiple Gen2.LockActions with each other.

lockTag().

Example:

new Gen2.LockAction(Gen2.LockAction.EPC_LOCK, Gen2.LockAction.ACCESS_LOCK, Gen2LockAction.KILL_LOCK)

A Gen2.LockAction constructor is also provided which allows explicit setting of mask and action fields. These 10-bit values are as specified in the Gen2 Protocol Specification. Use the constructor:

46 Level 2 API

Advanced Tag Operations

Gen2.LockAction(int mask, int action)

to create a Gen2.LockAction object with the specified mask and action.

The following symbolic constants are provided for convenience in handling Gen2 lock mask and action bitmasks. Perform a binary OR on these to pass multiple lock/unlock settings.

Gen2.LockBits.ACCESS

Gen2.LockBits.ACCESS_PERM

Gen2.LockBits.KILL

Gen2.LockBits.KILL_PERM

Gen2.LockBits.EPC

Gen2.LockBits.EPC_PERM

Gen2.LockBits.TID

Gen2.LockBits.TID_PERM

Gen2.LockBits.USER

Gen2.LockBits.USER_PERM

Gen2.Kill

Sends a kill command to a tag to permanently disable the tag. The tag’s Reserved memory Kill Password must be non-zero for the kill to succeed.

Gen2 Optional TagOps

The following tag operations are optional features of the Gen2 tag specification and are supported by many but not all Gen2 tags. These operations are supported by readers of type

SerialReader and the M6.

Gen2.BlockWrite

On tags which support this command, it provides faster writing of data to a tag by writing more than one word at a time over the air, compared to to write over the air to the tag word by word.

Calls to BlockWrite can only specify data of the maximum length which the tag supports in its BlockWrite implementation. For example, Impinj Monza tags only support 2-word

Gen2.WriteData which sends data

Level 2 API 47

Advanced Tag Operations

BlockWrites. This means that in order to write more than 2 words multiple calls must be made.

Gen2.BlockWrite can also be made the default behavior of

reader/gen2/writeMode = Gen2.WriteMode.BLOCK_ONLY or BLOCK_FALLBACK

Gen2.WriteData by setting /

Gen2.BlockPermaLock

On tags which support this command, it allows User Memory to be selectively, permanently write-locked in individual sub-portions. Compare BlockPermaLock with standard tag- specific. For example, Alien Higgs3 tags support 4 word blocks.

Gen2.Lock which only allows locking entire memory banks. The block-size is

Gen2 Tag Specific TagOps - Alien Higgs

The following tag operations are custom tag commands supported only on tags using Alien Higgs2 and Higgs3 chips, as implied by the TagOp name. These operations are supported by readers of type

Gen2.Alien.Higgs2.PartialLoadImage

This command writes an EPC with a length of up to 96-bits, plus the Kill and Access passwords without locking in a single command.

SerialReader and the M6.

Note

Does not support the use of a

TagFilter Interface.

Gen2.Alien.Higgs2.FullLoadImage

This command writes an EPC with a length of up to 96-bits, plus the Kill and Access passwords and will also modify the Lock bits (locking the tag according to the Alien Higgs Lock Bits) and the PC Bits.

Note

Does not support the use of a

TagFilter Interface.

Gen2.Alien.Higgs3.FastLoadImage

This command writes an EPC with a length of up to 96-bits, the Kill and Access passwords to Higgs3 tags in a single command, thereby reducing the tag programming time compared to the use of LoadImage or multiple Gen2.WriteData commands.

48 Level 2 API

Advanced Tag Operations

Gen2.Alien.Higgs3.LoadImage

This command writes Reserved, EPC and User Memory to the Higgs3 tags in a single command, thereby reducing the tag programming time compared to the use of multiple Gen2.WriteData commands.

Gen2.Alien.Higgs3.BlockReadLock

This command allows four-word blocks of User Memory to be read locked. Once read locked the correct Access Password will be required to read the contents of the locked blocks with Gen2.ReadData.

Gen2 Tag Specific TagOps - NXP G2*

The following tag operations are custom tag commands supported only on tags using NXP G2xL, G2iL and/or G2iM chips. The commands are supported on all chip types as their names imply. These operations are currently only supported by readers of type

SerialReader and the M6.

Gen2.NXP.G2I.SetReadProtect and

Gen2.NXP.G2X.SetReadProtect

Causes all tag access command, all Gen2 TagOps and Gen2.NxpSetReadProtect, Gen2.NxpChangeEAS, Gen2.NxpEASAlarm and Gen2.NxpCalibrate to be disabled until a

Gen2.NXP.G2I.ResetReadProtect and Gen2.NXP.G2X.ResetReadProtect is sent.

Gen2.NXP.G2I.ResetReadProtect and

Gen2.NXP.G2X.ResetReadProtect

Restores normal operation to a tag which is in ReadProtect mode due to receiving

Gen2.NXP.G2I.SetReadProtect and Gen2.NXP.G2X.SetReadProtect.

Note

Gen2.NXP.G2X.ResetReadProtect cannot be used through

Invocation, only via Direct Invocation. However the G2I version can and can be

used with G2x tags.

Embedded TagOp

Gen2.NXP.G2I.ChangeEas and Gen2.NXP.G2X.ChangeEas

Sets or resets the EAS system bit. When set, the tag will return an alarm code if an “EAS Alarm” command is received.

Level 2 API 49

Advanced Tag Operations

Gen2.NXP.G2I.EasAlarm and Gen2.NXP.G2X.EasAlarm

sets or resets the EAS system bit. When set, the tag will return an alarm code if an “EAS Alarm” command is received.

The response to the EAS Alarm command contains 8 bytes of EAS Alarm Data

Note

Cannot be used through and it does not support

Embedded TagOp Invocation, only via Direct Invocation

TagFilter Interface usage.

Gen2.NXP.G2I.Calibrate and Gen2.NXP.G2X.Calibrate

Calibrate causes the tag to return a random data pattern that is useful in some frequency spectrum measurements.

Note

Calibrate can only be sent when the tag is in the Secured state, when the access password is non-zero.

Gen2.NXP.G2I.ChangeConfig

Used to toggle the bits of the G2i* tag’s Gen2.ConfigWord. Specify ‘true’ for each field of the Gen2.NXP.G2I.ConfigWord to toggle that setting.

Different version of the G2i* tags support different features. See tag data sheet for specific bits supported.

The Gen2.NXP.G2I.ChangeConfig command can ONLY be sent in the Secured state, i.e. requires a non- zero password. Caution should be used when using this through an

Embedded TagOp Invocation. Since this command toggles the specified fields, if the tag

responds twice (or an even number of times) during an inventory round the end result will be no change.

Gen2 Tag Specific TagOps - Impinj Monza4

The following tag operations are custom tag commands supported only on tags using Impinj Monza4 and Monza5 chips. These operations are supported by readers of type

SerialReader and the M6.

50 Level 2 API

Advanced Tag Operations

Gen2.Impinj.Monza4.QTReadWrite

Controls the switching of Monza 4QT between the Private and Public profiles. The tag MUST be in the Secured state, i.e. non-zero Access Password, to succeed. The specific settings provide protection of data through public and private data profiles and the use of short range reading options. See the Impinj Monza 4 datasheet (IPJ_Monza4Datasheet_20101101.pdf), availalbe from Impinj, for more details.

Gen2 Tag Specific TagOps - IDS SL900A

The following tag operations are custom tag commands supported only on tags using IDS SL900A chips. These operations are supported by readers of type

LLRPReader. Further details about the IDS SL900A tag silicon and the supported custom

commands can be found on the IDS Microchip website (http://www.ids-microchip.com/) and the Cool-Log command set specification (http://www.ids-microchip.com/doc/an/IDSSL900A-AN6-Cool-log.pdf).

Sample codelets using the SL900A custom commands can be found in the C# /Samples/ Codelets/SL900A directory of the MercuryAPI SDK, v1.11.2 or later.

SerialReader and

The current set of supported IDS SL900A custom commands are as follows:

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.AccessFifo

The ACCESS FIFO command can read and write data from the FIFO and can also read the FIFO status register.

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.GetBatteryLevel

The GET BATTERY LEVEL command starts the AD conversion on the battery voltage and returns the voltage level with the battery type (1.5V or 3V).

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.GetCalibrationData

The GET CALIBRATION DATA command reads the calibration data field and the SFE parameters field.

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.GetLogState

The GET LOG STATE command reads the status of the logging process. The command can be used to quickly determine the current state of the product, together with the Shelf life and the Limit counter.

Level 2 API 51

Advanced Tag Operations

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.GetMeasurementSetup

The GET MEASUREMENT SETUP command will read the current system setup of the chip..

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.GetSensorValue

The GET SENSOR VALUE command starts the AD conversion on the specified sensor and returns the value.

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.EndLog

The END LOG command stops the logging procedure and turns off the real time clock. It also clears the Active flag that is store in the “System status” field in the EEPROM.

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.Initialize

The INITIALIZE command clears the System status field, the Limit counters and sets the Delay time field and the Application data field. The Initialize command is needed before the START LOG command as it will clear the pointers and counters. If the application needs to run the logging process from the previous point on, the Initialize command ca be left out.

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.SetCalibrationData

The SET CALIBRATION DATA write to the calibration block in the EEPROM memory. The calibration data is preset during manufacturing, but can also be changed in the application if needed. The update the calibration values in the calibration registers. The calibration registers are automatically updated with each

SET CALIBRATION DATA will write only to the EEPROM, but it will not

START LOG command.

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.SetLogLimit

The SET LOG LIMIT command writes the 4 limits that are used in the logging process. All 4 limits are 10 bits long.

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.SetLogMode

The SET LOG MODE command sets the logging form, storage rule, enables sensors that are used in the logging process and sets the logging interval (in 1 second steps).

52 Level 2 API

Advanced Tag Operations

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.SetPassword

The SET PASSWORD command writes a 32-bit password to the EEPROM. The password protection for the specified area is automatically enabled if the password is any other value except 0.

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.SetShelfLife

The SET SHELF LIFE command programs parameters for the dynamic shelf life algorithm.

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.SetSFEParameters

The SET SFE PARAMETERS command writes the Sensor Front End parameters to the memory. Those parameters include the range preset values for the external sensor inputs, external sensor types and the also the sensor that will be used for limits comparison.

Gen2.IDS.SL900A.StartLog

The START LOG command starts the logging process. It refreshes the data in the calibration registers, enables the RTC, writes the Start time and sets the Active bit in the “System status” field in the EEPROM.

ISO18000-6B TagOps

Note

Cannot be used through and must be invoked with an Iso180006b.TagData

Iso180006b.ReadData

Read the specified number of data bytes starting at the specified byte-offset memory location.

Iso180006b.WriteData

Write the specified data starting at the specified byte-offset memory location.

Embedded TagOp Invocation, only via Direct Invocation

TagFilter Interface.

Level 2 API 53

Advanced Tag Operations

Iso180006b.Lock

Sends a command to a tag to lock segments of tag memory. The lock operation to perform is represented as an instance of the

ISO180006B.LockAction class

Instances of this class represent the single lock action of locking a particular byte of tag memory on ISO18000-6b tags. Use the constructor.

ISO180006B.LockAction(int address)

to construct a ISO180006B.LockAction object for the specified address.

ISO180006B.LockAction class.

54 Level 2 API

Advanced Tag Operations [Deprecated]

The following individual tag operation methods are being deprecated in favor of the new ment should use these data structures instead of the older individual tag operations.

The Level 2 API methods that operate on individual tags use the reader-level /reader/

tagop/antenna parameter to select the antenna on which the command is issued. The / reader/tagop/protocol parameter selects the RFID Tag Protocol to use and can affect the

semantics of the command, as some commands are not supported by some protocols.

All of the following methods will use the timeout value specified in the

commandTimeout.

CAUTION!

TagOp Invocation class and its subclasses. All new develop-

/reader/

Killing Tags

killTag()

void killTag(TagFilter target, TagAuthentication auth)

Locking Tags

lockTag()

void lockTag(TagFilter target, TagLockAction lock)

Tag Memory Access

readTagMemBytes()

byte[] readTagMemBytes(TagFilter filter, int bank, int address, int length)

Level 2 API 55

Advanced Tag Operations [Deprecated]

readTagMemWords()

short[] readTagMemWords(TagFilter filter, int bank, int address, int length)

writeTagMemBytes()

void writeTagMemBytes(TagFilter filter, int bank, int address, byte[] data)

writeTagMemWord()

void writeTagMemWord(TagFilter filter, int bank, int address, short[] data)

56 Level 2 API

Antenna Usage

Automatic Antenna Switching

Only one antenna can be active at a time, when multiple antennas are specified they are switched on, one at a time, in the order specified. It stops when the search timeout expires or stopReading() is issued, as appropriate.

The exact method of switching depends on your code. There are two main methods you can use for switching antennas:

1. Setup the list of antennas in a single ReadPlan and let the reader handle the switching. The search cycles through the antennas, moving to the next antenna when no more tags are found on the current antenna.

Note: The cycle resets and restarts on the first antenna each time Reader.read()is re-issued or, in

the case of Reader.startReading(), after each /reader/read/asyncOnTime period.

In this case the amount of time spent reading on each antenna is non-deterministic and there is no guarantee all antennas will be used in any specific time period. It will stay on an antenna as long as there are still tags being read.

2. Create a SimpleReadPlan for each antenna and combine them into a MultiReadPlan giving each a relative weight based on the desired percentage of time spent on it and use that MultiReadPlan as your

/reader/read/plan setting.

Virtual Antenna Settings

The M6e and M5e-Family of reader devices have built-in support for using Multiplexers, supporting up to eight antenna ports on the M5e and 16 on the M6e, and combining monostatic and bistatic antenna operation. For more information on how the Multiplexer support works at the module level please see the M5eFamilyDevGuide_May09.pdf or later.

In the MercuryAPI the configuration of multiple antennas and bistatic/monostatic operation on M5e-Family products is done using the

reader/antenna/portSwitchGpos configuration parameters.

Auto Configuration

When using the most recent version of reader firmware and the MercuryAPI the readers will self-identify their configuration and the ports settings will be automatically configured. The type of reader will be provided in the parameter

/reader/antenna/txRxMap and /

/reader/version/productGroup. For

Level 2 API 57

Antenna Usage

example, if the reader is identified as a Vega, the settings define in Vega Reader Example which previously had to be manually configured will be automatically set.

Manual Configuration

The portSwitchGpos parameter defines which GPOutput lines will be used for antenna switching and, consequently how many ports are supported.

The txRxMap parameter defines the mapping of virtual port numbers to physical TX and RX ports. Once configured the virtual antenna number for each antenna configuration setting will be used in place of the physical port number in API calls, such as in

SimpleReadPlan.

The map between virtual antenna numbers and physical antenna ports specified in

reader/antenna/txRxMap will be used to filter the detected antennas - antenna ports that

are detected but have no corresponding virtual antenna in the map will not be used. The map will also be used to translate from specified antenna numbers to antenna ports.

Vega Reader Example

In order to map the virtual port numbers to correspond to the antenna port

labels on the Vega reader you must set the portSwitchGpos to use one GPOutput line to control the 1 to 2 multiplexer used by Vega (as noted in the Vega User Guide) and setup the txRxmap:

r.paramSet("/reader/antenna/portSwitchGpos", new int[]{1});

r.paramSet("/reader/antenna/txRxMap", new int[][]{new

int[]{1,2,2}, new int[]{2,5,5}, new int[]{3,1,1}});

58 Level 2 API

GPIO Support

Get/Set Value

Reader.GpioPin[] gpiGet()

void gpoSet(Reader.GpioPin[] state)

If the reader device supports GPIO pins, the gpiGet() and gpoSet() methods can be used to manipulate them. The pin numbers supported as inputs by the reader are provided in the by the reader are provided in the

The gpiGet() and gpoSet() methods use an array Reader.GpioPin objects which contain pin ids and values.

Note

The gpoSet() method is not guaranteed to set all output pins

simultaneously.

/reader/gpio/inputList parameter. The pin numbers supported as outputs

GPIO Support

/reader/gpio/outputList parameter.

Note

The gpiGet() method returns the state for all GPI pins.

Note

See specific devices User Guide for pin number to physical pin mapping.

GPIO Direction

M6e Only

The direction (input or output) of the GPIO pins on the M6e are configurable. The configuration of the pins can be configured by setting the the the /reader/gpio/outputList parameters.

M6e Only

/reader/gpio/inputList and

Level 2 API 59

Firmware Updates

void firmwareLoad(java.io.InputStream firmware)

The firmwareLoad() method attempts to install firmware on the reader. The argument is a language specific data structure or pointer (see for details) connected to a firmware image. It is the user’s responsibility to have an appropriate firmware file. No password is required.

Firmware Updates

Language Specific Reference Guides

60 Level 2 API

Rebooting Readers

void reboot()

The reboot() method reboots the reader or module.

Note

The Reboot method is not supported over the RQLReader interface and

cannot be used to reboot Mercury4/5 and Astra readers.

Rebooting Readers

Level 2 API 61

Protocol License Keys

M6e Only

The M6e has the ability to support multiple protocols. The basic M6e supports Gen2 (ISO18000-6C) only. To enable additional protocols a license key must be purchased (contact sales@thingmagic.com for details). Once a license key is obtained it is installed by setting the key.

Once set the key is stored persistently in flash and does not need to be repeatedly set.

Note

See

Deprecated API

Reader Configuration Parameters /reader/licenseKey to the provided license

Example Code for language specific examples of how to set the key.

Protocol License Keys

SerialReader method:

public byte[] cmdSetProtocolLicenseKey(byte[] key) throws ReaderException

Parameters:

key - license key

Returns:

Supported protocol bit mask

62 Level 2 API

Debug Logging

TransportListener Interface

The TransportListener interface provides a method of snooping on raw, transport-layer packets sent to and received from any device. The class that is interested in observing raw message packets implements this interface, and the object created with that class is registered with:

void addTransportListener(TransportListener listener)

Once registered data transmitted or receive will cause the message() method to be invoked.

void message(boolean tx, byte[] data, int timeout)

When data is sent to the device, message() is invoked with tx set to true.

Debug Logging

When data is received from the device, message() is invoked with tx set to false. The timeout originally specified by the caller is also returned.

The data field includes every byte that is sent over the connection, including framing bytes and CRCs.

To remove a TransportListener from an object so that it no longer is notified of message packets call removeTransportListener():

void removeTransportListener(Reader.TransportListener listener)

Note

For most users raw, transport layer packet information will not be very useful but can be a critical tool for ThingMagic Support to debug a problem. To facilitate debugging it is recommended that TransportListener logging be available in all applications.

Level 2 API 63

Configuring Readers

Reader Configuration Methods

Each Reader Object has a set of named parameters which provide device metadata and/ or provide configuration settings. The names of parameters are strings; case insensitive. Related parameters are grouped together in a filesystem-style layout, for example, the parameters under configuration of the devices antennas.

paramGet()

The paramGet() method retrieves the value of a particular named parameter. The returned type is generic (Object) and must be cast to the appropriate type.

/reader/antenna provide information about and allow

Configuring Readers

paramSet()

The paramSet() method sets a new value for a parameter. The type of the value that is passed must be appropriate for the parameter. Not all parameters can be set.

paramList()

The function String[] paramList() returns a list of the parameters supported by the Reader instance. Readers of different types (serial, RQL, etc.) support different configuration parameters.

Save and Restore Configuration

M6e Only

The M6e supports configuration settings to be saved in flash providing configuration persistence across reboot. Currently (M6e FW v.1.B) the following settings can be saved across reboots:

/reader/region/id

/reader/tagop/protocol

64 Level 2 API

Configuring Readers

/reader/baudRate

Future firmware upgrades will support saving other configuration values.

To Save a configuration, simple set the parameters as desired then set the

userConfig parameter to a SerialReader.UserConfigOp with the appropriate

parameter.

See the configurations on the M6e.

Example Code Codelets\SavedConfig for an example of saving and restoring

Reader Configuration Parameters

The following are all the available parameters broken down by grouping:

/reader

/reader/baudRate

Type: integer

Default value: 115200

Writable: yes

/reader/

Products: M5e (and derived products), M6e

This parameter (present on serial readers only) controls the speed that the API uses to communicate with the reader once communication has been established. When a Reader.Connect() occurs the serial baud rate is “auto-detected” by attempting supported baud rates in the following order:

1. value of /reader/baudRate

2. 9600

3. 115200

4. 921600

5. remaining supported baud rates in increasing order

Once connected if the connection baud rate is not the same as the value of /reader/ baudRate the module’s baudrate will be changed to /reader/baudRate.

Level 2 API 65

Configuring Readers

M5e Notes - The module always boots into 9600 baud resulting in a connection delay

due to the first attempt of connecting at the default /reader/baudRate of 115200. This delay can be avoided by setting /reader/baudRate to 9600 before calling Reader.Connect() then setting it again to the desired faster rate after the connect.

M6e Notes- The M6e boot baud rate can be modified. If the M6e boot baud rate is

changed it is recommended to set /reader/baudRate to the saved M6e boot baud rate prior to Reader.Connect() to avoid the penalty of trying incorrect rates during auto-detect.

/reader/commandTimeout

Type: int

Default value: 1000

Writable: yes

Products: all

Sets the timeout, in milliseconds, used by how long the reader will continue to attempt a tag Operation before giving up. If it succeeds before the specified timeout the operation completes and returns. If it hasn't succeeded after repeatedly trying for the timeout period, it gives up and returns an exception.

Advanced Tag Operations. This timeout specifies

/reader/licenseKey

Type: Array of bytes

Default value: From reader

Writable: yes (not readable)

Products: M6e

Used to install licensed features, such as additional protocols

66 Level 2 API

Configuring Readers

/reader/powerMode

Type: SerialReader.PowerMode

Default value: From reader

Writable: yes

Products: M5e (and derived products), M6e

Controls the power-consumption mode of the reader as a whole.

M6e Notes- Certain power modes require special command protocols in order to

“wake up” the module before the beginning of the first command. Setting the powerMode prior to calling reader.Connect() allows the connect sequence to issue the appropriate signals, speeding up the connect.

/reader/transportTimeout

Type: int

Default value: 1000

Writable: yes

Products: all

The number of milliseconds to allow for transport of the data over level 4 transport layer. Certain transport layers, such as Bluetooth, may require longer timeouts.

/reader/userMode

Type: SerialReader.UserMode

Default value: From reader

Writable: yes

Products: M5e (and derived products)

Sets a number of protocol specific parameters for particular usecases.

Level 2 API 67

/reader/uri

Type: String

Default value: From reader

Writable: no

Products: all

Configuring Readers

Gets the URI string used to connect to the reader from the

/reader/userConfig

Type: SerialReader.UserConfigOp

Default value: null

Writable: yes

Products: M6e

Enables M6e configuration Saving and Restoring. See

/reader/antenna

/reader/antenna/checkPort

Type: boolean

Default value: From reader

Writable: yes

Reader Object.

Save and Restore Configuration.

Products: M5e (and derived products), M6e, M6

Controls whether the reader checks each antenna port for a connected antenna before using it for transmission. Make sure all connected antennas are detectable before turning this on.

On the M6 this is enabled by default and also turns antenna detection on at boot time. This results in the Web Interface | Status page reflecting which antennas are connected, detectable and available for usage. If disabled then antennas to transmit on must always be explicitly specified.

68 Level 2 API

Configuring Readers

/reader/antenna/connectedPortList

Type: Array of integers

Writable: no

Products: M5e, M6e, M6

Contains the numbers of the antenna ports where the reader has detected antennas. Changing the parameter.

/reader/antenna/portSwitchGpos parameter may change the value this

/reader/antenna/portList

Type: Array of integers

Writable: no

Products: all

Contains the number of the antenna ports supported by the device. These numbers may not be consecutive or ordered. Changing the may change this parameter.

/reader/antenna/portSwitchGpos parameter

/reader/antenna/portSwitchGpos

Type: Array of integers

Writable: yes

Products: M5e (and derived products), M6e

Controls which of the reader’s GPO pins are used for antenna port switching. The elements of the array are the numbers of the GPO pins, as reported in /reader/gpoList.

/reader/antenna/settlingTimeList

Type: array of array of integers

Default value: From reader

Writable: yes

Products: M5e (and derived products), M6e

A list of per transmit port settling time values. Each list element is a length-two array; the first element is the

Level 2 API 69

Antenna Usage number as defined by /reader/antenna/txRxMap

Configuring Readers

(NOTE: the settlingTime is associated with the TX port, the paired RX port is not relevant), and the second element is the settling time in microseconds. Ports not listed are assigned a settling time of zero.

/reader/antenna/txRxMap

Type: array of array of 3 integers

Default value: all the antennas in /reader/antenna/portList in monostatic mode. i.e. for

the M5e = [[1,1,1],[2,2,2]]

Writable: yes

Products: M5e (and derived products), M6e

A configurable list that associates transmit ports with receive ports (and thus selects monostatic mode or bistatic mode for each configuration) and assigns a number to each. Each list element is a length three array, [ [ A, B, C], ...], where:

Antenna Usage

A is the virtual antenna number

B is the transmit (TX) physical port number

C is the receive (RX) physical port number.

The reader will restrict which combinations are valid.

Example: Using an M5e configured for both monostatic and bistatic operation, with the bistatic configuration (TX=1, RX=2) assigned virtual port 1 and the monostatic configuration (TX=1, RX=1) assigned virtual port 2:

r.paramSet("/reader/antenna/txRxMap", new int[][]{new int[]{1,1,2}, new int[]{2,1,1}});

/reader/gen2

See the Performance Tuning sections: How UHF RFID Works (Gen2) and Optimizing Gen2

settings for details on how the following settings related to reader performance and how to

select the best settings for your usecase.

70 Level 2 API

Configuring Readers

/reader/gen2/accessPassword

Type: Gen2.Password

Default value: 0

Writable: yes

Products: all

The Gen2 access password that is used for all tag operations. If set to a non-zero value it must match the value stored in the tag’s Reserved Memory | Access Password or tag operations on that tag will fail, even if the memory operated on is not locked.

/reader/gen2/writeMode

Type: Enum

Default value: Gen2.WriteMode.WORD_ONLY

Writable: yes

Products: M6e, M6

Controls whether write operations will use the optional Gen2 BlockWrite command instead of writing block (word) by block until all the data is written. Using BlockWrite can result in significantly faster write operations, however, not all Gen2 tags support BlockWrite.Three modes are supported:

WORD_ONLY - Use single-word Gen2 Write only. Guaranteed to work with all Gen2

tags.

BLOCK_ONLY - Use multi-word Gen2 BlockWrite only. Not all tags support

BlockWrite. If a write is attempted in this mode on a non-supporting tag it will fail and an exception will be thrown.

BLOCK_FALLBACK - Try BlockWrite first then, if it fails, retry a standard Write.

Level 2 API 71

Configuring Readers

/reader/gen2/BLF

Type: Integer

Default value: 250

Writable: yes

Products: M6e, M6

Sets the Gen2 backscatter link frequency, in KHz. See the M6e Hardware Guide for full configuration options and supported BLF values.

See

Tag-to-Reader Settings for details.

Note

It is important that the

/reader/baudRate is greater than /reader/gen2/BLF, in

equivalent frequency units. If its not then the reader could be reading data faster than the transport can handle and send and the reader’s buffer might fill up.

/reader/gen2/q

Type: Gen2.Q

Default value: Gen2.DynamicQ

Writable: yes

Products: all

Controls whether the reader uses a dynamic, reader controlled, Q algorithm or uses a static, user defined value, and that static value. The value of Q only makes a difference if it is considerably too high or considerably too low. If it is considerably too low, all slots will contain collisions and no tags will be read. If it is considerably too high, then many slots will pass with no tag attempting to communicate in that slot. The number of slots is 2^Q, so for 7 tags, a Q of 4 should be ideal. Each slot takes approximately 1 microsecond, so the overall affect of empty slots is not significant to the overall performance unless the Q is extremely high.

The Q value will not affect the write success rate.

See

Tag Contention Settings for details.

72 Level 2 API

Configuring Readers

/reader/gen2/millerm [Deprecated]

Type:Gen2.MillerM

Default value: Gen2.MillerM.M4

Writable: yes

Products: M5e (and derived products)

Controls the Gen2 Miller M value used for communications with the tag.

/reader/gen2/tagEncoding

Type:Gen2.TagEncoding

Default value: Gen2.TagEncoding.M4

Writable: yes

Products: M5e (and derived products), M6e, M6

Controls the tag encoding method (Miller options or FM0) used for communications with Gen2 tags. See the [product] Hardware Guide for full configuration options. See

Reader Settings for details.

Tag-to-

/reader/gen2/session

Type: Gen2.Session

Default value: Gen2.Session.S0

Writable: yes

Products: all

Controls the session that tag read operations are conducted in. See

Settings for details.

Tag Contention

Level 2 API 73

/reader/gen2/target

Type: Gen2.Target

Default value: Gen2.Target.A

Writable: yes

Products: all

Configuring Readers

Controls the target algorithm used for read operations. See details.

Tag Contention Settings for

/reader/gen2/Tari

Type:Gen2.Tari

Default value: From reader

Writable: yes

Products: M6e, M6

Controls the Tari value used for communications with Gen2 tags. See the M6e Hardware Guide for full configuration options.

See

Reader-to-Tag Settings for details.

/reader/gen2/writeReplyTimeout

Type: Integer

Default value: 20000

Writable: yes

Products: M5e, M6e

Controls the time, in microseconds, each word write operation (a

Gen2.WriteData consists of multiple word write operations) will wait for a tag response

before moving to next word write. Great caution must be taken when changing this parameter. Not all tags take the same amount of time to complete each word write. If the time is shortend to less than the time a tag takes to perform each word write, the write operation will fail. The Gen2 specification dictates that all tags must complete and respond to a word write in 20ms or less. Some tags take less than 3ms, some close to 20ms

– Max. timeout = 21000us

Gen2.WriteTag and

74 Level 2 API

Configuring Readers

– Min. timeout = 1000us.

/reader/gen2/writeEarlyExit

Type: Boolean

Default value: True

Writable: yes

Products: M5e, M6e

True = Early Exit - If the tag’s response to a word write is detected it moves onto the next

word write, otherwise waits for timeout value:

/reader/gen2/writeReplyTimeout.

False = Fixed Wait Time - Always waits the specified per word write.

Using Fixed Wait Time results in a consistent time for each write operation. With Early Exit the time it takes to write a tag can vary since in some cases the word response will be detected and the write operation will immediatly move onto the next word write and in other cases the response is missed and the full timout must expire before moving to the next word.

/reader/gen2/writeReplyTimeout

/reader/gpio

/reader/gpio/inputList

Type: Array of integer

Writable: no (yes for the M6e)

Products: all

Contains the numbers of the GPIO pins available as input pins on the device.

M6e - Set to an array of ints (1 through 4) to configure GPIO lines as inputs.

/reader/gpio/outputList

Type: Array of integer

Writable: no (yes for the M6e)

Products: all

Contains the numbers of the GPIO pins available as output pins on the device.

Level 2 API 75

Configuring Readers

M6e - Set to an array of ints (1 through 4) to configure GPIO lines as outputs.

/reader/iso18000-6b

/reader/iso18000-6b/BLF

Type: Iso18000-6b.LinkFrequency

Default value: M4/5 = From reader; M6e = ISO18000-6b.LinkFrequency.LINK160KHZ

Writable: yes

Products: M4, M5, M6e, M6

This sets the backscatter (return) link frequency used by the ISO18000-6b protocol. See the M6e Hardware Guide and M4/5 MercuryOS Advanced User Guide for full configuration options.

/reader/iso18000-6b/modulationDepth

Type: Iso18000-6b.ModulationDepth

Default value: MODULATION99PERCENT

Writable: yes

Products: M6e

In some cases using the smaller modulation depth of 11% will result in improved read range and read reliability as it allows more power to be transmitted to the tag. However, the smaller modulation depth can also result in a greater reduction in performance when interference is present.

76 Level 2 API

Configuring Readers

/reader/iso18000-6b/delimiter

Type: Iso18000-6b.Delimiter

Default value: DELIMITER4

Writable: yes

Products: M6e

ISO18000-6B tags support two delimiter settings on the transmitter. Not all tags support both delimiters and some tags require the delimiter be set to DELIMITER1.

Ceratin tags, in addition to setting the delimiter to 1, also require a TagFilter be specified of the class

– GROUP_SELECT_EQ

– GROUP_SELECT_NE

– GROUP_SELECT_GT

– GROUP_SELECT_LT

– GROUP_UNSELECT_EQ

– GROUP_UNSELECT_NE

– GROUP_UNSELECT_GT

– GROUP_UNSELECT_LT

ISO180006B.Select , specifically, one of the following:

/reader/radio

/reader/radio/enablePowerSave

Type: boolean

Default value: False

Writable: yes

Products: M6e

Controls the M6e Transmit Mode. When enabled the M6e power consumption is reduced during RF operations but is no longer 100% compliant with the Gen2 DRM spectral mask. See the M6e Hardware Guide for more details on Transmit Modes.

Level 2 API 77

/reader/radio/powerMax

Type: integer

Writable: no

Products: all

Maximum value that the reader accepts for transmit power.

/reader/radio/powerMin

Type: integer

Writable: no

Products: all

Minimum value that the reader accepts for transmit power.

Configuring Readers

/reader/radio/portReadPowerList

Type: array of array of integers

Default value: From reader

Writable: yes

Products: M5e (and derived products), M6e, M6

List of per-port transmit power values for read operations. Each list element is a lengthtwo array. The first element is the port number, and the second element is the power level in centidBm. Ports not listed are assigned a per-port power level of 0 (which indicates it will use the global read power level:

/reader/radio/readPower)

/reader/radio/portWritePowerList

Type: array of array of integers

Default value: From reader

Writable: yes

Products: M5e (and derived products), M6e, M6

List of per-port transmit power values for write operations. Each list element is a lengthtwo array. The first element is the port number, and the second element is the power level in centidBm. Ports not listed are assigned a per-port power level of 0 (which indicates it

78 Level 2 API

Configuring Readers

will use the global write power level: /reader/radio/writePower)

/reader/radio/readPower

Type: integer

Default value: From reader

Writable: yes

Products: all

The global transmit power setting, in centidBm, for read operations (except where overridden by

/reader/radio/portReadPowerList).

/reader/radio/writePower

Type: integer

Default value: From reader

Writable: yes

Products: all

The global transmit power setting, in centidBm, for write operations (except where overridden by

/reader/radio/portWritePowerList).

/reader/radio/temperature

Type: integer

Writable: no

Products: M5e (and derived products), M6e

Contains the temperature of the reader radio, in degrees C.

Level 2 API 79

Read Methods

/reader/tagop/antenna and /reader/tagop/protocol which sets the antenna

80 Level 2 API

/reader/region

/reader/region/id

Type: Reader.Region

Configuring Readers

Default value: Specified in

Writable: yes

Products: all

Controls the

Region of Operation for the device. It may not be settable on all device types.

Reader Object create() method.

/reader/region/supportedRegions

Type: Reader.Region[]

Writable: no

Products: all

List of supported regions for the connected device.

/reader/region/hopTable

Type: Array of integer

Default value: From reader

Writable: yes

Products: M5e/M5e-C (and derivative products), M6e

Controls the frequencies used by the reader. The entries are frequencies for the reader to use, in kHz. Allowed frequencies will be limited by the device in use and the

region/id setting.

Level 2 API 81

/reader/

82 Level 2 API

/reader/status/frequencyEnable

Type: boolean

Writable: yes

Default value: false

Products: M6e

Configuring Readers

Enables/disables the frequency field in

/reader/status/temperatureEnable

Type: boolean

Writable: yes

Default value: false

Products: M6e

Enables/disables the temperature field in

/reader/tagReadData

/reader/tagReadData/recordHighestRssi

Type: boolean

Default value: From reader

Writable: yes

StatusListener reports.

Products: M5e (and derived products), M6e, M6

Controls whether to discard previous, lower Return Signal Strength (RSSI) values of a tag read when multiple reads of the same tag occur during a read operation. If enabled and a read occurs with a higher RSSI value all TagReadData metadata will be updated.

Level 2 API 83

/reader/tagReadData/reportRssiInDbm

Type: boolean

Default value: From reader

Writable: yes

Products: all

This is the setting that controls the units for the RSSI metadata.

/reader/tagReadData/uniqueByAntenna

Type: boolean

Default value: From reader

Writable: yes

Configuring Readers

Products: M5e (and derived products), M6e, M6

Controls whether reads on different antennas are reported separately.

/reader/tagReadData/uniqueByData

Type: boolean

Default value: From reader

Writable: yes

Products: M5e (and derived products), M6e, M6

Controls whether reads with different data memory values are reported separately when reading tag data.

/reader/tagReadData/tagopSuccess

Type: integer

Default value: none

Writable: no

Products: M5e (and derived products), M6e, M6

Number of Embedded

TagOp Invocation operations which succeeded.

84 Level 2 API

/reader/tagReadData/tagopFailures

Type: integer

Default value: none

Writable: no

Products: M5e (and derived products), M6e, M6

Configuring Readers

Number of Embedded

TagOp Invocation operations which failed.

/reader/tagop

/reader/tagop/antenna

Type: integer

Default: First element of

Writable: yes

Products: all

Specifies the antenna used for tag operations other than reads (reads use

plan). Its value must be one of the antenna numbers reported in the /reader/antenna/ portList parameter.

/reader/tagop/protocol

Type: TagProtocol

Writable: yes

/reader/antenna/connectedPortList

/reader/read/

Products: all

Specifies the protocol used for protocols used for

Level 2 API 85

Read Methods.

Advanced Tag Operations [Deprecated]. Does not affect the

Level 2 API 87

Configuring Readers

88 Level 2 API

Level 3 API

The Level 3 API provides per-command access to the individual elements of the underlying device control protocol. Level 3 is not portable across hardware types.

Level 3 commands are not dependant on the state of the device or of the reader configuration; the same command with the same parameters will always send the same message to the reader.

Level 3 commands validate their inputs to the extent necessary for communication with the reader device (for example, limiting values to the number of bits permitted in the protocol) but otherwise leave error checking to the device. Unless otherwise specified, errors returned by the device are reported via instances of 3 methods begin with “cmd”.

ReaderCodeException. All Level

If any Level 3 methods seem to be required to achieve the desired functionality we recommend you contact support@thingmagic.com to discuss before using.

Making use of any commands in Level 3 or below guarantees cross-product compatibility will be broken. These methods should only be used when equivalent functionality is not available in Level 1 or Level 2. Level 3 APIs are not guaranteed to be the same on different versions of the MercuryAPI.

Level 3 functionality does not support the asynchronous operations in Level 1 and Level 2. Level 3 operations are strictly synchronous, blocking method calls and cannot be performed in parallel with other threads interacting with SerialReader devices.

Level 3 API 89

CAUTION!

WARNING!

90 Level 3 API

.NET Language Interface

The .NET interface provides an API supporting the primary Windows development platform. Depending on the specific version of Windows being developed for there are limitations on the development tools that can be used.

Whenever possible the MercuryAPI SDK libraries and applications make use of free, standard Visual Studio and .NET Frameworks. However, in some cases, Windows Mobile application development, for example, development requires the use of the Professional version of Visual Studio.

The following section describes some of the platform and version constraints for the various sample applications included in the MercuryAPI SDK.

.NET Development Requirements

Mercury API Library (desktop):

Visual Studio 2005 Express or better

.NET 2.0 or newer

Mercury API CE Library (embedded Compact Framework)

Visual Studio 2008 Pro

No newer versions -VS2010 no longer supports Windows CE 5 / Mobile 6

.NET 2.0 Compact Framework or newer

RFID Searchlight:

Visual Studio 2008 Pro

No newer versions -VS2010 no longer supports Windows CE 5 / Mobile 6

.NET 3.5 Compact Framework or newer

.NET Language Interface 91

Windows Mobile 6 Professional SDK

Universal Reader Assistant 1.0

Visual Studio 2008 Express or better

.NET 2.0 or newer

Universal Reader Assistant 2.0

Visual Studio 2010 Express or better

Optional - install free WiX add on to build installer -http://wix.codeplex.com/

.NET 4.0 or newer

USB Drivers

Starting with release 1.23.0 of the MercuryAPI SDK, there is support for the USB CDC/ ACM drivers for WinCE 5.0, 6.0, and 7.0. This feature also includes a sample application developed on WinCE to demonstrate the native USB driver functionality.

WinCE Driver Installation Procedure

1. The drivers for WinCE are included under the “...\cs\Drivers” directory.

2. In the Drivers directory, there are separate sub-directories for each version of WinCE:

WinCE-5.0, WinCE-6.0 and WinCE-7.0. Under these directories, you will find usb\installer. Within this directory will be a “.sln” solution file:

USBSerCabInstaller.sln for WinCE-5.0

USBSer6.sln for WinCE-6.0

USBSer7.sln for WinCE-7.0

3. Build the solution in Visual Studio 2008 Pro. It will generate a “.CAB” of the same name in the “Debug” directory.

4. Copy the CAB file to your WinCE device and double click on it, it will install USB serial driver for your WinCE device.

WinCE Sample Application Installation Procedure

1. WinCE-ReadApp application is included in the following path “...\cs\Samples\exe”

92 .NET Language Interface

2. Locate the WinceReadApp.CAB file .

3. Copy this CAB file into your WinCE device. By double clicking it, you will install the

winceReadApp application in the WInCE device and it will create a shortcut in the windows “Start/Programs” folder.

Note

This application is intended for demonstration purposes only and has not

been fully tested by ThingMagic nor qualified on a wide variety of platforms

.NET Language Interface 93

94 .NET Language Interface

C Language Interface

The C language interface is designed primarily to provide support for embedded systems. The structure of the interface is designed to provide a pseudo object-oriented programming model that mimics the Java and .NET interfaces as much as possible. The C API will work similarly as the other languages, as described in the previous sections of the Guide, with mostly language syntax and semantics differences. It uses similarly named API calls (e.g. substitute TMR_* for Reader.*) in C for all the operations outlined in the API Guide, and they will be used in the same manner.

In order to best support embedded systems it avoids large memory buffers and dynamic memory allocation (where possible, interfaces are created so that if dynamic allocation is available, the user can take advantage of it without difficulty and), has several memorysaving features including the ability to build only a subset of the API (strip out unused protocols, advanced features, etc.).

The following section will provide details to help understand the unique aspects of the C interface as compared to Java and .NET, and how to build C API applications for embedded systems.

Note

Currently the C API does not support the RQLReader interface and cannot be used to control Mercury4/5 and Astra readers, only SerialReaders (M5e and M5e-C, M6e, USB, Vega) and Astra-EX/M6 v4.9.2 and later.

Note

Requires GCC v4.4.2 or newer

Note

The C API is not supported on Windows for the M6 and Astra-EX.

C Language Interface 95

C Language Features

For clarity of definition, C99 datatypes (bool, uintN_t) are used. If these types are not defined on the target platform, a substitute typedef for bool can be define, but a custom stdint.h must be created to define specific integer sizes in terms of the target environment.

Types with multiple fields to set, such as TMR_ReadPlan or TMR_Filter, have constructor macros, such as TMR_RP_init_simple() to set the fields of the structure compactly and conviently

C Read Iterator

To avoid dynamically allocating large buffers, the TMR_read function doesn't automatically create a list of TMR_TagReadData. Instead, you must repeatedly call TMR_hasMoreTags(reader) and TMR_getNextTag(reader, &tagread) to extract tag reads from the module.

C Language Features

TMR_Status err = TMR_read(reader, timeout, &tagCount);

if (TMR_SUCCESS != err) { FAIL(err); }

while (TMR_SUCCESS == TMR_hasMoreTags(reader))

{TMR_TagReadData trd;

err = TMR_getNextTag(reader, &trd);

if (TMR_SUCCESS != err) { FAIL(err); }

}

If dynamic memory allocation can be used, a convenience method is provided called

TMR_readIntoArray()

TMR_TagReadData* tagReads;

TMR_Status err = TMR_read(reader, timeout, &tagCount;

if (TMR_SUCCESS != err) { FAIL(err); }

TMR_readIntoArray(reader, timeout, &tagCount, &tagReads)

while (TMR_SUCCESS == TMR_hasMoreTags(reader))

{TMR_TagReadData trd;

err = TMR_getNextTag(reader, &trd);

if (TMR_SUCCESS != err) { FAIL(err); }

}

96 C Language Interface

Build Considerations

The full source code of the C API is provided. The API source code includes sample build processes for desktop and embedded environments (Makefile and Visual Studio project). It is recommend these be used as starting points for building custom applications.

Client code only needs to include a single header file, tm_reader.h to use the API.

API Changes Required for Different Hardware Platforms

The API has a couple layers of encapsulation. The important layer for porting purposes, when dealing with serial communications based modules, is the transport layer which handles the host/controller and reader communications. This involves sending commands to and listening for/receiving responses from the module. This layer is platform specific and is contained in the serial_transport_[posix|win32|dummy].c file.

To make the API work for your hardware architecture, you need to take the empty version of these functions in serial_transport_dummy.c and write your own Serial/UART commands (modeled after one of the prototypes provided for Windows or Posix systems) to make sure the specified arguments are passed and provide the correct returns/ exceptions.

The higher levels of encapsulation take care of encoding/decoding the reader commands. There is no need to worry about header, length, checksum, etc., simply send that array out over the serial interface and listen for the response.

For more details on building and porting the C API on different platforms, particularly Win32, see the two README files in [SDK install dir]/c, README.PORTING and README.WIN32.

C Conditional Compilation

For very storage-constrained systems, the C implementation provides compilation conditionals to selectively remove parts of the system. Edit tm_config.h to comment out the #defines of features you do not want.

For descriptions, see Mercury C API

#define TMR_ENABLE_SERIAL_READER

Language Specific Reference Guides for tm_config.h

#define TMR_ENABLE_SERIAL_TRANSPORT_NATIVE

#define TMR_MAX_SERIAL_DEVICE_NAME_LENGTH 64

C Language Interface 97

Build Considerations

#define TMR_ENABLE_SERIAL_TRANSPORT_LLRP //not currently supported

#define TMR_ENABLE_ISO180006B

#define TMR_ENABLE_BACKGROUND_READS //not supported on Windows

#define TMR_ENABLE_ERROR_STRINGS

#define TMR_ENABLE_PARAM_STRINGS

#define TMR_SR_MAX_ANTENNA_PORTS

The minimum #defines that must currently be specified are:

TMR_ENABLE_SERIAL_READER - enables support for the ThingMagic serial

command protocol, but does not specify how that reader is connected. This is factored out into a "serial transport" layer to allow for future alternatives to the *_NATIVE interface.

TMR_ENABLE_SERIAL_TRANSPORT_NATIVE - supports standard serial ports

(both UART-based and USB - anything that goes through the OS native serial driver.)

Protocol-Specific C Compilation Options

Gen2 and iPX protocol support are included in all builds and cannot be excluded but ISO18000-6B protocol may be disabled (TMR_ENABLE_ISO180006B) when building the C API.

98 C Language Interface

IOS Support

The MercuryAPI C API includes a sample IOS application that can connect to serial readers through a serial cable such as the Redpark C2-DB9V. The full source and project files are in SDKROOT\c\ios. The tools used for this sample are as follows:

Development Environment

Xcode IDE

Supported IOS Versions

Version 6 and above

IOS Support

Testing Environment

iPad, IOS version 7.1.4

iPad Mini, IOS version 7.1

iPhone

iPod

README File

Under the C directory, there is a text file named README.IOS. It provides information about:

IOS code organization in the MercuryAPI distribution

How to build the Mercury API for IOS

How to build and run the sample appl.ication on an IOS device

How to generate “.ipa” file and install it in IOS devices

Device Provisioning / Profile Creation

Creating a CSR Certificate

Generating a provision profile

How to obtain the UDID

C Language Interface 99

Creating an APP ID

IOS Support

100 C Language Interface

ThingMagic Mercury API User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Mercury API Programmer’s Guide

Contents

Introduction to the MercuryAPI

Language Specific Reference Guides

Supported Languages and Environments

Language Specific Build and Runtime Details

Example Code

Hardware Specific Guides

Hardware Abstraction

ThingMagic Mercury API Software License

Level 1 API

Connecting to Readers

Reader Object

Create

SerialReader

RqlReader

LLRPReader

Connect

Destroy

URI Syntax

URI Examples

Region of Operation

Reading Tags - The Basics

Read Methods

Reader.read()

Reader.startReading()

Pseudo-Asynchronous Reading

Continuous Reading

Return on N Tags Found

Reading Tag Memory

ReadListener

ReadExceptionListener

Tags

TagReadData

TagData

Writing To Tags

Status Reporting

StatusListener

Exceptions

ReaderCommException

ReaderCodeException

ReaderParseException

ReaderFatalException

FeatureNotSupportedException

Level 2 API

Advanced Reading

ReadPlan

SimpleReadPlan

StopTriggerReadPlan

MultiReadPlan

In-Module Multi-Protocol Read

Selecting Specific Tags

TagFilter Interface

MultiFilter

Gen2.Select

ISO180006B.Select

Tag Protocol

Advanced Tag Operations

TagOp Invocation

Direct Invocation

Embedded TagOp Invocation

Embedded TagOp Success/Failure Reporting

Gen2 Standard TagOps

Gen2.WriteTag

Gen2.ReadData

Gen2.WriteData

Gen2.Lock

Gen2.LockAction Class

Example:

Gen2.Kill

Gen2 Optional TagOps

Gen2.BlockWrite

Gen2.BlockPermaLock

Gen2 Tag Specific TagOps - Alien Higgs

Gen2.Alien.Higgs2.PartialLoadImage

Gen2.Alien.Higgs2.FullLoadImage