Logistics industry: How to choose RFID application mode and equipment?
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How to choose RFID application mode and equipment? According to the specific application scenarios of RFID tags, the application of RFID system can be divided into two application modes. For the choice of application mode, one of them should be selected according to local conditions according to the actual scene environment and the technical conditions possessed. This article mainly introduces the application mode and equipment selection of RFID tags in vehicle logistics.
Introduction to RFID application mode
Compared with the current widely used barcode technology, the application mode of RFID technology can not only save manual operation, but also has the advantages of anti-magnetic and waterproof, high temperature resistance, long service life and long identification distance. In addition, because the data information on the label can be encrypted and modified, it is more convenient to use. The popularization and application of RFID will bring revolutionary changes to industries such as logistics.
Due to the particularity of RFID technology, the mode of RFID in practical application is mainly reflected in the application mode of electronic tags. Generally manifested in two modes, one is the “tool-based” application mode; the other is the “resource-based” application mode.
In the tool-based application mode, the RFID electronic tag is designed as a professional tool that supports the “application system” that can provide data functional services. Due to the “automatic identification” function, the basic value of RFID in this application lies in the automatic collection tool. After the automatic identification of the marked object is completed, its value will be reflected. This tool-based application system is generally suitable for a single closed-loop operating environment, and its operation mode is generally “self-built, self-operated, and self-use” by the owner.
The service provided by the tool-based application system is mainly manifested as a “functional service”, which uses back-end or database-level interconnection and association methods for external associations. The front-end RFID tags and reader devices are not open to the outside world. In this sense, the system is A “closed loop system”.
Tool-based application cases first appeared in Western developed countries such as “electronic wallet”, “electronic access control”, “identity recognition”, “product identification”, “electronic pass card”, etc. In recent years, they have also been widely used in various industries in our country. However, most of them are market applications based on foreign inventions and established models and operation models transplanted, with closed-loop tool-type applications as the main body.
In recent years, price sensitivity in RFID tag applications has gradually increased, and cost issues have attracted more and more attention from application owners, who rely solely on a single application subject to bear all costs. Under this circumstance, in order to realize the large-scale development and application of this closed-loop tool-based system, it is important to break through the low-cost bottleneck of RFID tags in order to achieve people’s expectations—a relatively low price, at least as compared with the currently widely used ones. Barcode prices are similar.
With the widespread application of RFID in my country’s manufacturing industry, the application mode of RFID in the manufacturing industry has also attracted people’s attention. People are trying to use the manufacturing industry as a breakthrough, and at the same time, the “mode” of RFID in the application field has formed a “paradigm.” To be promoted, so that the model can be copied or transplanted to other industries.
The application of RFID in the manufacturing industry is divided into two ways (modes): horizontally distributed applications (along the physical and enterprise-wide space) and vertically distributed applications (along the information hierarchy). In the horizontally distributed application mode , System deployment has three selection levels, namely centralized implementation, unit-level distribution, and PLC device-level distribution to realize the integration of RFID information in the control high-level MES client: In vertical distributed applications, RFID information is only in the control layer that needs to be used To be used, the data does not need to traverse the entire system hierarchy.
From a fundamental point of view, whether it is a horizontally distributed application or a vertically distributed application, the emphasis is on the deployment method or mode of the RFID system. The application scenarios of RFID are still limited to a single enterprise. The role of RFID is still an information collection. Means, the collected information is not used as a source of information for the entire life cycle of the product, so in essence, these two applications are still closed-loop tool applications.
The resource application mode is to develop the design of RFID electronic tags as the “source”, use the electronic tags as the “identity feature information” and “basic management information” of the identified object, and establish an “electronic mirror” for the identified object and map it on In the “digital virtual environment” established based on RFID technology, to realize the information description of the actual scene of the marked object, and support the development and utilization of the “information resource” for the marked object.
This “resource-based” application system mainly provides “information services”, which is closely related to back-end data storage. The core of the resource-based application system is the “information public service platform”, which requires a commercial operation mode, requires multiple links to collaborate, and provides “social services” to the outside world. Under this model, the original single application subject is broken. The value chain involved is long, the service node is many, the service is wide, and the service content is rich. Therefore, the application cost is decomposed in many service links. All application entities share the cost and cost, so the overall system “cost-effective” is high.
This kind of resource-based application system is generally suitable for an open-loop operating environment. As far as the international application of RFID is concerned, this kind of open application has not yet been popularized. It is especially important to emphasize that “resource-based applications” make RFID technology a special information resource development and application technology, not just as a kind of “identification” technology and “recognition” technology, it focuses on cross-platform RFID The construction of information service system and cross-platform exchange technology, and the establishment of a wide range of RFID information collection systems and sharing systems, the decentralized storage and unified exchange of information collected in all links, and the construction of the socialization of RFID application information in industries and regions public platform.
In the resource-based application mode, starting from the core value of RFID technology, the application value of the system can be constructed from two directions: the front-end direction and the back-end direction. The front-end direction focuses on the development of RFID tags as the source of the identified objects, and builds a value chain based on standard sources through the design of multi-link, multi-purpose, and multi-service objects of the tags. The back-end direction is embodied in the back-end of the RFID application system, which forms a resource database by collecting various information of the marked objects, and then mining these data to form “service information”. Although the value chain construction mode of the front-end direction is an ideal application mode that can fully utilize the core value of technology, it has high technical requirements for the application of RFID and is difficult to achieve. At the same time, because the technology developed by the background system and the data mining and analysis technology are relatively mature, it is relatively easy to encode and decode data in various formats.
How to choose RFID application mode
As far as vehicle logistics management is concerned, the phenomenon of underground efficiency and frequent errors caused by excessive manual intervention in the current business is largely due to the lack of information management methods. The previous analysis has been analyzed. An obvious problem in the existing process is The disadvantage lies in the lack of a suitable information collection and management platform. The emergence of RFID can just make up for the lack of this information collection method. Although the introduction of RFID costs in the existing vehicle logistics management will bring about an increase in related costs, if the advantages brought by RFID applications can be benefited Various related management fields, that is, in addition to vehicle logistics management, it also includes product management in the manufacturing process upstream of the supply chain, road transportation administration management, port customs clearance management, parking lot management, community management and other fields, so the application value of RFID Will be further improved, and the economic benefits of RFID applications will greatly increase. Under this circumstance, the application cost of RFID is diluted by many links, and it will naturally be apportioned to the logistics management cost of the whole vehicle to be significantly reduced.
In the entire vehicle life cycle, the entire vehicle goes through many management links from the production line to the final scrapping. During this period, a lot of management information is generated. There are production information about the entire vehicle from the perspective of the automobile manufacturer, and the logistics enterprise From the perspective of the transportation information of the entire vehicle, there are vehicle storage information from the perspective of warehouse management, traffic management information from the perspective of vehicle traffic management, and vehicle usage information from the perspective of consumers (Maintenance status, billing status, etc.) etc. In this series of management processes, if each management process is responsible for the application of RFID, it will cause the use of RFID to form an “RFID information island” situation, not only will increase a single The cost of the management field will greatly reduce the overall economic benefits of RFID.
Although closed-loop tool-based applications are simple to deploy and the back-end system development workload is relatively small, it is not conducive to the in-depth development and utilization of information resources from the perspective of various industries and enterprises as a whole, which affects the country as a whole to a certain extent Informatization process. Therefore, with the actual demand for RFID applications in the field of vehicle logistics management, the application of RFID should focus on the macro automotive industry chain. In addition to the development of RFID identification applications, it is also necessary to promote systematic applications; in the development of RFID products At the same time as the manufacturing and logistics industries, focus on promoting the open-loop application model; promote the conversion of “functional services” to “information services”, so that the same electronic tag as a source of information can be comprehensively developed with information collected in various management fields. Provide different information services for each application subject. In this respect, as the first management link in the life cycle of a car after leaving the factory, the application demand for RFID originates from the logistics management of the entire vehicle, but it is not limited to logistics management.
Of course, this open-loop resource-based application model requires innovative business models and industrial forms, as well as government guidance and information operators’ promotion. Based on the above considerations, in order to maximize the value and benefits of RFID, in the vehicle logistics management, a resource-based application mode is tentatively selected, and the value chain construction method based on this mode is an application back-end based value chain . Although this article studies the application of RFID in vehicle logistics, the information collected by RFID is not limited to the application of vehicle logistics management, and its service objects can also be extended to dealers and consumers. Even the traffic control department. In the vehicle logistics management, the RFID core value chain can adopt the value chain based on the back-end of the application system in the back-end direction, as shown in Figure 1.
In the figure, the information of the identified objects collected by the RFID system is first stored in a unified information resource library, and then the services of each object are obtained through information mining in the information resource library. Its notable feature is based on the collected information, relying on data development technologies such as mining, and facing multiple services. In each business link of vehicle logistics management, RFID information collection systems distributed in different spaces collect vehicle information into a unified database. After the vehicle information is processed, more unified transportation information (order users and Distributors are concerned), warehousing information (logistics companies are concerned), etc.
How to select RFID system equipment
After determining the application mode, the next step is to carry out the selection of RFID equipment. The selection of equipment should be carried out in combination with specific application scenarios on the basis of fully clarifying the characteristics and principles of RFID technology.
(1) Factors affecting selection
Regarding the two application modes of RFID, no matter which mode is adopted, the device type of RFID must be selected in combination with actual application scenarios, as the basis for data collection of the application. At present, the equipment produced by various RFID manufacturers is dazzling. In terms of electronic tags, there are mining tags, two-way tags, search tags, and so on. The design of these specific products are combined with the specific environment and have specific scene requirements. Therefore, for vehicle logistics management, it is necessary to clear the application characteristics of RFID in advance before selecting various RFID equipment, that is, the factors that affect the use of the RFID system.
1) Tag identification distance. The distance of the recognition distance should be an important factor to be considered in the RFID system selection. For different distances, the choice of equipment, especially the electronic tag, is very different, which is mainly reflected in the working frequency of the tag. In vehicle logistics management, it is necessary to fully consider the distance range for vehicle identification when obtaining vehicle label information. The distance should not be too close to cause “group reading” phenomenon, nor too far to cause missed reading and misreading. . Among them, pay special attention to the distance between the RFID reader deployed to read the electronic tag information of the vehicle and the vehicle when the car enters and exits the garage, because this link not only involves the acquisition of vehicle status information, but also involves the garage vehicle Information statistics.
2) Read the directionality of the label. Taking into account the characteristics of vehicle logistics, whether the vehicle is in the production line out of the final assembly link, or the vehicle enters and exits various lanes or dealers, the logistics operation management of these vehicles is basically the same as the continuous operation of the production line. Due to the technical characteristics of RFID, RFID can read multiple tags at the same time. However, this is exactly unfavorable for the collection of information in all physical links of the entire vehicle logistics. The reading of vehicle electronic tag information should also follow the principle of order. One by one. Therefore, the directionality of label reading must be taken into consideration. The higher the requirement for the order of reading, the stronger the requirement for corresponding reading directionality.
3) Use cost and life span. As a technology capable of automatic identification, the application of RFID has a history of decades. In some developed countries such as Europe and the United States, RFID systems have been successfully applied in various fields, and have been successfully applied in manufacturing, logistics and other industries. example. However, there is no widespread application phenomenon yet. One of the main reasons is that the application cost of RFID has not reached expectations. Cost price is one of the main factors restricting the development of RFID technology. Moreover, tool-based applications make RFID application costs concentrated on one application business, and it is difficult to share costs through application sharing. The application cost of RFID is also taken into consideration in vehicle logistics management, especially the cost of electronic tags. In addition, the life of RFID is also a factor that should be considered. Under the condition of a certain total purchase cost, choosing a product with a long service life can indirectly reduce the application cost.
(2) Representative product selection
Comprehensive analysis of the business related to vehicle logistics operations, under normal circumstances, the collection distance of vehicle logistics information is basically required to be within 10 meters, too large distance is not conducive to management operations, and too small is not conducive to distance control between vehicles. Therefore, from the perspective of distance, the working frequency of an electronic tag that meets this condition should be ultra-high frequency, that is, the frequency range is 30-1000MHz. According to the current use of this frequency band, the typical flat rate is 433.92MHz and 862(902) ) One 928MHz. In addition, because the application mode of RFID adopts the resource-based mode, RFID tags are not only used in the logistics management of the entire vehicle, but also can be used in other management aspects of the vehicle. Therefore, the quality and life expectancy of the tags are relatively high. Select passive tags. Passive tags are small in size and light in weight, and can be made into various shapes and installed on the car body according to requirements, and their working environment is less restricted.
In order to prevent group reading of vehicle information, when the reader and the tag are working, as far as possible, the reader can only read the electronic tag on the vehicle at a time. To meet this requirement, in addition to controlling the reader antenna installation pendulum In addition to physical placement, the more important thing is to choose the polarization of the antenna. The polarization of the antenna includes linear polarization and circular polarization. Although in most cases, the position of the tag is unknowable, circular polarization and the current plan are used. However, due to vehicle logistics data The particularity of the collection should select the reader antenna of the linear polarization mode.
After determining the working frequency of the RFID system in the vehicle logistics and the polarization mode of the reader antenna, the choice of the reader is relatively fixed. With the development of RFID technology, the price of readers will be further reduced, performance will be further improved, reader devices will develop in the direction of modularization and intelligence. In vehicle logistics management, two types of readers are required, namely fixed readers and handheld readers. Fixed readers are installed at each node of vehicle logistics to collect information such as the logistics status of vehicles, while handheld readers are used for daily inventory in the garage and management of parking spaces in the warehouse.
The above is the introduction of relevant knowledge about RFID application mode and equipment selection in the logistics industry. In summary, in the vehicle logistics management, the working frequency of the RFID system is UHF, the tag type is a passive tag, and the antenna polarization method is linear pole. According to the RFID products currently on the market, the RFID system manufacturer selected in the study is Yuanwanggu Information Technology Co., Ltd. The specific equipment parameters are as follows:
1) Electronic label: Yuanwanggu XCTF-8405, in line with ISO1800-6C (EPC C1G2) working frequency 902-928MHz, center frequency 915MHz.
2) Fixed reader: Yuanxiang XCRF-804, with powerful API interface, supporting firmware upgrade.
3) Handheld reader: XC2900 type, conforms to ISO 18000-6B, ISO 18000-6C (EPCC1G2) dual protocol standards, and integrates almost all wireless wireless communication technologies.
4) Antenna: ST-900R1 type antenna, vertical polarization mode, N-type connector form. It has the functions of waterproofing, acid proofing and mould proofing, as well as lightning protection and strong pressure bearing capacity.
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