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Several textile companies in the UK and France are testing a new RFID tag that can be woven into textiles. The tag uses the E-Thread technology developed by French Primo1D. An EPC ultra-high frequency (UHF) RFID chip is connected to two 10 cm long (4 inches long) antennas, and the whole is embedded in the silk body (the material may be polyester, cotton, wool Or plastic), and then woven into clothes, bed sheets, luxury goods and industrial products. Because the RFID tag is hidden in the thread, it is almost impossible to identify with the naked eye, the company claims, so it cannot be located, removed or disabled by counterfeiters or thieves. Moreover, the label is woven into the textile, which has good durability.
The solution is the result of the French research institute CEA-Leti’s research and innovation in electronic products and information technology. According to Primo1D chief marketing officer Alain Papanti, in early 2013, CEA-Leti’s RFID-enabled thread (or yarn) was used as part of the European Advanced Smart Textile Application (PASTA) project platform. Dominique Vicard, the main developer of CEA-Leti RFID yarn, founded Primo1D in August 2013 to further develop products and markets. Both companies are located in Grenoble, France.
The E-Thread label is embedded on an axis
Papanti said that E-Thread technology has 20 patents pending, and it currently has three versions: version 1, with line sensor (to monitor temperature or displacement); version 2, with light-emitting diode (LED); version 3, with EPC UHF passiveRFID chipAnd antenna (data can be stored and read). The LED version is mainly used for beautification, when sewn into clothes, car seat covers or other objects, connect to the power source, and it can emit light. Sensored yarn can be used in athletes’ uniforms to track sports, but it also requires a power source, such as a battery, for operation. The sensor needs to be connected to some kind of data logger or computing device in order to record and store data.
The version with RFID function was initially tested by companies such as hospitals and hotels that manage or clean bed sheets and use textile products. RFID E-Thread will continue to be piloted in the next six months, giving Primo1D the opportunity to make necessary improvements before full production. The company will also release new commercial products in the fourth quarter of 2015. Pilot textile manufacturers can read tags in various yarn products, such as bedding or tablecloths, and periodically read E-Threads through the industrial laundry process of these items to test their durability.
Papanti said that the EPC RFID chip contained in the line is mainly from NXP Semiconductors and Impinj, and the size is 445 micrometers by 490 micrometers (0.018 inches by 0.019 inches) or smaller.
Papanti said that E-Thread provides other options for sewing or attaching RFID tags to textiles or clothing. The disadvantage of RFID tags is that, Papanti said, counterfeiters or thieves can see them and remove them from the product. In addition, once the product is sold, the clerk often removes the label. But if the product is a high-value luxury garment, retailers and brand owners worry that the RFID tag will be removed from a certain product and attached to another counterfeit product, and then the counterfeit product will be returned to the supply chain of the mall Sales.With the E-Thread solution, counterfeiters will not know the RFID chip andantennaIt cannot be transferred to the counterfeit product. Potential thieves cannot find E-Thread either, he added,-because it cannot be seen by the naked eye-it will be impossible to destroy the label in the store or anywhere else, or to remove the product with the intention of not being detected by the reader Stolen it out.
For the industrial laundry industry, such as linen manufacturers and those who use linen products, this thread is far safer than labels (labels may be torn or knocked off during the washing process). This kind of thread can be included in the textile production, which also saves the process of sewing the label to the article.
“We believe that the application of E-Thread in the textile industry has great potential.” Papanti said.
Currently, the company is in discussions with a number of system integrators, retailers and product manufacturers, and they hope that with the further development of E-Thread technology, it can be used in business. System integrators can develop software solutions to manage the data read by E-Thread.
The E-Thread RFID tagsIt can be read and written with any standard UHF reader, with a reading distance of up to 7 meters (23 feet). In the laundry management case, the company receives a package of soiled clothing from a customer who leases its product, and then delivers the package to an entrance of a reader. Compared with opening every package and sorting and counting every item in the package, users can simply create an electronic record to record all product information. Take linen classification, for example, Papanti said. Users can pass clothing through a reader channel to identify it, one tag at a time, and possibly place items on a conveyor belt to pass through the channel. In this case, he explained, they can sort items by model or by the specific customer who uses them.
E-Thread will be better than a standardUHFThe label is more expensive, Papanti said, but it has the characteristics of being in line with the discrete manufacturing industry, thereby providing anti-counterfeiting and other functions that other standard labels do not have. E-Thread was designed to be strong enough to withstand industrial cleaning, so it is also expected to have a longer life span than sewn-in label products. With this in mind, E-Thread tags need to be readable and writable during product processing, so that users can access data during multiple recycling processes.
E-Thread will be sold in the form of spools, with RFID tags directly contained in the online materials. On a spool, the length of the thread and the number of embedded RFID tags are variable, Papanti said, depending on the needs of the user.
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