Application of RFID in low-temperature storage of agricultural products
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The application of RFID in logistics operations or supply chain management has always been an application direction that everyone is optimistic about. It is hoped that the long-distance, multiple reading, and good penetration characteristics of RFID can improve the degree of automation of operations and increase the supply chain. Visibility, thereby reducing the cost of the supply chain and increasing the value of the product.
Miaoli is mountainous and produces a variety of fruits, such as high pears, grapes, strawberries, carambola, guavas, loquats, peaches, tomatoes and citrus, etc., which have high economic value. Based on the cognition of RFID and the expectation of improving the logistics of agricultural products, the Miaoli District Agricultural Improvement Farm, which is responsible for the research and promotion of agricultural technology in Miaoli, will accelerate the process of low-temperature storage of agricultural products and introduce an information management model, and cooperate with the Agricultural Committee of the Executive Yuan “Building a basic U-services plan for safe eating and living” is a plan to apply RFID to the low-temperature storage management of agricultural products to reduce the waste of manpower and time in the storage of agricultural products, improve processing efficiency and reduce agricultural product losses, and meet the needs of consumers to provide safe diets The goal.
Zhuolan low-temperature storage is the application object
In the early stage of the project, fruit products were selected as test sites, and with the cooperation of the Zhuolan Town Farmers’ Association, the agricultural products stored in the low-temperature warehouses in the fruit and vegetable market of the farmers’ associations were used as the test objects. The warehouse has a cold storage facility of nearly 1,000 square meters, which is used as a regional crop conditioning supply.
At present, when the library is imported and shipped, it is logged in with pen and paper and then entered into the computer to make a record. Therefore, the related login operation is quite labor-intensive, and even during the peak season of crop production, the processing burden is heavy, and the agricultural products are in a relatively high temperature environment for a long time. Further refrigeration will easily cause symptoms such as spoilage, which will cause losses to farmers. In addition, the different transportation and sales processes of various types of fresh fruits result in different delivery times. As a result, the farmers’ association must assign management personnel to log in and use the farmers’ shipment status at any time, resulting in increased labor costs.
Zhuolan Town has a natural environment for the growth of fruit trees with large temperature differences between day and night, clean water sources and fertile soil, coupled with the sophisticated cultivation techniques of farmers, and high-quality flavored fruits are produced all year round. From July to October every year, it is the peak production period of Gaojie pears in Zhuolan Town. In order to adjust the production and sales, farmers will classify the pears at the place of origin every afternoon, pack them in cartons, and then transport them to the warehouse; warehouse operators After counting, stack the cartons, put them in the warehouse, and then ship them in batches according to market demand.
This plan intends to use RFID-related technology to conduct research on the application of storage management. It is expected to reduce the waste of manpower and time in the storage of agricultural products, improve processing efficiency and reduce agricultural product losses, and establish a better storage management model for fresh vegetables and fruits. The relevant records are planned to be provided as follow-ups. Agricultural product transportation and marketing information and its production and sales history and logistics information.
Challenges of RFID in low-temperature storage
Taking this case as an example, the application of RFID in the low-temperature warehouse of the fruit and vegetable market of Zhuolan Town Farmers’ Association has to face the following challenges:
Carton reading rate: agricultural products are rich in moisture. During transportation, they are stacked and transported, which greatly affects the reading of RFID.
Pallet reading rate: When the stacker inserts and fetches the pallet, the direction is not always necessary. It must be ensured that the fixed READER installed on the door frame can read regardless of the interlude in any direction.
Storage location design: At present, low-temperature warehouses have two storage location designs, one is shelf type (Figure 1), and the other is flat stacking (Figure 2). Shelves can only enter and exit in one direction, and flat-stacked warehouses have only one door to enter and exit, resulting in restrictions on inventory and shipping methods.
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Figure 1. Rack storage design
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Figure 2. Flat stacking warehouse
Combining RFID-based warehousing operation scenario design
Considering the requirements of the project and the constraints of practical operations, the scenarios for planning and use are described as follows:
Product grading and packaging work: The product must be completed before entering the warehouse, as a reference for facility planning and billing.
Enter product and farmer data: create a file of the data to be put into the warehouse as the basis for printing labels.
Print RFID tags: Generate RFID tags based on the product information entered in the previous operations, and give each box of products a unique EPC code.
Label attachment: Attach the RFID label to the carton and scan the label.
Put in storage and start billing: stack the boxes on the pallet, and the side with the RFID tag attached to the boxes must face outwards to facilitate the equipment’s interpretation and increase the reading rate. When the cargo passes through the door of the warehouse, the fixed READER at the door will automatically identify the label content of the container and pallet, and notify the system of the start time of billing.
When the goods are stored in the warehouse, the handheld RFID READER can be used for inventory and search at any time according to the needs of the operation.
Outbound: According to the instructions of the system, a delivery order is generated for picking. When passing through the door, the fixed READER at the door will automatically identify the label content of the container and the pallet, and notify the system of the out-of-warehousing time.
The system calculates the cost according to the time of entry and exit, the number of products, and the billing method.
Generate accounts receivable and other documents.
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Figure 3. Warehousing operation scenario design combined with RFID
Label design for different purposes
1. Non-recyclable carton RFID tags:
It can be tightly adhered to the carton, and can be stored in the cold storage on-site environment for at least 3 months and still function normally. In order to make it easier for stock farmers to identify their products and use them as future production and sales resume labels, choose RFID tags that can print text, barcodes, and QR codes on the back, or use RFID tags and QR code tags together.
2. Recyclable personnel RFID tags:
About the size of a normal business card, it can be hung on the chest like an identification card and can be read by a fixed RFID reader when people enter and exit.
3. Recyclable pallet RFID tags:
Can be tightly nailed or embedded in the pallet where it is not susceptible to impact, and affects the original load-bearing strength of the pallet and daily use operations, and can be placed in the cold storage site environment for at least 1 year, and 100% of it is read Rate (RFID tags must be installed on the pallet for this operation).
4. All RFID tags purchased
It must be able to perform its full functions in a long-term on-site low temperature (at least -5°C) and high humidity application environment. In addition, considering the needs of field operations and the value of agricultural products, it is necessary to consider low-cost RFID tags that can perform their due functions.
RFID warehouse management system
In conjunction with the progress of this case, another set of Warehouse Management System (WMS) that can integrate RFID has been built. The functions of the agricultural product low-temperature warehouse management information system include at least:
1. Management information system module: including basic code management, inventory code management, user authority management, intermediary software connection configuration settings, data synchronization integration mechanism, etc.
2. Shipment in and out management module: integrate carton and pallet RFID tags, with inbound management module, outbound management module, query module (at least query farmers, production and sales shifts, shipment types, etc.) Wait.
3. Personnel entry and exit management module: RFID tags for integration of personnel, with entry management module, exit management module, query module, and can be compared with the time of shipment entry and exit, etc.
4. Transaction record management system module: including farmer management information (including at least adding, deleting, query, etc.), accounting information system (including at least form output, etc.), circulation status query module, etc.
5. Query module: including query system module (including at least turnover, farmers, type, location, etc.), report query module (at least including turnover, farmer, category, location, etc.), etc.
6. The system must be planned to interface and integrate with the “Taiwan Agricultural Products Safety Information Traceability Network TAFT” of the Executive Yuan Agriculture Committee and the “Agricultural Product Transportation and Marketing Information Service Platform” to be developed in the future, as well as data circulation.
7. RFID mobile device information management system: Integrate RFID Compact control module, inventory and audit, shipment in and out support management, location search and query, synchronization with background data status, etc.
Among the above-mentioned WMS requirements, in addition to the 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7 functional items related to RFID, it is considered that consumer awareness will rise in the future, and the production and sales history of products will gradually be emphasized. At the same time, considering that the future cross-strait common market will become more mature, The export of agricultural products has become one of the channels for farmers to increase their income. In the development of this case, it is necessary to consider:
1. The development of RFID intermediary software or the adoption of related products on the market shall comply with the EPC ALE server standard specification.
2. The development software should be planned to have the information exchange capability of the EPCglobal Network standard framework.
The key learning-to ensure the RFID reading rate
RFID uses radio frequency to identify the content of the tag, but radio frequency is inherently susceptible to the influence of metal, moisture, and reading angle, resulting in poor reading. In order to ensure that all tags can be read correctly during the entry and exit process, this project uses the following planning:
1. The label of the container must face outward
Because the contents of the containers are all agricultural products, they contain a lot of moisture. In order to reduce the influence of moisture on label reading, it is recommended to include the container labels facing outwards in the standard work book.
2. Use dual label pallets
When the stacker is working, it is possible to fork the pallets from any direction. In order to avoid reading problems due to the direction of the tags being perpendicular to the READER, our company plans to install RFID tags in both directions of each pallet, so regardless of the stack The high-speed machine operator can fork the pallet from any direction to ensure that one of the labels will be parallel to the reading direction of the READER, so as to ensure that the pallet reading rate can reach 100%.
3. TAG GROUPING design
In practical operation, in order to avoid any possible reading problems, this project uses the TAG GROUPING function to combine the pallet and the container label on the pallet into a group, so that even if there is a container label due to any problems When there is a reading failure, the system can remind the user through the software function, and further confirmation is required.
Author’s postscript: Relevant information is provided by the Agricultural Improvement Farm of Miaoli District, Agricultural Committee of the Executive Yuan, thanks for this.
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