RFID
Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a form of wireless communication that uses radio waves to identify and track objects
Cobeal provides end-to-end solution simplicity, with everything you need to implement RFID in your organization.
Everything You Need
Cobeal has everything you need to get the most out of your RFID investment.
- RFID solutions give you the real-time asset visibility you need to streamline operations, maximize asset utilization and error-proof asset-related data.
- Cobeal offers the broadest range of innovative RFID technology solutions to enable your organization to identify, track, manage and optimize the deployment of critical assets for improved business efficiency.
- By enabling improvements in sourcing, visibility, security and accuracy, Cobeal helps you ensure the right asset is in the right place at the right time.
- From small item identification to large asset location - and from the first link in your supply chain to the last - accurately and efficiently track and locate it with Cobeal.
- Cobeal provides a full spectrum of flexible and innovative radio frequency identification printing/encoding capabilities and real-time location technologies to give you total item visibility, optimize security, heighten data accuracy and reduce operating costs.
RFID Products
Printers for every tag need
- Every RFID solution starts with RFID tags. With our RFID printers, you can create whatever you need, from small item hang tags, to large case and pallet labels, to photographic quality RFID-enabled identity cards. With the advanced technologies incorporated into our RFID systems, you can be sure that every tag you print is encoded with the right data.
RFID Readers for every application
- Whether you need handheld, hands-free or fixed RFID readers for industrial spaces or customer facing areas, we've got a reader that is just right for your environment.
Antennas to maximize RFID performance
- With our complete portfolio of antennas, you can boost the performance of our RFID readers from the point-of-sale to the dock door.
Proven technology
- Our fixed, handheld and portal RFID systems give you the peace of mind that comes from choosing RFID products that are tested in practically every industry. Cobeal offers best-in-class advanced technologies that will maximize the performance of your RFID solution.
Applications
Supply Chain Applications
On-the-Spot Tagging for Remote or Large Assets
On-the-Spot Tagging for Remote or Large Assets
- Item-level source tagging by retail, Defense and other suppliers
- Manufacturers and distributors can perform accurate item-level source tagging - such as for apparel, airplane parts, industrial assets, medical instruments or Defense MIL-STD-130 requirements.
- Case- and pallet-level identification for Defense compliance and business improvemen
- Item-level source tagging by retail, Defense and other suppliers
- Manufacturers and distributors can perform accurate item-level source tagging - such as for apparel, airplane parts, industrial assets, medical instruments or Defense MIL-STD-130 requirements.
- Case- and pallet-level identification for Defense compliance and business improvement
- The flexibility to provide carton- and pallet-level identification for external supply chain initiatives, including Defense compliance - as well as for internal, closed-loop business improvement applications such as intracompany shipments or container management.
- Parts item-level source tagging by aerospace suppliers
- Trace and chain of custody
- Pharmaceutical, food cold chain and other manufacturers can cost-effectively manage targeted recalls, returns and repairs.
On-the-Spot Tagging for Remote or Large Assets
On-the-Spot Tagging for Remote or Large Assets
On-the-Spot Tagging for Remote or Large Assets
With the RFID mobile printer/encoder:
- Manufacturers and distributors can add or replace RFID labels on pallets or large items to streamline supply chain logistics.
- Defense clients can re-label assets in the field with UID replacement labels capable of existing many years in a variety of environments.
- Maintenance operations can tag equipme
With the RFID mobile printer/encoder:
- Manufacturers and distributors can add or replace RFID labels on pallets or large items to streamline supply chain logistics.
- Defense clients can re-label assets in the field with UID replacement labels capable of existing many years in a variety of environments.
- Maintenance operations can tag equipment, and update data and service history, in the field - ensuring the correct items are serviced.
- Products meet UID MIL-STD-129 by labeling large items on the spot.
Improved Internal Processes
Asset Tracking
Track moveable assets such as files, supplies, equipment, tools, raw materials, inventory or product samples for lower labor costs and greater security
Work-in-Progress Tracking
Use rewritable tags to track materials at each step of production for increased efficiency and quality
Container management
Track returnable pallets, racks, trays and bins for lower operating expenses
Secure access control and identification (RFID cards and wristbands)
Efficiently control and monitor access throughout the facility with RFID cards that can be read from as far as 50 feet, and a card printer that prints/encodes UHF cards.
Retail In-Store Item-Level Tagging
- Increased inventory accuracy and process efficiencies, reduced out-of-stock errors
- Efficiently add or replace item-level tags anywhere in the store
Check-in/Checkout
Attach smart labels to track the location of library books, archival objects, police evidence, and more
How RFID Works
Three (3) Main Elements
- Endpoints: an item and its attached RFID tag chip radio that uniquely identifies the item.
- Connectivity: devices that enable wireless, bi-directional communication with endpoints.
- Software: aggregates and transforms data from endpoint reads, delivering real-time information to enterprise and consumer applications.
Endpoints Uniquely Identify Items
- In a basic RFID system, tags are attached to all items that are to be tracked. RFID tags are comprised of a tag chip (sometimes called an integrated circuit or IC) attached to an antenna that has been printed, etched, stamped or vapor-deposited onto a mount which is often a paper substrate or PolyEthylene Therephtalate (PET).
- The chip and antenna combo, called an inlay, is then converted or sandwiched between a printed label and its adhesive backing or inserted into a more durable structure.
- Finished tags are available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes including labels or stickers, apparel hang tags, security tags, and industrial asset tags used on pallets and heavy machinery.
- Advancements in RFID have made it possible to tag liquids and metals. The type of tag needed depends on the item being tagged and where and how connectivity devices will engage it.
Tag Chips
- RFID tag chips uniquely identify their host item and deliver performance, memory and extended features to tags.
- Tag chips power themselves from a connectivity device’s radio waves so don’t require any batteries, are readable to 30 feet without line-of-sight yet sell for pennies. The chip is pre-programmed with a tag identifier (TID), which is a unique serial number assigned by the chip manufacturer, and includes a memory bank to store the items' unique tracking identifier (called an electronic product code or EPC).
Electronic Product Code (EPC)
- The electronic product code (EPC) stored in the tag chip's memory is written to the tag and typically takes the form of a 96-bit string of data.
- The first eight bits are a header which identifies the version of the protocol. The next 28 bits identify the organization that manages the data for this tag; the organization number is assigned by GS1. The next 24 bits are an object class, identifying the kind of product; the last 38 bits are a unique serial number for a particular tag.
- These last two fields are set by the organization that issued the tag. The total electronic product code number can be used as a key into a global database to uniquely identify that particular product.
Tag Antennas
- Tag antennas collect energy and channel it to the chip to turn it on. Generally, the larger the tag antenna's area, the more energy it will be able to collect and channel toward the tag chip, and the further read range the tag will have.
- There is no perfect tag for all applications. It is the application that defines the tag’s antenna specifications. Some tags might be optimized for a particular frequency band, while others might be tuned for good performance when attached to materials that may not normally work well for wireless communication (certain liquids and metals, for example).
- Antennas can be made from a variety of materials; they can be printed, etched, or stamped with conductive ink, or even vapor deposited onto labels.
Connectivity Devices Identify, Locate, Authenticate, and Engage Endpoints
- RFID readers and gateways are devices that power and communicate wirelessly with tags and deliver tag data to operating-system software.
- Connectivity devices communicate bi-directionally with endpoints that are within their field of operation, performing any number of tasks including simple continuous inventorying, filtering (searching for tags that meet certain criteria), writing (or encoding) selected tags, etc.
- Connectivity devices can identify and locate more than 1,000 items per second. Readers can be stationary or mobile and use an attached antenna to capture data from tags.
- Gateways integrate stationary readers with scanning antennas to locate and track tagged items. Reader chips and modules are designed for to be embedded in applications like handheld readers, smart vending machines, automotive tracking, mobile devices and more.
- Stationary readers require an antenna that sends power, as well as data and commands to endpoints. Since these readers are often used in automated applications they can support additional connections to external presentation sensors or light stacks to notify users of completed reads. Readers and gateways are connected to a host PC or network to transmit all of the tag data.
Reader Antennas
- RFID readers and reader antennas work together to read tags.
- Reader antennas convert electrical current into electromagnetic waves that are then radiated into space where they can be received by a tag antenna and converted back to electrical current.
- Just like tag antennas, there is a large variety of reader antennas and optimal antenna selection varies per the solution's specific application and environment.
- The two most common antenna types are linear- and circular-polarized antennas. Antennas that radiate linear electric fields have long ranges and high levels of power that enable their signals to penetrate through different materials to read tags. Linear antennas are sensitive to tag orientation; depending on the tag angle or placement, linear antennas can have a difficult time reading tags.
- Choice of antenna is also determined by the distance between the RFID reader and the tags that it needs to read. This distance is called read range.
- Reader antennas operate in either a "near-field" (short range) or "far-field" (long range). In near-field applications, the read range is less than 30 cm and the antenna uses magnetic coupling so the reader and tag can transfer power.
- In near-field systems, the readability of the tags is not affected by the presence of dielectrics, such as water or metal, in the field.
- In far-field applications, the range between the tag and reader is greater than 30 cm—and in fact can be up to several tens of meters. Far-field antennas utilize electromagnetic coupling and dielectrics can weaken communication between the reader and tags.
Software Delivers Endpoint Information to Enterprise Applications
- In general, RFID readers use a standardized language called Low Level Reader Protocol or LLRP.
- Software that resides specifically on a hardware component is called firmware, which controls the operation of the device on which it is hosted and does not typically initiate communication with external devices, such as PCs.
- Application software sends control commands to connectivity devices and receives tag data, giving businesses access to all the information collected.
- This software enables businesses to integrate real-time, accurate RFID data across multiple business applications and may manage reader health, perform remote firmware updates, and configure reader infrastructure.
The Right RFID Solution for You
Cobeal makes RFID simple.
- Endpoints create unique identifiers and important information to help your business.
- Connectivity devices collect and send back data and updates.
- Software connects RFID systems to computers or enterprise applications so users can view data, receive alerts, and run their businesses better.