RFID Handbook

Contents Preface. List of Abbreviations. 1. Introduction. Automatic Identification Systems. A Comparison of Different ID Systems. Components of an RFID Systems. 2. Differentiation Features of RFID Systems. Fundamental Differentiation Features. Transponder Construction Formats. Frequency, Range and Coupling. Information Processing in the Transponder. Selection Criteria for RFID Systems. 3. Fundamental Operating Principles. 1-Bit Transponder. Full and Half Duplex Procedure. Sequential Procedures. 4. Physical Principles of RFID Systems. Magnetic Field. Electromagnetic Waves. Surface Waves. 5. Frequency Ranges and Radio Licensing Regulations. Frequency Ranges Used. European Licensing Regulations. National Licensing Regulations in Europe. National Licensing Regulations. 6. Coding and Modulation. Coding in the Baseband. Digital Modulation Procedures. 7. Data Integrity. The Checksum Procedure. Multi-Access Procedures – Anticollision. 8. Data Security. Mutual Symmetrical Authentication. Authentication Using Derived Keys. Encrypted Data Transfer. 9. Standardisation. Animal Identification. Contactless Smart Cards. ISO 69873 - Data Carriers for Tools and Clamping Devices. IS0 10374 - Container Identification. VDI 4470 - Anti-theft Systems for Goods. Item Management. 10. The Architecture of Electronic Data Carriers. Transponder with Memory Function. Microprocessors. Memory Technology. Measuring Physical Variables. 11. Readers. Data Flow in an Application. Components of a Reader. Low Cost Configuration – Reader IC U2270B. Connection of Antennas for Inductive Systems. Reader Designs. 12. The Manufacture of Transponders and Contactless Smart Cards. Glass and Plastic Transponders. Contactless Smart Cards. 13. Example Applications. Contactless Smart Cards. Public Transport. Ticketing. Access Control. Transport Systems. Animal Identification. Electronic Immobilisation. Container Identification. Sporting Events. Industrial Automation. Medical Applications. 14. Appendix. Contact Addresses, Associations and Technical Periodicals. Relevant Standards and Regulations. References. Printed Circuit Board Layouts. Index.

1 Introduction In recent years automatic identification procedures (Auto-ID) have become very popular in many service industries, purchasing and distribution logistics, industry, manufactur- ing companies and material flow systems. Automatic identification procedures exist to provide information about people, animals, goods and products in transit. The omnipresent barcode labels that triggered a revolution in identification systems some considerable time ago, are being found to be inadequate in an increasing number of cases. Barcodes may be extremely cheap, but their stumbling block is their low storage capacity and the fact that they cannot be reprogrammed. The technically optimal solution would be the storage of data in a silicon chip. The most common form of electronic data-carrying device in use in everyday life is the smart card based upon a contact field (telephone smart card, bank cards). However, the mechanical contact used in the smart card is often impractical. A contactless transfer of data between the data-carrying device and its reader is far more flexible. In the ideal case, the power required to operate the electronic data-carrying device would also be transferred from the reader using contactless technology. Because of the procedures used for the transfer of power and data, contactless ID systems are called RFID systems (Radio Frequency Identification). The number of companies actively involved in the development and sale of RFID systems indicates that this is a market that should be taken seriously. Whereas global sales of RFID systems were approximately 900 million $US in the year 2000 it is estimated that this figure will reach 2650 million $US in 2005 (Krebs, n.d.). The RFID market therefore belongs to the fastest growing sector of the radio technology industry, including mobile phones and cordless telephones, (Figure 1.1). Furthermore, in recent years contactless identification has been developing into an independent interdisciplinary field, which no longer fits into any of the conventional pigeon holes. It brings together elements from extremely varied fields: HF technology and EMC, semiconductor technology, data protection and cryptography, telecommuni- cations, manufacturing technology and many related areas. As an introduction, the following section gives a brief overview of different auto- matic ID systems that perform similar functions to RFID (Figure 1.2). RFID Handbook: Fundamentals and Applications in Contactless Smart Cards and Identification. Klaus Finkenzeller  2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd ISBN: 0-470-84402-7 2 1 INTRODUCTION 500 Security/access control Asset management 400 Transportation Supply chain management Global market ($us m) Point of sale 300 Rental item tracking Toll collection Automobile immobilisers 200 Baggage handling Animal tracking 100 Real time location systems Other 0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Year Figure 1.1 The estimated growth of the global market for RFID systems between 2000 and 2005 in million $US, classified by application Barcode system Fingerprint procedure Optical character Biometric recognition MM (OCR) Auto- Voice ID identific- ation Smart RFID cards Figure 1.2 Overview of the most important auto-ID procedures 1.1 Automatic Identification Systems 1.1.1 Barcode systems Barcodes have successfully held their own against other identification systems over the past 20 years. According to experts, the turnover volume for barcode systems totalled around 3 billion DM in Western Europe at the beginning of the 1990s (Virnich and Posten, 1992). 1.1 AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEMS 3 The barcode is a binary code comprising a field of bars and gaps arranged in a parallel configuration. They are arranged according to a predetermined pattern and represent data elements that refer to an associated symbol. The sequence, made up of wide and narrow bars and gaps, can be interpreted numerically and alphanumerically. It is read by optical laser scanning, i.e. by the different reflection of a laser beam from the black bars and white gaps (ident, 1996). However, despite being identical in their physical design, there are considerable differences between the code layouts in the approximately ten different barcode types currently in use. The most popular barcode by some margin is the EAN code (European Article Number), which was designed specifically to fulfil the requirements of the grocery industry in 1976. The EAN code represents a development of the UPC (Universal Product Code) from the USA, which was introduced in the USA as early as 1973. Today, the UPC represents a subset of the EAN code, and is therefore compatible with it (Virnich and Posten, 1992). The EAN code is made up of 13 digits: the country identifier, the company identifier, the manufacturer’s item number and a check digit (Figure 1.3). In addition to the EAN code, the following barcodes are popular in other industrial fields (see Figure 1.4): • Code Codabar: medical/clinical applications, fields with high safety requirements. • Code 2/5 interleaved: automotive industry, goods storage, pallets, shipping con- tainers and heavy industry. • Code 39: processing industry, logistics, universities and libraries. 1.1.2 Optical character recognition Optical character recognition (OCR) was first used in the 1960s. Special fonts were developed for this application that stylised characters so that they could be read both Country Manufacturer’s item Company identifier CD identifier number 4 0 1 2 3 4 5 0 8 1 5 0 9 FRG Company Name Chocolate Rabbit 1 Road Name 100 g 80001 Munich Figure 1.3 Example of the structure of a barcode in EAN coding Figure 1.4 This barcode is printed on the back of this book and contains the ISBN number of the book 4 1 INTRODUCTION in the normal way by people and automatically by machines. The most important advantage of OCR systems is the high density of information and the possibility of read- ing data visually in an emergency (or simply for checking) (Virnich and Posten, 1992). Today, OCR is used in production, service and administrative fields, and also in banks for the registration of cheques (personal data, such as name and account number, is printed on the bottom line of a cheque in OCR type). However, OCR systems have failed to become universally applicable because of their high price and the complicated readers that they require in comparison with other ID procedures. 1.1.3 Biometric procedures Biometrics is defined as the science of counting and (body) measurement procedures involving living beings. In the context of identification systems, biometry is the general term for all procedures that identify people by comparing unmistakable and individual physical characteristics. In practice, these are fingerprinting and handprinting proce- dures, voice identification and, less commonly, retina (or iris) identification. 1.1.3.1 Voice identification Recently, specialised systems have become available to identify individuals using speaker verification (speaker recognition). In such systems, the user talks into a micro- phone linked to a computer.