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There is no power source in passive RFID tags such as theElectronic Product Code (EPC) Generation 2 tags used for item-leveltagging in inventory systems. Instead, they absorb energy from aradio signal emitted by the tag reader, modifying it and reflectingit back to the reader to signal their identity. Inventoryingeverything in a large warehouse usually means approaching each boxor pallet in turn to scan it with a handheld tag reader. The range of a handheld tag reader is typically no more than a fewmeters, limited by the radio power the reader can emit and thedistance over which it can detect the weak signal re-emitted by thetag. Mojix, though, takes a different approach in its Star 3000reader system, energizing standard EPC Gen2 tags using powerfulradio emitters or e-nodes placed around the area to be covered, andreading them from a central point up to 180 meters away using asophisticated phased-array receiver with four antennas. Thetechnology is similar to that used to improve reception in MIMO(Multiple Input, Multiple Output) Wi-Fi systems. EPC Gen2 tags now cost less than €0.10 (US$0.15) each, saidRoelof Koopmans, managing director for Mojix in Europe. That makesit affordable for Mojix customers to follow the movement ofindividual items through the supply chain. For that price, though,they will want to know not only what items have entered or left awarehouse, but also where they are during their stay. By transmitting from each of the e-nodes in a warehouse in turn,Mojix can build a picture of the location of each tag to within ameter or two -- but processing the flood of information generatedinto a format useful to back-office systems requires a mastercontroller placed near each receiver. The controller turns the rawdata into a stream of messages in the EPC Application-Level Eventsformat usable by back-end systems and middleware from IBM, Oracle,InSync and others, Koopmans said. With the latest upgrade to the Star 3000, Mojix is offering themaster controller as either a turn-key virtual machine image, or asa service hosted either by itself or a partner, said Koopmans. For companies with many sites transferring tag data to a centralsupply chain management system, that translates to savings onequipment and maintenance, he said. While Mojix favors VMware, its software appliances are OVF (OpenVirtualization Format) compliant, he said, and will also run inAmazon Web Services' cloud. The company is assessing market demandfor other cloud services, he said. Pricing depends on the readerconfiguration and on whether hosting is required. While the Star 3000 can locate an item to within a meter or so,there could still be 1000 other items in the same area in a typicalwarehouse. To help pickers find the right item to fulfill acustomer's order, Mojix has also developed a mobile app that cantrack tags on a phone equipped with a reader or connected to oneover Bluetooth, Koopmans said. Peter Sayer covers open source software, European intellectualproperty legislation and general technology breaking news for IDGNews Service. Send comments and news tips to Peter at peter_sayer@idg.com . I am an expert from icellparts.com, while we provides the quality product, such as China Sony Playstation Vita Replacement Parts , Samsung Housings, iPhone Replacement Housing,and more.
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