Information Modelling and Sharing for RFID-Equipped Objects

Harri Hämäläinen

WAWC’07 – Work In Progress -session

Lappeenranta, August 16th 2007

Content

- Introduction- Current approaches for adopting RFID- ”Hybrid-model”- Use cases- Conclusions

Quote

”(In a conference) I’d like to know whom I have met before, when and in which context?”

Prof. Josef Noll

August 15th 2007

…relations…parents…childs…classmates…location…income…

Introduction to RFID

- Should RFID just be considered as an identification technology?

- Different types of tags- Read-only or read/write- Passive, active, semi-passive

- RFID technology and Information Services and their meaning are often mixed while speaking of centralized or distrubuted models

- Hype?

Item and information relations

- Relatively low read rate (especially with low-price tags) requires alternate solutions if there is a need to identify multiple objects- Transportations and other parts of

supply chain- Need for hierarchical modelling of

information in databases- Location etc. information can be

shared to other objects

”Tag-based” Model

- Information about the product is stored in the tag itself

- No need for centralized information systems- Rules between partners have to be set to make

the information readable (e.g. xml schemas)- The information is only available when a tag is in

read range- Linking of information between products partly

useless

EPCglobal Network Model

- Each tag has a unique ID- Information gathered during the lifecycle and

stored into an information service that may have links to other services

- Fundamental issues- Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)- Electronic Product Code (EPC)- Object Naming Service (ONS)- Product Markup Language (PML)- Information Services

Wireless Sensor Networks

- Autonomous devices- Could measure temperature,

sound, vibration, pressure,…- Radio tranceiver,

microcontroller and battery- Communicates with each other- E.g. ZigBee

Hybrid model & policies

- A combination of the two approaches- Sharing the item related information

also between the items in real time (=>communication)

- Making decisions based on available information

- Handling instructions, rules and description stored- In a product itself- Company policies- Rules set by other instances

- Intelligence in IS or Middleware- Instant decision making

Information Server &RFID Middleware

RFID Tag

Internet

Sample use cases

- Having detailed information- Spare parts

- Controlling the warehousing and environment requirements- Location / warehouse / transport control- Temperature control for a product- Other conditions (e.g. fireworks/dynamite or other

hazardous material)- Mobility

Conclusions

- Relatively low read success rate requires alternate solutions

- Need for hierarchical modelling of information in databases

- Sharing the available information between the objects- So called ”Hybrid model”, one step towards

sensor networks for RFID?

Contacts

Harri HämäläinenResearcherharri.hamalainen@lut.fi

Jari PorrasProfessorjari.porras@lut.fi

Lappeenranta University of Technology

P.O.Box 20

FIN-53851 Lappeenranta

FINLAND

Tel: +358 5 621 11

Fax: +358 5 621 2350

”Hybrid Model”