Potential of RFID technology in logistics - Case Metso Paper -

Viime vuosina palveluliiketoiminnan merkitys ydinosaamista tukevana prosessina on kasvanut merkittävästi. Metso Paperin ydinosaamista on paperikoneiden valmistus mutta Service liiketoimintaan panostetaan vahvasti ja siltä odotetaan kasvua. Tällä osa-alueella logistiikalla ja etenkin materiaalin tunnistamisella on iso vaikutus prosessien tehokkuuteen. Viivakoodi on yleisesti ollut hallitseva automaattisen tunnistamisen menetelmä mutta sillä on omat rajoituksensa. RFID:llä nämä rajoitukset voidaan voittaa. Standardisoinnin sekä teknisen kehityksen ansiosta se on nopeasti noussut vaihtoehtoiseksi menetelmäksi tehostaa logistiikkaa. Siksi Metso Paper Service on nähnyt RFID tutkimuksen tarpeelliseksi. Tämän Pro Gradu tutkimuksen tarkoitus on selvittää voidaanko RFID:llä tehostaa Metso Paper Servicen nimettyjä prosesseja. Tavoitteena on tunnistaa ne prosessit joissa RFID:llä voitaisiin saavuttaa liiketoiminnallisia parannuksia ja kustannussäästöjä nykyiseen toimintamalliin verrattuna. Tutkimus on toteutettu haastattelemalla avainhenkilöitä teema kysymyksillä 8:sta toimeksiantajan nimeämästä prosessista. Haastattelun ja tilastollisen aineiston perusteella nykyiset toimintamallit ja materiaalin tunnistamiseen liittyvät oleelliset asiat on kuvattu prosessikarttoineen. Lisäksi teoriaosa esittelee RFID tekniikan pääosin tasolla, jonka käyttäjän on hyvä tietää. Tältä pohjalta on analysoitu pystytäänkö RFID:n avulla tehostamaan prosessin toimintaa. Tutkimuksessa havaittiin että useampi prosessi kehittyisi jollakin tavalla RFID:stä mutta toteutettavuus ja saavutettavan hyödyn määrä vaihtelevat. Kuitenkin yksi prosessi muodostui muita selvästi sopivammaksi. Tutkimuksen viimeisessä osassa on selvitetty RFID:n tarkemmat toiminnalliset sekä taloudelliset vaikutukset tähän prosessiin, niin tarkasti kuin se etukäteen on mahdollista. Lopputuloksena päädyttiin suosittelemaan RFID pilottiprojektia suomalaisten asiakkaiden kanssa.fi=Opinnäytetyö kokotekstinä PDF-muodossa.|en=Thesis fulltext in PDF format.|sv=Lärdomsprov tillgängligt som fulltext i PDF-format

Methodology for Testing RFID Applications

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a promising technology for process automation and beyond that capable of identifying objects without the need for a line-of-sight. However, the trend towards automatic identification of objects also increases the demand for high quality RFID applications. Therefore, research on testing RFID systems and methodical approaches for testing are needed. This thesis presents a novel methodology for the system level test of RFID applications. The approach called ITERA, allows for the automatic generation of tests, defines a semantic model of the RFID system and provides a test environment for RFID applications. The method introduced can be used to gradually transform use cases into a semi-formal test specification. Test cases are then systematically generated, in order to execute them in the test environment. It applies the principle of model based testing from a black-box perspective in combination with a virtual environment for automatic test execution. The presence of RFID tags in an area, monitored by an RFID reader, can be modelled by time-based sets using set-theory and discrete events. Furthermore, the proposed description and semantics can be used to specify RFID systems and their applications, which might also be used for other purposes than testing. The approach uses the Unified Modelling Language to model the characteristics of the system under test. Based on the ITERA meta model test execution paths are extracted directly from activity diagrams and RFID specific test cases are generated. The approach introduced in this thesis allows to reduce the efforts for RFID application testing by systematically generating test cases and the automatic test execution. In combination with meta model and by considering additional parameters, like unreliability factors, it not only satisfies functional testing aspects, but also increases the confidence in the robustness of the tested application. Mixed with the instantly available virtual readers, it has the potential to speed up the development process and decrease the costs - even during the early development phases. ITERA can be used for highly automated testing, reproducible tests and because of the instantly available readers, even before the real environment is deployed. Furthermore, the total control of the RFID environment enables to test applications which might be difficult to test manually. This thesis will explain the motivation and objectives of this new RFID application test methodology. Based on a RFID system analysis it proposes a practical solution on the identified issues. Further, it gives a literature review on testing fundamentals, model based test case generation, the typical components of a RFID system and RFID standards used in industry.Integrative Test-Methodology for RFID Applications (ITERA) - Project: Eurostars!5516 ITERA, FKZ 01QE1105

Auto-ID enabled tracking and tracing data sharing over dynamic B2B and B2G relationships

RFID 2011 collocated with the 2011 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Workshop Series on Millimeter Wave Integration Technologies (IMWS 2011)Growing complexity and uncertainty are still the key challenges enterprises are facing in managing and re-engineering their existing supply chains. To tackle these challenges, they are continuing innovating management practices and piloting emerging technologies for achieving supply chain visibility, agility, adaptability and security. Nowadays, subcontracting has already become a common practice in modern logistics industry through partnership establishment between the involved stakeholders for delivering consignments from a consignor to a consignee. Companies involved in international supply chain are piloting various supply chain security and integrity initiatives promoted by customs to establish trusted business-to-customs partnership for facilitating global trade and cutting out avoidable supply chain costs and delays due to governmental regulations compliance and unnecessary customs inspection. While existing Auto-ID enabled tracking and tracing solutions are promising for implementing these practices, they provide few efficient privacy protection mechanisms for stakeholders involved in the international supply chain to communicate logistics data over dynamic business-to-business and business-government relationships. A unified privacy protection mechanism is proposed in this work to fill in this gap. © 2011 IEEE.published_or_final_versio

Performance Analysis of Effective Range and Orientation of UHF Passive RFID

The purpose of this research is to characterize the performance of UHF passive RFID tags. Factors of importance are the impact of tag orientation and distance from the RFID reader. Within this study, a comprehensive literature review of RFID technology is presented as well as the methodology used for the research. Furthermore, an analysis of RFID tag experiments is discussed and the results reviewed. To accomplish this task, two main objectives have been established as goals for the study. The first objective is to determine an optimum tag orientation within the RFID reader’s normal read range. Once the optimum tag orientation is determined, the orientation is used to perform range variation tests. The end goal of these tests is to find the maximum range at which the tags are readable under normal conditions using standard equipment. Grasping an idea of RFID tag boundaries contributes to the security and privacy of the technology. This is extremely important as RFID tags are becoming the logistical tool of choice for Department of Defense (DoD) supply chains. This fundamental study creates a foundation that may support both offensive and defensive oriented research. By understanding tag weaknesses and strengths, users of the technology can make sound decisions that lead to the protection of valuable information and assets

Extended food supply chain traceability with multiple automatic identification and data collection technologies.

Hu, Yong.Thesis submitted in: October 2007.Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2008.Includes bibliographical references (p. 127-129).Abstracts in English and Chinese.Chapter Chapter 1. --- Introduction --- p.1Chapter 1.1. --- Background and Motivation --- p.1Chapter 1.2. --- Objectives of the Thesis --- p.3Chapter 1.3. --- Scope of the Thesis --- p.6Chapter 1.4. --- Structure of the Thesis --- p.6Chapter Chapter 2. --- Review of Related Technologies --- p.8Chapter 2.1. --- Scope and Requirements of the Supply Chain Traceability --- p.9Chapter 2.2. --- Automatic Identification and Data Collection Technologies --- p.14Chapter 2.2.1. --- Introduction to the AIDC Technologies --- p.14Chapter 2.2.1.1. --- The Barcode --- p.14Chapter 2.2.1.2. --- The Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) --- p.17Chapter 2.2.1.3. --- The Sensors for Food --- p.19Chapter 2.2.1.4. --- The Global Positioning System (GPS) --- p.23Chapter 2.2.2. --- Frequencies of the RFID Systems --- p.25Chapter 2.2.3. --- Encoding Mechanisms for the RFID Tags and Barcode Labels --- p.30Chapter 2.3. --- Standards and Specifications of the EPCglobal --- p.34Chapter 2.3.1. --- The EPCglobal Architecture Framework --- p.34Chapter 2.3.2. --- The EPCglobal EPCIS Specification --- p.39Chapter 2.3.3. --- The EPCglobal Tag Data Standards --- p.42Chapter 2.4. --- RFID Applications in Food Supply Chain Management --- p.43Chapter 2.5. --- Anti-counterfeit Technologies and Solutions --- p.45Chapter 2.6. --- Data Compression Algorithms --- p.47Chapter 2.7. --- Shelf Life Prediction Models --- p.49Chapter Chapter 3. --- Architecture and Scope of the Application System --- p.54Chapter 3.1. --- Application System Architecture --- p.54Chapter 3.2. --- Application System Scope --- p.55Chapter Chapter 4. --- The Tracking and Tracing Management Module --- p.60Chapter 4.1. --- Overview --- p.60Chapter 4.2. --- AIDC Technologies Adopted for the Traceable Items --- p.62Chapter 4.3. --- Mechanism to Achieve the Nested Visibility --- p.70Chapter 4.4. --- Information Integration in the EPCIS --- p.75Chapter 4.5. --- Anti-counterfeit Mechanism --- p.82Chapter Chapter 5. --- The Storage and Transportation Monitoring Module --- p.90Chapter 5.1. --- Overview --- p.90Chapter 5.2. --- Compression of the Sensor Data --- p.93Chapter 5.3. --- Management of the Sensor Data --- p.95Chapter 5.4. --- Responsive Warning Mechanism --- p.102Chapter Chapter 6. --- The Sensor Networks Enabled Assessment Module --- p.108Chapter 6.1. --- Overview --- p.108Chapter 6.2. --- Management of the Sensor Network Data --- p.110Chapter 6.3. --- Active Warning Mechanism --- p.114Chapter Chapter 7. --- Conclusions --- p.122Chapter 7.1. --- Contributions --- p.122Chapter 7.2. --- Future Work --- p.12

Integrated ZigBee RFID sensor networks for resource tracking and monitoring in logistics management

The Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), which includes passive and active systems and is the hottest Auto-ID technology nowadays, and the wireless sensor network (WSN), which is one of the focusing topics on monitoring and control, are two fast-growing technologies that have shown great potential in future logistics management applications. However, an information system for logistics applications is always expected to answer four questions: Who, What, When and Where (4Ws), and neither of the two technologies is able to provide complete information for all of them. WSN aims to provide environment monitoring and control regarded as When and What , while RFID focuses on automatic identification of various objects and provides Who (ID). Most people usually think RFID can provide Where at all the time. But what normal passive RFID does is to tell us where an object was the last time it went through a reader, and normal active RFID only tells whether an object is presenting on site. This could sometimes be insufficient for certain applications that require more accurate location awareness, for which a system with real-time localization (RTLS), which is an extended concept of RFID, will be necessary to answer Where constantly. As WSN and various RFID technologies provide information for different but complementary parts of the 4Ws, a hybrid system that gives a complete answer by combining all of them could be promising in future logistics management applications. Unfortunately, in the last decade those technologies have been emerging and developing independently, with little research been done in how they could be integrated. This thesis aims to develop a framework for the network level architecture design of such hybrid system for on-site resource management applications in logistics centres. The various architectures proposed in this thesis are designed to address different levels of requirements in the hierarchy of needs, from single integration to hybrid system with real-time localization. The contribution of this thesis consists of six parts. Firstly, two new concepts, Reader as a sensor and Tag as a sensor , which lead to RAS and TAS architectures respectively, for single integrations of RFID and WSN in various scenarios with existing systems; Secondly, a integrated ZigBee RFID Sensor Network Architecture for hybrid integration; Thirdly, a connectionless inventory tracking architecture (CITA) and its battery consumption model adding location awareness for inventory tracking in Hybrid ZigBee RFID Sensor Networks; Fourthly, a connectionless stochastic reference beacon architecture (COSBA) adding location awareness for high mobility target tracking in Hybrid ZigBee RFID Sensor Networks; Fifthly, improving connectionless stochastic beacon transmission performance with two proposed beacon transmission models, the Fully Stochastic Reference Beacon (FSRB) model and the Time Slot Based Stochastic Reference Beacon (TSSRB) model; Sixthly, case study of the proposed frameworks in Humanitarian Logistics Centres (HLCs). The research in this thesis is based on ZigBee/IEEE802.15.4, which is currently the most widely used WSN technology. The proposed architectures are demonstrated through hardware implementation and lab tests, as well as mathematic derivation and Matlab simulations for their corresponding performance models. All the tests and simulations of my designs have verified feasibility and features of our designs compared with the traditional systems

Enhanced Living Environments

This open access book was prepared as a Final Publication of the COST Action IC1303 “Algorithms, Architectures and Platforms for Enhanced Living Environments (AAPELE)”. The concept of Enhanced Living Environments (ELE) refers to the area of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) that is more related with Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Effective ELE solutions require appropriate ICT algorithms, architectures, platforms, and systems, having in view the advance of science and technology in this area and the development of new and innovative solutions that can provide improvements in the quality of life for people in their homes and can reduce the financial burden on the budgets of the healthcare providers. The aim of this book is to become a state-of-the-art reference, discussing progress made, as well as prompting future directions on theories, practices, standards, and strategies related to the ELE area. The book contains 12 chapters and can serve as a valuable reference for undergraduate students, post-graduate students, educators, faculty members, researchers, engineers, medical doctors, healthcare organizations, insurance companies, and research strategists working in this area