RFID in Packaging Surveillance: Impact of Simulation tools in design, coverage planning and placement of "Smart" readers along the supply chain
Internet of things (IoT) has impacted global supply chains in terms of improving performance and increasing productivity in recent times. Modern IoT devices such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) networks play a pivotal role in packaging surveillance and monitoring of products as it moves along the supply chain. Design and coverage planning of various entities of the RFID infrastructure is pivotal for improving supply chain efficiency and visibility. Typically, an RFID system consists of multiple tags and a reader device. Antennas are an integral part of both the tags as well as the reader device and enables reader-tag communication. In a common scenario, the reader transmits a query signal to the tag activating it and receives back the identification information from the tag. This information is used for several applications such as inventory control, packaging surveillance, etc.
In an infrastructure such as a warehouse that consists of multiple packages with several hundreds of tags, it is absolutely necessary to simulate and optimize the position of the reader(s) to ensure complete coverage. Moreover, the simulation should also consider effects due to multi-path propagation, inter- tag interference, and presence of different objects in the environment for accurate planning. Traditionally, optimal positioning of these RFID devices to obtain a complete coverage is a difficult task that requires careful planning and physical experimentation which involves investing significant time and financial resources. To avoid such challenges, computer simulation of positioning of RFID devices assist engineers in exploring different scenarios and ensures that the location of the readers allows complete coverage within a given area. The goal is to provide a suitable solution for optimal positioning before physically implementing it. For this purpose, an important criterion that must be analyzed is the radio link budget between the tag and the reader device. This allows an estimation of power delivered to the tags as well as received at the reader including the possible losses within the line of sight. Using this information, one can optimize the reader(s) positioning such that a complete coverage can be ensured.
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