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UHF RFID works

Logistics personnel across the globe have been trying to find a way to better manage their pallets, bins, totes, and all other types of containers. Returnable Transport Units (RTU’s) have been stored in remote corners of warehouses, storage trailers, or a who-knows-where location only to be overlooked and written off. They are replaced time and time again by brand new units. Life as an RTU is much like that of the relief pitcher. They go ignored until they are needed, then they become the most important element in the operation. On the bright side they do get to hang out with all their buddies just sitting around waiting to be called up from the bull pen, or storage trailer out back. The difference is when the Manger of the baseball team needs a reliever he just picks up the phone and rings the bull pen. When the warehouse manager needs RTU’s he has to go searching remote areas of the facility many times resulting in a wild goose chase, a PO request, and a phone call to purchase more.

In a time where logistics personnel are under heavy fire from the company execs to cut costs and make the process more efficient, an immediate solution is to decrease or eliminate the cost for RTU’s. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), specifically the Ultra high frequency (UHF) flavor, is being used to manage the stock of RTU’s with great success. UHF is the choice of most because the read range is greatly extended and capable of reading multiple tags at once. A very simple process of affixing a durable tag to the container or pallet and mounting readers in strategic locations, most often called choke points or gateways, allows proper tracking and locating in a time of need. Ultimately,  UHF FRID eliminates the need to purchase more transport units when there are plenty to choose from in the facility. In addition, centralizing the data (location and identification information) eliminates the communication failure between shifts. Essentially, giving authorized users access to the data collected when they were not in the plant. Without an effective tracking system word of mouth and memory is the only method used to locate RTU’s. When everybody knows everybody grows.

UHF based RFID in many cases can be used to provide automated part tracking in a logistics chain between plants, track parts moving around a warehouse and even providing tracking and traceability on a production line. In most or all of these cases, the UHF RFID data will need to be used by a MES, ERP or even a control system to provide the greatest use and visibility. When you look into using UHF based RFID, understanding how it works is a good start, but it’s usually not good enough to assure success for industrial applications. In comparison, usually knowing the specs with the more localized or “near field” technologies like HF (high frequency) or LF (low frequency) based RFID can provide most of the answers to succeed.

UHF’s technology is designed to work for longer distances, in some cases as much as 3 to 15 meters. This also means there can often be interference present of some sort or another. Because of this distance advantage, many times this same interference is transient. It can be people, vehicles or mobile structures like skids or equipment. Knowing where this interference is or what can cause it can mean the difference between reliable detection or disappointing data “holes”. This is where a “site survey” can not only give you the confidence that your system design will work, but provide the technical recommendations and system design foundation to build your installation from with far greater reliability.

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