Mid-range RFID project

[Lei Liu]

I am preparing for a mobile, mid-range RFID project. It involves
reading up to a dozen or so tags with a portable or hand held device
in a range upto 2-3 meters. The data transmission doesn't have to be
fast, but there may be more than one readable tag within reading zone.
It would be nice if reading is not sensitive to the orientation of
tags. Tags may not always be in the line of sight. Finally, the system
should as inexpensive as possible. We can do limited hardware and
software work to integrate reader output (RS232 or USB or PCMCIA card)
to a hand held pc. What technology (high/low frequency,
active/passive) will work for such a system? What company/product do
you recommand? What is the estimated cost?
Thank you very much!
L.L.

 

[Jim Thompson]

I am preparing for a mobile, mid-range RFID project. It involves
reading up to a dozen or so tags with a portable or hand held device
in a range upto 2-3 meters. The data transmission doesn't have to be
fast, but there may be more than one readable tag within reading zone.
It would be nice if reading is not sensitive to the orientation of
tags. Tags may not always be in the line of sight. Finally, the system
should as inexpensive as possible. We can do limited hardware and
software work to integrate reader output (RS232 or USB or PCMCIA card)
to a hand held pc. What technology (high/low frequency,
active/passive) will work for such a system? What company/product do
you recommand? What is the estimated cost?
Thank you very much!
L.L.

Rather than re-invent the wheel, why don't you contact SAVI Technology
in Sunnyvale, California?

...Jim Thompson

 

[CWatters]

Yeah go contact companies that make RFID tags for car keys etc. I think
Philips and Dallas and ??

 

[Robert Lacoste]

As far as I know there isn't any passive tag technology going up to 2-3m,
except with 10 sq-meter sized antennas... State of the art is 1m with 1 sq-m
antenna, and 10-20cm with reasonnably sized antennas. So the only solution
is active tags.

Yours,
Robert Lacoste - ALCIOM : The mixed signals experts
http://www.alciom.com

 

[Jim Thompson]

As far as I know there isn't any passive tag technology going up to 2-3m,
except with 10 sq-meter sized antennas... State of the art is 1m with 1 sq-m
antenna, and 10-20cm with reasonnably sized antennas. So the only solution
is active tags.

Yours,
Robert Lacoste - ALCIOM : The mixed signals experts
http://www.alciom.com

That's why I suggested SAVI. They make active tags, but are
micro-power (asleep most of the time).

(I designed the chip for their latest tags ;-)

...Jim Thompson

 

[Wayne Shanks]

I am preparing for a mobile, mid-range RFID project. It involves
reading up to a dozen or so tags with a portable or hand held device
in a range upto 2-3 meters. The data transmission doesn't have to be
fast, but there may be more than one readable tag within reading zone.
It would be nice if reading is not sensitive to the orientation of
tags. Tags may not always be in the line of sight. Finally, the system
should as inexpensive as possible. We can do limited hardware and
software work to integrate reader output (RS232 or USB or PCMCIA card)
to a hand held pc. What technology (high/low frequency,
active/passive) will work for such a system? What company/product do
you recommand? What is the estimated cost?
Thank you very much!
L.L.

Matrics 915 MHz passive tags can do this, and we have a hand held...
The Tags have a crossed dual dipole, so there is no deep antenna null
(orientation insensitive)

the tags are of the order of 50 cents in low quantities, the hand held
reader is a few killobucks.

Wayne Shanks

 

[The Real Andy]

Yeah go contact companies that make RFID tags for car keys etc. I think
Philips and Dallas and ??

Texas Instruments have some good long range stuff, including antenna's.