SBIR Phase I: Enabling Technology for Item Level RFID Tagging

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段的研究项目旨在开发一类新的媒体访问控制器（MAC）算法，特别是用于超宽带通信系统。新算法的动机是应用超宽带的RFID（射频识别）市场。无源RFID标签由读取器发射的入射RF信号供电。标签积累电能并以其ID进行响应，通常为64至128位长。无源标签需要在受到非常严格的功率预算约束的同时表现稳健。这里提出的MAC层算法满足这两个要求。低功耗要求是通过改变数据格式，从一个数字表示在一个突发的时间表示不频繁的个人脉冲。鲁棒性部分地通过以极低的功率启用独立的发射机来实现，部分地通过保证高的收敛概率和冲突避免来实现，并且部分地通过在连续的库存循环中重复具有不同代码的序列来实现。来自每个标签的脉冲足够稀疏以允许标签的低功率操作。在每一轮库存完成后，ID的加扰/编码会发生变化，以实现更好的传播，更低的模糊概率，并实现卓越的安全性。RFID是一个指数级增长的市场。然而，支持其扩展的技术不能在标签和读取器之间提供鲁棒的通信和信令。此外，今天的技术仅支持低标签密度（10个标签/秒/m2），而将推动RFID市场指数级扩张的应用，如销售点、库存管理、货架管理等，需要100 s和1000 s的标签/sec/m2。所提出的MAC层算法与TagArray的（正在申请专利的）非对称双模通信系统（超宽带和窄带RF技术的组合）一起在高密度下提供无与伦比的鲁棒性。TagArray将努力使其技术成为第三代RFID技术的事实标准。TagArray的技术和产品（无源标签和阅读器）适用于现有的应用，如供应链的标签级标签，以及未来的应用，如销售点，安全和访问，以及库存管理。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I research project aims at developing a new class of Media Access Controller (MAC) algorithms to be particularly used with ultrawide band communication systems. The new algorithm is motivated by application of ultrawide band to the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) market. Passive RFID tags are powered by the incident RF signals emitted by a reader. Tags accumulate the electrical energy and respond back with their IDs, usually 64 to 128 bits long. Passive tags are required to behave robustly while constrained by very stringent power budgets. The MAC layer algorithm proposed here satisfies both requirements. The low power requirement is achieved by changing the data format from a number representation in a burst to a temporalrepresentation by infrequent individual impulses. Robustness is achieved in part by enabling a stand-alone transmitter at extremely low power, in part by guaranteeing high probability of convergence and collision avoidance, and in part by repetition of the sequence with different codes in consecutive inventory rounds. The impulses from each tag are sufficiently sparse to allow low power operation of the tag. Upon completion of each inventory round, the scrambling/coding of the ID is changed to achieve, better spreading, lower probability of ambiguity and achieving superb security.RFID is an exponentially growing market. However, the technology that supports its expansion is not able to provide robust communication and signaling between a tag and a reader. Furthermore, today's technology only supports a low tag density (10s of tags/sec/m2), while the applications that will fuel the exponential expansion of the RFID market, like point-of-sale, inventory management, shelf management, etc., requires 100s and 1000s of tags/sec/m2. The proposed MAC layer algorithms together with TagArray's (patent pending) Asymmetric Dual Mode Communication system (a combination of ultrawide band and narrowband RF technologies) provide unmatched robustness at high density. TagArray will work to make its technology the defacto standard for the 3rd generation of RFID technology. TagArray's technology and products (passive tags and readers) are applicable to existing applications such as pallet-level tagging for supply chain as well as future applications such as point of sale, security and access, and inventory management.