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种新型的媒体访问控制器（MAC）算法，特别用于超宽带通信系统。新算法的提出是受超宽带技术在射频识别（RFID）领域应用的推动。无源RFID标签由阅读器发出的射频信号供电。标签积累电能，并以其id（通常为64至128位长）进行响应。无源标签在受到非常严格的功率预算限制的情况下，要求表现稳健。本文提出的MAC层算法满足这两个要求。低功耗要求是通过将数据格式从突发的数字表示改为不频繁的单个脉冲的时间表示来实现的。鲁棒性的实现部分是通过在极低的功率下实现独立的发射机，部分是通过保证高收敛和避免碰撞的概率，部分是通过在连续的库存轮次中重复不同代码的序列。来自每个标签的脉冲足够稀疏，以允许标签的低功耗操作。在每轮盘点结束后，对ID进行置乱/编码，实现更好的传播，更低的歧义概率，达到极好的安全性。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健壮的通信和信号。此外，今天的技术只支持低标签密度（10个标签/秒/平方米），而将推动RFID市场指数级扩展的应用，如销售点，库存管理，货架管理等，需要100个和1000个标签/秒/平方米。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（超宽带和窄带射频技术的组合）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技术的实际标准。TagArray的技术和产品（被动标签和读取器）适用于现有的应用，如供应链的托盘级标签，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.