Automatic Vehicle Identification using RFIDA first hand experience

* P.Butani, ** Dr. Joseph John & *** Major Akash Dhole * P.Butani, Director Research (Mechanical), RDSO ** Dr Joseph John, Prof. Electrical Engg., IIT, Kanpur *** Major Akash Dhole, M.Tech student, IIT, Kanpur

Background:
Development of several wayside detection systems such as Wheel Impact Load Detector, Trackside Bogie Monitoring System and Hot Box, Hot Wheel Detector has been taken up with IIT Kanpur. In all these systems, vehicles with defects are identified using axle count starting from the locomotive. However, if there is a change in the direction of train or remarshalling of vehicles, the axle count of the identified vehicle with defects no more remains valid. Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI) for identifying railway vehicles is being extensively used world over. This system in combination with wayside detection systems help in identifying vehicles with defects and sending advise to the maintenance depot /owning authority for taking corrective action. This has helped in introducing the concept of Predictive Maintenance. In view of above, it was decided to develop the capability of identifying vehicles using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system along with the project of development of Trackside Bogie Monitoring System.

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is a means of identifying an item based on radio frequency transmission. This technology can be used to identify, track and detect a wide variety of objects. Communication takes place between a reader and a transponder (derived from TRANSmitter/resPONDER - Silicon Chip connected to an antenna), usually called tag. Tags come in many forms, such as smart labels that are stuck on boxes, smart cards and a box that you stick on your windshield to enable you to pay tolls without stopping. Tags can either be passive (powered by the reader field), semi-passive or active (powered by battery). Active RFID tags are powered by an onboard powering source and tend to be more expensive than passive tags that harvest power from the RF energy of the reader. On board power allows the active tags to have greater communication distance and faster response time. These tags are more versatile and usually have larger memory capacity. Passive RFID tags have no internal power source and use external power to operate. These tags are powered by the electromagnetic signal received from a reader. The received electromagnetic signal charges an internal capacitor on the tags, which in turn, acts as a power source and supplies the power to the chip.

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Automatic identification, or auto ID for short, is the broad term given to a host of technologies that are used to help machines identify objects. Auto identification is often coupled with automatic data capture. That is, companies want to identify items, capture information about them and somehow get the data into a computer without having employees type it in. The aim of most auto-ID systems is to increase efficiency, reduce data entry errors, and free up staff to perform more value-added functions. There are a host of technologies that fall under the auto-ID umbrella. These include bar codes, smart cards, voice recognition, some biometric technologies (retinal scans, for instance), optical character recognition, radio frequency identification (RFID) and others.

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Introduction:

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RFID systems differentiation criteria depend on operating reader frequency, physical coupling method and communication distance (read range). The communication frequency used ranges from 135 KHz long wave to 5.8 GHz in the microwave range and are classified into four basic Ranges: LF (low frequency, 30 - 300 kHz), HF (high frequency, 3 - 30 MHz), UHF (ultra high frequency, 300 MHz 2 GHz) and Microwave (> 2 GHz). The physical coupling uses magnetic and electromagnetic fields. The communication distance varies from few millimeters to above 35 meters (close coupling: 0 - 1 cm, remote coupling: 0 - 1 m, long range: > 1 m). The following table shows an overview of RFID performances at various frequencies: LF
Frequency Range Standards specifications Typical Read Range Coupling General <135KHz ISO/IEC 18000-2

HF
13.56 MHz ISO/IEC 18000-3 Auto ID HF Class I ISO 1693, ISO 14443(A/B) ~1m Magnetic Less expensive than LF tags. Best suited for applications that do not require longrange reading of high number of tags. This frequency has the widest application scope. Mainly passive using inductive coupling (near field) Smart cards, Access Control, Payment, ID, Item level tagging, baggage control, Biometrics, Libraries, laundries, Transport, Apparel Currently the most widely available high frequency worldwide due to the adoption of smart cards in transport.

UHF
860-930 MHz

Microwave
2.45GHz

ISO/IEC 18000-6 ISO/IEC 18000-4 Auto ID Class 0, Class 1 ~4 - 5m Electromagnetic In volume UHF tags have the potential to be cheaper than LF of HF due to recent advances in IC design. Good for reading multiple tags at long range. More affected than LF and HF by performance degradations from metals and liquids. Active and passive tags using E-Field back scatter in the far field ~1m Electromagnetic Similar characteristics to UHF but faster read rates. Drawback is microwaves are much more susceptible to performance degradations from metals and liquids. Active and passive tags using E-Field back scatter in the far field. Electronic toll collection, Real Time Location of goods.

< 0.5m Magnetic Larger antennas resulting in higher cost tags. Least susceptible to performance degradations from metals and liquids.

Notes

Multiple Tag Read Rate Ability to read near metal or wet surfaces Passive Tag Size

Largest installed base due to mature technology. However, will be overtaken by higher frequencies. Slower Better Larger

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Typical applications

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Tag power source

Mainly passive using inductive coupling (near field) Access Control, Animal tagging, Vehicle immobilizers

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Supply chain-pallet and Box tagging, Baggage Handling, electronic toll collection.

Different frequencies 5.8GHz more or and power allocated by less abandoned for different countries RFID US 4W(EIRP) 915MHz Europe 0.5W (ERP) 868 MHz Faster Worse Smaller

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In the typical configuration tags are placed on the objects to be identified. Each tag is provided with an internal memory, which is partially read-only and, optionally, rewritable, where the information (unique ID serial number, manufacture date, product composition etc.) about the object is stored. When these tags pass through the field generated by a reader, they transmit this information back to the reader, thus allowing the object identification. The communication process between the reader and tag is managed and controlled by one of several protocols, such as the ISO 15693 and ISO 18000-3 for HF or the ISO 18000-6, and EPC for UHF. The identification process begins when the reader is switched on; it starts emitting a signal at the selected frequency band (typically 860 915 MHz for UHF or 13.56 MHz for HF); the tags reached by the readers field will wake up (supplied by the field itself, if passive). Once the Tag has decoded the signal, it replies to the reader, by modulating the reader field (backscattering modulation). If many tags are present then they will all reply at the same time. If this occurs, the reader detects a signal collision and an indication of multiple tags. In this case the reader uses an anti-collision algorithm designed to allow tags to be sorted and individually selected. The number of tags that can be identified depends on the frequency and protocol used, and typically ranges from 50 tags/s to 200 tags/s. Once one tag is selected, the reader can perform all the allowed operations such as read the tags identifier number, or also write data in it (in case of a read/write tag). After operations on the first tag are finished, the reader starts processing the second one and so on until the last one.

In order to receive energy and communicate with a reader, passive tags use either one of the two following methods. These are near field, which employs inductive coupling of the tag to the magnetic field circulating around the reader antenna (like a transformer), and far field, which uses similar techniques to radar (backscatter reflection) by coupling with the electric field. The near field is generally used by RFID systems operating in the LF and HF frequency bands, and the far field for longer read range UHF and microwave RFID systems. The reason is that in the near field, the field energy decreases, as a first approximation, proportionally to 1/R3 (where R is the distance from the antenna), while in the far field the energy decreases proportionally to 1/R; the borderline between near and far field is at R = /2; as a result, in the far field the energy of lower frequencies waves will turn out to be much more reduced than that of higher ones, whose use is thus mandatory in that zone. Passive technology is most widely used for RFID applications. Passive technology operates in a range of frequency bands, of which 860 956 MHz (ISM) band is most popular. Passive tags operating at UHF communicate with the reader through Amplitude Modulation (AM), and receive their power from the reader field, with energy transfer based on the far field properties. Communication from tag to reader is achieved by altering the antenna input impedance in time with the data stream to be transmitted: in this way the power reflected back to the reader is

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modulated in time with the data. The use of far field backscatter modulation introduces problems that are not present in HF and lower frequency systems. One of the most important of such undesired effects is due to the fact that the field emitted by the reader is not only reflected by the tag antenna, but also by any objects with dimensions in the order of the wavelength used: these reflected fields could damp the readers and the back scattered field thus reducing the systems efficiency; for this reason it is better to use more than just one antenna per reader. ISO defines the Air interface communication between Reader->Tag and Tag->Reader, and include parameters like Communication protocol, Signal Modulation types, Data coding and frames, Data Transmission rates and Anti-collision (detection and sorting of many tags in the Reader field at the same time). The ISO standard list for Air Interface is as follows:
ISO 18000 RFID for Item Management: Air Interface -1 Generic parameters -2 below 135 kHz -3 at 13.56 MHz -4 at 2.45 GHz -5 at 5.8 GHz -6 at UHF frequency band

Electronic Product Code- 96 bits

Operating Principle: Backscattering (UHF) Passive RFID: The major components, of a

backscattering Passive (UHF) RFID system, are readers, tags and an application host. An RFID reader mainly comprises of a set of antennae, a radio interface, a control unit and a powering unit. The antenna performs the function of transmitting and receiving the electromagnetic energy used for communication and powering the tags, within its range. The radio interface performs the job of detection, modulation and demodulation of the RF signal. The control unit executes the communication protocol with the tags and interprets the data received from the tags. In performing all the above-mentioned functionalities, the reader communicates with the tags within range as directed by the application host and reports the results to the host. A common tag implementation consists of an electronic microchip that stores data and executes the tags functionality, an antenna that performs the function of receiving and transmitting RF energy, a tag powering circuit that utilizes the RF power from the reader to power up the microchip, and a substrate on which the entire tag is built. Passive RFID tags, that utilize the RF energy from the reader for its operation, come cheapest and have the largest commercial potential.

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EPC Global has released their UHF standards, which include class 0 and class 1 tag. Class 0 EPC tags have a factory programmed 96 bit data that cannot be altered, whereas class 1 allows user programmable data. EPC Global has proposed other classes of EPC tags that would provide user memory beyond the ID code. It has also created detailed specifications for the structure of the 96-bit code flexible enough to incorporate other coding standards currently in use in the supply chain.

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The response of the tag to the readers query ID command depends on whether reader is operating in global scroll or inventory mode. The query ID command format from the reader depends upon these modes and depending upon which format is used in the reader data field, the tag response will take one of the two possible forms. The global scroll command is intended to identify one tag at a time and the tag response to this command is generated in the form of tag's identification code in whole, which includes both the tag's EPC and CRC. In case of inventory mode of the reader, several tags in its identification range can be identified simultaneously. The reader goes through all possible code combinations with the minimum number of readings using an anti-collision algorithm. Each reply of the tags includes a 15-bit part of its EPC defined in the reader's command code.

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Fig. Communication Principle

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Powering up phase of the reader transmission is followed by the command transmission phase in which modulated RF is sent by the reader as command signal. The powered up tag IC executes the readers command. After the reader has transmitted its command, it starts to broadcast a continuous field again which the tag will modulate and backscatter again as its response to the readers command. The modulation is produced by switching the tags antenna matching. The schematic of this operation is depicted in figure:

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The tag Integrated Circuit (IC) controls the tag operations according to the readers commands and the communication protocol. Tag antenna receives readers continuous wave during the readers powering up phase. The tag powering up circuit rectifies this CW signal from the reader and further delivers it to its IC circuitry.

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The complete identification procedure takes a certain amount of time. This time takes into account the maximum and minimum time intervals of each modulation window that is defined in the concerned specification. Besides this, the data processing also takes a certain amount of time. The identification time required for identification of tags one at a time using the Global scroll technique is very less as it takes a single round trip of one command and its response. On the other hand Inventory command used for multiple tag identification consists of several read cycles. The exact number of read cycles required depends on the number of tags present with in the identification range of the reader and their closeness in EPC codes in the binary tree. It indicates that the inventory command should only be used with very low velocities to achieve reliable identification accuracy, and for higher velocities, Global scroll command and reading of the tags one at a time is advisable.

Acquisition Modes: Acquisition Mode defines the method used to read tags in the field. There are two distinct methods for reading tags, "Global Scroll" and "Inventory. The choice of one method over another depends on the application at hand.
Global Scroll: Global Scroll is the most primitive of tag ID reading operations. When a global scroll command is issued, the RFID Reader sends a single command over the air to each and every tag. This command is simply a request for any tag to immediately send back its ID to the RFID Reader. The simplicity of this command is both its advantage and its downfall. The command is very quick to execute as it involves only one round trip between the reader and the tag. However, because the command is so simple, problems may arise if there is more than one tag in the field. At this point, multiple tags will all receive the same command, and will all send back their IDs to the reader at virtually the same time. A situation such as this makes it difficult for the reader to discern individual IDs among the general noise. Typically one or two of the closest tags will be decoded, but the majority will not be discerned. There are many applications where global scroll is the best tag reading method to use. These applications typically expect just one or two tags in the field of view at any one time, such as conveyor belt or tollbooth applications. For these systems, global scroll outperforms a full inventory by a factor of three as far as individual read rates are concerned. Inventory: Inventory command is a full-featured system for discerning the IDs of multiple tags in the field at the same time. This single high-level command transforms itself into a complex series of reader-tag interrogations that eventually resolve themselves into a single list of tag IDs seen by the RFID Reader. This method of interrogation and evaluation of multiple tags is known as an anti-collision search. These algorithms are far more complex than the global scroll algorithm, requiring many more reader-tag instructions. Class 1 Gen 1 Inventory uses deterministic inventory algorithm which involves a rigorous method of "walking the tree" through all possible bit combinations that make up Tag IDs. In contrast, the Class 1 Gen 2 protocol is "probabilistic". In the Class 1 Gen 2 inventory, the reader tells all the tags to roll a random number, and the population is subdivided into a number of "bins" (determined by the "Q" parameter). Only those tags that chose a random number in bin #1 get to talk. After the reader finishes with this first group of tags, it tells the rest of the tags to move down a bin, and it then talks to the next group of tags. Picking the starting Q parameter that is right for the expected tag population size is important in achieving good inventory performance. In case of railway application the tags will be placed far enough from each other to ensure that no two tags will be in the RF field at any given time. In such a scenario use of Global Scroll mode of acquisition is possible and it will enhance the performance of the system drastically. However it has to be ensured that the tags are spaced apart adequately to avoid any collision.

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Tag read mode: There are two methods of reading the tags, Interactive Mode and
Autonomous Mode. In Interactive Mode the controlling application issues commands to the reader to read tags. This command will always immediately return with a list of tags in the reader's field of view. On the other hand in case of Autonomous Mode, the reader constantly reads tags, and may initiate a conversation with a network listener when certain events arise. While both methods are equally useful, the choice will ultimately be determined by the needs of the controlling application. Although it may be easier and require less coding to work in Interactive Mode, a little investment in programming effort lets the user set up Auto Mode. Readers that spend less time communicating with the host can spend more time looking for tags. Interactive Mode: Reading tags in Interactive Mode is as simple as issuing a single command to the reader. This causes the reader to initiate a tag search, and report back the current Tag List. Autonomous Mode: Autonomous Mode is a configuration and operation mode that enables automated monitoring and handling of tag data. A series of configuration commands are issued initially to the reader which specify how and when to read tags, and optionally what to do with the tag data. Once configured in this mode, the reader can be left to operate on its own. An application on a host computer can then be set up to listen for notification messages from the reader containing any tag data that it has read. Fundamentally, a reader operating in Auto Mode moves between several states: Waiting, Working, Evaluation, and Notification. Movement from one state to the next may be initiated by an expiration of a timer, a triggered event on the digital input lines, or changes to the Tag List. Autonomous mode has a feature by which the Tag List delivered has time stamps indicating the instants at which the tags were detected. These can then be used to correlate the Tag IDs with the corresponding sensor data.

Antenna Sequence: The readers can invariably support the use of multiple antennas and
allow selecting which antenna port(s) to use and in what sequence. The reader cycles through all the antennas, in the order specified in the Antenna Sequence. The Readers may be MonoStatic Systems or Multi Static Systems. Mono-Static System Readers have the ability to transmit and receive RF signals on the same antenna port. Multi Static System Readers, on the other hand, transmit and receive RF signals on separate antennas, providing significantly better sensitivity to weak tag backscatter signals. These readers may allow fixed antenna pairing scheme or more flexible arbitrary combinations of transmit/receive antennas, giving better RF coverage over a larger area in front of the reader, with fewer antennas.

Initial Hurdles in Implementation:

RFID is a relatively new technology and is yet to find widespread application in India. Earlier there was no frequency allotted by Wireless Planning and Coordination Wing for this purpose. However vide its notification G.S.R 168(E), dated 11th March, 2005, 865-867 MHz was allotted for Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) with a maximum transmitter power of 1 Watt (4 Watts Effective Radiated Power) with 200 KHz carrier band width. Also 2.4 GHz to 2.4835 GHz. band was de-licensed vide notification no. G.S.R. 45 (E) dated 28th January 2005. Although the frequency band was allotted for RFID application, no equipment working in this band was available. For railway applications, the American railroads are using 902-928MHz while in Europe 2.4GHz band is being used. In Europe, 869.4-869.65MHz band with 500mW power was also being used for general RFID applications. Subsequently, in October 2004, with gradual increase in use of RFID in Europe, ETSI 302208 was adopted with a frequency band of 865-868 MHz. As a result, RFID equipment working in this frequency range became available in the later half of 2005.

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It was decided to purchase a RFID system with a small quantity of tags for trials. The option was to either go in for a proven system for Railway Vehicle Identification or to purchase a generalpurpose system and adapt it for railway application. Offers were received from M/s Transcore, USA for their RFID system comprising of AI 1200 Reader, AR2200 RF module, Antenna AA3110, AP4118 Tag Programmer & 100 nos. of AT5118 tag and M/s Tag Master, Sweden for their Heavy Duty Reader S1566 and 100 nos. of Script tags S1450. Although they were offering a proven system for Railway Vehicle Identification, they were offering their standard product working on frequencies allotted for RFID in their countries, i.e, 902-928 MHz & 2.4 GHz respectively. Also the systems were expensive (~ Rs 10 lakhs). The only company, which was offering equipment in the desired frequency band of 865-867 MHz in 2005, was CAEN, Italy. Although they were offering a general-purpose system not tried for railway applications, the system was cheaper (~ Rs 2 lakhs). It was decided to purchase a general-purpose system, which, besides being cheaper will give ample scope for experimentation and learning. A development kit A948DKEU working on ISO protocol was purchased from CAEN, Italy along with 100 nos of A918 tags for conducting trials. Subsequently, in the later half of 2006, more such equipments working on the desired frequency became available. Development kit ALR-8800 Dev C working on a different protocol, EPC, was purchased from Alien Technologies, USA. This system was also in the range of ~ Rs 2 lakhs.

Trials with the systems:

Tag

(a) Transponder attached to the undercarriage of vehicle

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Reader Antenna
(b) Transponder attached to the side of vehicle Trials with CAEN System: The CAEN development kit came with demo application software in JAVA and Visual C++. As the equipment was to be used along with the Trackside Bogie Monitoring System working on LabVIEW, fresh program in LabVIEW was developed. The system works on ISO-18000-6b protocol. The tag can store 2k bits of data (256 bytes). The equipment was tested on running trains. It could read tagID+10 characters of data (vehicle no.) from tags fixed on the vehicles moving up to 75kmph. However at higher speeds it could read

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RFID tags may be placed on the rail vehicles, and the reader with antenna can be placed suitably, along with other wayside detection systems. The antennae may be placed on the trackside and the tags may be fixed on the sides of the rail vehicle, or alternatively, the tags may be mounted on the undercarriage of the rail vehicle and the antennae may be placed between the tracks looking up. The setup may take one of the forms shown in figure. However on IR, at present, the toilet discharge from the passenger coaches is allowed to fall directly on the tracks. As such, the tag placed on the side of the vehicles is the only option.

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only the tagID. The speed of the vehicle had to be reduced when no. of characters of data to be read increased. The system first interrogates the tag for its ID and in the next interrogation reads the data. The tag should be available in the reading range for sufficient time for the Reader to read the tag ID + data. This double interrogation cycle limits the speed of the vehicle for automatic identification. For using this system for vehicle identification at higher speeds, the option is to read only tag ID and link it to a computer database to find the vehicle no.

A948 Reader

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Antenna Reader

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Field trials with CAEN System

Tag ID

Tag Data

Tag ID

Tag Data

Antenna-1

Antenna-2

Screenshot of LabVIEW program front panel used with the CAEN hardware

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A 948 Dev Kit

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Tag IC

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Tag Antenna

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A918 Tag

During the trials numbering of 111... , 222, etc (10 alphanumeric characters) was used as Tag data instead of actual vehicle no. for ease to find out which tag data was missed. Speed: 50 kmph
S No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Tag ID E004C9BD2C010000 E004C9BD2C010000 E004C4B52C010000 E004C4B52C010000 E0043BAD2C010000 E0043BAD2C010000 E0043BAD2C010000 E004A5CD2C010000 E004FEC82C010000 E004FEC82C010000 E0042ACD2C010000 E0042ACD2C010000 E0043BF82C010000 E0043BF82C010000 E00463C12C010000 E00463C12C010000 E00463C12C010000 E00463C12C010000 E00463C12C010000 E00401D82D010000 E00401D82D010000 E00401D82D010000 E00401D82D010000 E00458B12C010000 E00458B12C010000 E00458B12C010000 E00458B12C010000 E00458B12C010000 Tag Data 1111111111 2222222222 2222222222 3333333333 3333333333 4444444444 5555555555 6666666666 6666666666 7777777777 8888888888 8888888888 8888888888 8888888888 9999999999 Time 12:59:25 PM 12:59:25 PM 12:59:26 PM 12:59:26 PM 12:59:27 PM 12:59:27 PM 12:59:27 PM 12:59:29 PM 12:59:30 PM 12:59:30 PM 12:59:31 PM 12:59:31 PM 12:59:32 PM 12:59:32 PM 12:59:34 PM Delay (ms) 129 148 126 124 128 124 145 101 128 130 124 127 129 123 127 126 127 124 146 126 123 123 135 112 117 121 115 107

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Tag Data

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9999999999 9999999999 10101010101 10101010101 10101010101 10101010101 10101010101

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Data acquired during field trials of CAEN equipment at speed of 50 kmph Speed: 75 kmph
Time 01:29:12 PM 01:29:12 PM 01:29:12 PM 01:29:13 PM 01:29:13 PM 01:29:13 PM 01:29:14 PM 01:29:14 PM 01:29:14 PM 01:29:14 PM 01:29:15 PM Delay (mS) 141 116 125 125 121 120 129 113 120 121 123

S No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Tag ID E004C9BD2C010000 E004C4B52C010000 E004C4B52C010000 E0043BAD2C010000 E004A5CD2C010000 E004FEC82C010000 E0042ACD2C010000 E0043BF82C010000 E00463C12C010000 E00463C12C010000 E00463C12C010000

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2222222222 4444444444 6666666666 8888888888 8888888888

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12:59:34 PM 12:59:34 PM 12:59:34 PM 12:59:34 PM 12:59:35 PM

12:59:35 PM 12:59:35 PM 12:59:35 PM 12:59:36 PM 12:59:36 PM 12:59:36 PM 12:59:36 PM 12:59:36 PM

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E00401D82D010000 E00401D82D010000 E00401D82D010000 E00458B12C010000 E00458B12C010000 E00458B12C010000 E00458B12C010000

9999999999 9999999999 9999999999 10101010101 10101010101 10101010101

01:29:15 PM 01:29:16 PM 01:29:16 PM 01:29:16 PM 01:29:17 PM 01:29:17 PM 01:29:17 PM

126 113 123 112 114 112 122

Data acquired during field trials of CAEN equipment at speed of 75 kmph Around 75kmph, although all TagIDs could be read, tag data of some of the tags highlighted above was missed. These tags were fixed on wagons and the stiffeners surrounding the Tags resulted in reflections, causing nulls in the RF field.

Trials with System supplied by Alien Technologies: The system works on EPC
protocol. The tags can store 96 bits of user programmable data. A separate program in LabVIEW was developed for this system. The equipment was tested up to 150 kmph by moving two vehicles, one with tags and the other with reader, in opposite direction. The system, however, was not tested on a wagon, wherein the limitation of reading the tags due to stiffeners, is experienced.

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Tag ID -16 alphanumeric characters 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 1111111111111111 1111111111111111 2222222222222222 2222222222222222 3333333333333333 3333333333333333 4444444444444444 4444444444444444 5555555555555555 6666666666666666 6666666666666666 7777777777777777 7777777777777777 8888888888888888 9999999999999999 Date

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Field trials with Alien System
Time 09:19:08. 677 09:19:08. 852 09:19:10.936 09:19:11.251 9:19:12.337 9:19:12.471 09:19:14.257 9:19:14.352 9:19:16.077 09:19:16.192 9:19:18.297 9:19:19.897 9:19:20.052 9:19:21.817 9:19:21.992 9:19:23.657 9:19:26.013 No. of Reads 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 3 1 3 1 3 Reading Antenna 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 Tag Type Class 1 Gen 2 Class 1 Gen 2 Class 1 Gen 2 Class 1 Gen 2 Class 1 Gen 2 Class 1 Gen 2 Class 1 Gen 2 Class 1 Gen 2 Class 1 Gen 2 Class 1 Gen 2 Class 1 Gen 2 Class 1 Gen 2 Class 1 Gen 2 Class 1 Gen 2 Class 1 Gen 2 Class 1 Gen 2 Class 1 Gen 2

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Data acquired at speed of 60 kmph with Alien System

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2007/03/02 2007/03/02 2007/03/02 2007/03/02 2007/03/02 2007/03/02 2007/03/02 2007/03/02 2007/03/02 2007/03/02 2007/03/02 2007/03/02 2007/03/02 2007/03/02 2007/03/02 2007/03/02 2007/03/02

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Tag

Antenna

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Screenshot of LabVIEW program front panel used with the ALIEN Hardware

ALR 8800 Dev kit

Setup for trials at 150 kmph for ALIEN system (Two vehicles moving in opposite direction to get a relative speed of 150 kmph)

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MINIMUM PROGRAMMING CYCLES: Gen 2 tags 10,000 write/erase cycles

MEMORY: Gen 2 tags 240 bits NVM EPC size 96 bits Protocol Control bits 16 bits Lock Bits 10 bits Kill Bit 1 bit Access Code 32 bits Kill Code 32 bits Reserved 53 bits

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Tag ID TAG 1 TAG 2

Date 2007/05/03 2007/05/03

Time 11:12:45.459 11:12:45.735

No. of Reads 1 3

Reading Antenna 0 0

Tag Type Class 1 Gen 2 Class 1 Gen 2

Data acquired during trials of ALIEN system at speed of 150 kmph

Comparison of the two systems

A comparison of the two systems is shown below: System CAEN, Italy A948 EU long range reader Reader Model Universal tag A918- encapsulated Tag @ 7.00. The cost may reduce if the quantity of tags increases. Alien Technologies, USA ALR 8800 Gen2 ALL-9460 Omni squiggle tagslabel tags-free samples Encapsulated tags cost the same as A918 tag of CAEN 2970 US $ 3400 Cost of Dev kit ISO-18000-6b EPC Protocol Interrogation cycle Double interrogation - first for tag ID Single interrogation and then for tag data. Mono-static: transmits and receives Multi-static: has different Type of System RF signals on the same antenna transmission and reception port. antennae Each antenna works independently. Work in pairs- each antenna No. of Antenna alternately transmits & receives; the first antenna transmits and the other receives; then the second antenna transmits and the first one receives. Method of Tag data Does not give the option for Tag Global scroll & Inventory searchacquisition using global scroll Global scroll is approximately acquisitionthree times faster than inventory Global Scroll / search which uses anti-collision Inventory algorithm Provision for autonomous mode Mode of Operation Does not have a provision for of operation using external autonomous mode of operation Autonomous/ using external trigger. However with trigger. Interactive mode of Interactive reading spends too much time in little modification in firmware this option can be made available in the the communication between reader and the host PC. system. Autonomous mode saves the time spent in communication between the host and reader while the acquisition is on. 3.2 W@ 8dbi antenna - Can be 2 W - Can be varied Power ERP varied TagID is unique and is given at the Tag ID itself is user defined in Tag ID time of manufacture of tags- to the EPC C1G2 tags. provide a user defined ID to the tags it is necessary to use some amount of tag data. Reading 10 alphanumeric characters of tag data along with tag ID doubles the read time, making the application drastically slower

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96 bits is user programmable. 16 alphanumeric characters can be stored can be used only for vehicle identification ~150kmph not tried on Reading speed wagons. However the system is (for 12 characters faster than CAEN as it is multiof vehicle ID data) static and can work in Global Scroll mode. ~ 6 meters ~ 6 meters Reading range Performance is affected by metallic Performance is affected by surroundings metallic surroundings 40/160 kbps 80/80 kbps Trans./ Rec. Rates TX/RX Tag Memory 2048 bits (256 bytes out of which 216 bytes are user defined) in view of larger memory, maintenance schedule dates may also be stored. ~75kmph - limitation is on account of wagons due to effect of stiffeners.

General Observations:
The operating environment plays a very important role while designing and implementing an RFID application. Metal objects and electrical noise in the vicinity of tags, extreme operating temperatures, presence of liquids and physical obstructions can seriously affect the performance of the system. To have a reliable RFID system it is very important to do a detailed site survey and carry out extensive trials. The following observations were made during the trials: As the performance of the system is affected by metallic surroundings, it was easier to read the tags on a coaching vehicle than on a wagon with stiffeners. AAR Manual of Standards and Recommended Practices Railway Electronics specifies a Clear Zone surrounding the tags and towards the wayside. This clear zone must not be obstructed by any metallic objects or protrusions. To allow for unobstructed transmission of data, tags must be afforded horizontal and vertical clearance windows of 2.5 cm on each side. These windows radiate out at 45 from the ends of the tags, and at 60 from the sides of the tags as shown in the figure. No part of the rail vehicle structure or attachments may extend into the clear zones as depicted, to include 2.5 cm from the periphery of the tag.

Tag mounting clearance zone It was observed that the Reader had difficulty in reading some of the tags as compared to others. These were the tags fixed on the goods wagon and for speeds around 75 kmph reader failed to detect some of these tags. The stiffeners surrounding the Tags resulted in reflections, causing nulls in the RF field. Nulls are created due to interaction of incident RF waves with those reflected from obstructions in the vicinity of the tag. These null are very prominent when the tag, on the moving rail vehicle, enters the RF field of the reader, as the reflections from the obstruction preceding the tag in the RF field are very strong. However the effect diminishes as the tag moves towards the point where it is directly in front of the Reader antenna. The net result is that the reading zone is reduced causing the reader to miss the tags at high speeds.

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Planar antennas have a higher reading range than circularly polarized antennas for the same power level although orientation of tags with respect to the antenna assumes importance.
Power (mW) Cut Off Distances (cm) La Linear Antenna 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 252 286 399 414 488 533 555 582 627 Circular Antenna 194 226 251 277 308 332 387 417 434 Identification Ranges (cm) Ra Linear Antenna 91.65 104.02 145.12 150.57 177.49 193.86 201.86 211.68 228.05 Circular Antenna 93.06 108.41 120.40 132.87 147.74 159.25 185.64 200.03 208.18 Identification Distances (cm) Wa Linear Antenna 305.08 346.25 483.05 501.21 590.80 645.28 671.91 704.60 759.08 Circular Antenna 192.73 224.52 249.36 275.19 305.98 329.83 384.47 414.27 431.16

Power Attenuation (dB)

Cut Off Distances (cm) La Linear Antenna Circular Antenna 115 127 165 187 202 226 254 287 319 360 417 461 478 505 530 580

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Linear Antenna 64.04 78.99 91.62 105.89 123.00 127.76 144.24 162.32 178.48 185.46 198.14 213.36 224.13 234.91 252.35 267.25

Identification Ranges (cm) Ra Circular Antenna 52.48 57.96 75.30 85.34 92.18 103.14 115.92 130.98 145.58 164.29 190.30 210.38 218.14 230.46 241.87 264.69

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La is the max. distance at which the Reader was barely able to read the tag Wa is the max. width of the reading zone along the direction of movement of vehicle Ra is the distance from the Antenna at which the width of reading zone is maximum.

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Variation of identification distance as a function of radiated power for CAEN System under ideal conditions

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Linear Antenna 240.88 293.35 344.63 398.29 462.68 480.58 542.58 610.55 671.37 697.61 745.31 802.55 843.10 883.64 949.22 981.42

Identification Distances (cm) Wa Circular Antenna 120.74 133.35 173.24 196.35 212.09 237.29 266.69 301.34 334.94 377.99 437.84 484.04 508.88 530.24 556.49 608.98

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Variation of Identification distance as a function of radiated power for Alien Technology System under ideal conditions

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246 289 334 388

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In CAEN RFID system, using more no. of antennas increases the zone for reading the tags. However, the system takes more time to read the tags. Also the reading time increases as the size of data increases. For One Antenna ID Only Reading Time Required For Two Antenna ID Only Reading Time Required 62 ms 119 ms

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The reading zone of antennas is around 70-75 degrees.

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Increasing power always does not result in increase in Reading range of the tags. Reflection from rails & other metallic surroundings come into play.

Delay When Data Is Also Read With IDs

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Circular Antenna - Radiation Pattern Linear Antenna - Radiation Pattern Plot of equi-power points

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Note: The readings are taken by allowing only one tag in front of an antenna. If more tags are present, delay will further increase

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For railway vehicle identification, anti-collision algorithm is not required as more than one tag is never expected to be in the RF field of the reader. Global scroll is approximately three times faster than inventory search, which uses anticollision algorithm. For the system that we are trying to implement, more than one tag is never expected to be in the RF field of the reader. In such a scenario sacrificing precious time working with full inventory search is not advisable. The tags will have to be placed on the metal surface of the rail vehicle and hence must be encapsulated with proper shielding. A918 universal tags supplied by CAEN have an air gap of about 10-12mm between the tag circuitry and the metal surface of the vehicle on which the tag is fixed. They are encapsulated using ABS (Acrylonitrile, Butadiene, Styrene). As the tags on Rail vehicles will be subjected to heavy vibrations, an insulating material instead of air may be used which may also act as a support for the tag circuitry. To improve the reliability in detection of tags, it is essential to build in redundancies in the system. Multiple antennas may be used to increase the zone of reading of tags, although it may slow down the system.

Probable applications for Railways:

The RFID system can be used for the following applications on Railways: Parcel Tracking Inventory Monitoring Tracking of wheel sets

Schedule dates of Locomotives/Coaches can be stored - using larger memory tags Monitoring of critical subassemblies in locomotives- using larger memory tags

may be used.

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As an alternative to storing all the information in the tag, a computer database linked to tag ID

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Automatic Vehicle Identification

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