MDE-3664B TRIND® Start-up, Service, and Parts Manual · June 2013
Page A-3
What is RFID?
Appendix A - Radio Frequency Identification Defined
What is RFID?
The object of any RFID system is to carry data in suitable transponders, generally known as
tags, and to retrieve data, by machine-readable means, at a suitable time and place to satisfy
particular application needs. Data within a tag may provide identification for an item in
manufacture, goods in transit, a location, and the identity of a vehicle, an animal or individual.
By including additional data the prospect is provided for supporting applications through item
specific information or instructions immediately available on reading the tag. For example, the
color of paint for a car body entering a paint spray area on the production line, the set-up
instructions for a flexible manufacturing cell or the manifest to accompany a shipment of
goods.
A system requires, in addition to tags, a means of reading or interrogating the tags and some
means of communicating the data to a host computer or information management system. A
system will also include a facility for entering or programming data into the tags, if this is not
undertaken at source by the manufacturer. Quite often an antenna is distinguished as if it were
a separate part of an RFID system. While its importance justifies the attention it must be seen
as a feature that is present in both readers and tags, essential for the communication between
the two.
To understand and appreciate the capabilities of RFID systems it is required to consider their
constituent parts. It is also required to consider the data flow requirements that influence the
choice of systems and the practicalities of communicating across the air interface. By
considering the system components and their function within the data flow chain it is possible
to grasp most of the important issues that influence the effective application of RFID.
However, it is useful to begin by briefly considering the manner in which wireless
communication is achieved, as the techniques involved have an important bearing upon the
design of the system components.