While 134.2-kHz low-frequency (LF) RFID technology has been used to identify everything from livestock to automotive parts since the late 1980s, a host of new applications are demanding tags with improved performance in highly metallic and other harsh industrial environments. To fulfill such requirements, Texas Instruments has introduced two additions to its LF product family, a 12-mm multi-usage wedge transponder and a 24-mm LF circular inlay.

The 12-mm multi-usage wedge transponder offers improvements in chip circuitry that enable direct-on-metal mounting. Whereas the 24-mm LF circular inlay provides improved consistency in read and write performance in applications such as waste management and industrial production.

The tags incorporate a number of RFID technology and quality innovations including half-duplex (HDX) radio communication. HDX boosts read range by 50 percent compared with full-duplex (FDX) LF and offers a stronger RF signal because the HDX reader shuts down during the HDX tag's response. This enables the HDX reader to concentrate on receiving the signal, thereby obtaining an accurate read, compared to FDX. In FDX systems, the reader signal remains on and may create RF interference as it attempts to read the FDX tag. HDX also features frequency-shift keying technology, which makes TI's tags more immune to electromagnetic interference and other ambient environmental noise, enabling the reader to effectively read and differentiate tags that are close together.

TI's new tags are designed for rugged applications such as container tracking in waste management, vehicle identification and access control — as well as other applications in highly metallic environments, such as oil refineries, oil drilling and tool production. The tags can also be applied to carbon fiber products, including aerospace, automotive and bicycle parts, and can withstand the high temperatures of the manufacturing process.

In addition to being able to be directly mounted on metal, TI's 12-mm, multi-usage wedge transponder provides 208 bits of flexible, user-programmable memory and a password-protected write capability that enables users to build a level of security into their application.

For example, a company can have one portion of the tag's memory programmed with a factory-locked number, such as a manufacturer's ID code, while some of the other data sections can be freely used to record status, maintenance, or location updates over the life of an asset. Security can be imposed with a password that permits data updates only by authorized parties.

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