RFID Edge Controllers

RFID edge controllers are semiconductor devices that are located usually at the edge (input or output) of a radio frequency identification (RFID) system. They are used to control all of the inputs/outputs (I/O) of RFID system devices, and to filter RFID messages. Because radio frequency identification is an important part of supply chain management, RFID edge controllers are designed for use in environments such as warehouse and factory floors. For example, in a warehouse distribution center, RFID edge controllers may be used to control devices such as motion sensors, antennas, and dock doors. By integrating RFID edge controllers with special RFID servers, businesses can integrate legacy equipment with newer RFID devices while maintaining common, back-end, middleware components.

Specifications for RFID edge controllers include operating system, RFID software stack, processor, power supply, enclosure type, and mounting style. Linux? (Linux Torvalds) and Java? (Sun Microsystems) are common operating systems for RFID edge controllers. The RFID software stack may be based on a third-party infrastructure that provides a development kit and application environment which supports the open services gateway initiative (OSGi) architecture. Most RFID edge controllers incorporate an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) and battery backup. There are two choices for enclosure type: industrial and standard. RFID edge controllers that have an industrial-case enclosure are ruggedized and rack-mounted. Devices with a standard-style enclosure may also be rack-mounted, but weigh less and require less space.

RFID edge controllers provide may provide one or more communication interfaces. Choices include RS232, RS485, Ethernet, CompactFlash, and universal serial bus (USB). RS232 and RS485 are standard serial interfaces. RS232 uses two-way transmissions and has a typical transmission speed of 9600 bps at 15 m. RS485 is similar to RS232, but uses three-way transmissions. Ethernet is a standard network protocol for that specifies how data is placed on and retrieved from a common transmission medium. RFID edge controllers that use power over Ethernet (PoE) can eliminate costly power cabling. CompactFlash is a type of removable memory used by many portable electronic devices. USB is the standard serial bus for low-to-medium peripheral device connections. RFID edge controllers with PC/104 ports are also available.

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