RFID Viability Verification Before Product Shipment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems fail to ensure that each product shipped is labeled with the correct and operational RFID tags and/or barcode labels, leading to issues in the supply chain.
Innovation Solution
A verification system comprising a reader, trigger mechanism, controller, and memory with a database, capable of automatically calibrating RFID readers to verify the presence, operability, and correctness of RFID tags and barcode labels on products, with modes for different verification needs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If RFID tags and barcode labels are applied to products to track them through the supply chain, then product tracking capability is improved, but the risk of incorrect or non-operational tags increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary verification of RFID tags and barcode labels before products leave the manufacturing facility. The verification system checks that tags are properly applied, operational, and contain correct information in advance, preventing incorrect tags from entering the supply chain.
Solution Approach 2:
The verification system provides feedback by comparing RFID tag and barcode information against expected product data. The system identifies and reports incorrect or non-operational tags, allowing for correction before products are shipped to retailers.
2Measurement precision
If manual verification of RFID tags is performed, then verification accuracy is improved, but verification speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The verification system automatically verifies RFID tags and barcode labels without requiring manual intervention. The system self-calibrates and performs rapid verification of multiple products continuously, achieving both high accuracy and high speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual verification processes with an automated electronic verification system using RFID readers and barcode scanners. This substitution enables rapid verification of multiple products simultaneously while maintaining high accuracy through automated data comparison.
3Measurement precision
If RFID readers are calibrated manually, then calibration precision is improved, but calibration time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The verification system performs self-calibration of RFID readers automatically. The system calibrates itself without requiring manual adjustment, reducing calibration time while maintaining precision through automated parameter optimization.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically adjusts and optimizes reader parameters such as transmission power and frequency during calibration. By dynamically changing these parameters based on environmental conditions and test results, the system achieves precise calibration quickly without manual intervention.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Ensures that products are correctly labeled with operational RFID tags and barcode labels, providing real-time verification and reporting, and enabling high-speed scanning of up to 800 tags per minute, thus preventing supply chain disruptions.
Implementation Method 1
RFID tags are designed to read by a dedicated RFID reader using radio frequency
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method of verifying a plurality of articles of manufacture are provided with RFID tags and/or barcode labels and that any applied RFID tag and/or barcode label is encoded with correct information about the article and/or a manufacturer thereof. An automatic calibration process is also disclosed. The system includes a reader; a trigger mechanism coupled with the reader; a controller coupled with the trigger mechanism and the reader; a memory coupled with the controller, said memory having stored therein a database of information concerning articles of manufacture; programming provided in the controller, said programming configured to control the trigger mechanism and the reader; wherein the reader is operable to interrogate an article that comes into a field of view of the trigger mechanism; and wherein the programming is configured to determine if an RFID tag and/or a barcode is applied to the article based on the interrogation.