UHF Tag Memory Structure and Programming

White Paper
Mrinal Banerjee RFID

UHF Tag Memory Structure and Programming

Confidentiality Statement

Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Notice

The information contained in this document is confidential and proprietary to TATA Consultancy Services. This information may not be disclosed, duplicated or used for any other purposes. The information contained in this document may not be released in whole or in part outside TCS for any purpose without the express written permission of TATA Consultancy Services.

TATA Consultancy Services 2009

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UHF Tag Memory Structure and Programming

Abstract
RFID has been commercialized since 2002.The effort has been made by various test result from some reference from website and taken some experimental data from TCS RFID Lab. The Tag structure and reading/writing operation on tag memory is an emerging technology, need to find its techniques in various domains. This white paper briefly describes the tag memory structure and some guidelines how to write program on it.

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UHF Tag Memory Structure and Programming

About the Author

Mrinal Banerjee
RFID, NTDG Tata Consultancy Services Limited Bengal Intelligence Park, 4th Floor Unit-D Block EP, Salt Lake Electronic Complex, Kolkata-700091 +913366367397

mrinal.banerjee@tcs.com

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UHF Tag Memory Structure and Programming

About the Domain

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a generic term that is used to describe a system that transmits the identity (in the form of a unique serial number) of an object or person wirelessly, using radio waves. It is grouped under the broad category of automatic identification technologies. Auto-ID technologies include bar codes, optical character readers and some biometric technologies, such as retinal scans. Some auto-ID technologies, such as bar code systems, often require a person to manually scan a label or tag to capture the data. RFID is designed to enable readers to capture data on tags and transmit it to a computer systemwithout needing a person to be involved. There some major components of RFID system: Tags: An RFID tag is comprised of a microchip containing identifying information and an antenna that transmits this data wirelessly to a reader. Tags come in a variety of types, with a variety of capabilities. Key variables include: Read only versus read-write Data storage capacity Form factor Passive versus Active Frequencies

Readers: The reader/writer sends an RF signal to tags to request the information contained on the chip. Upon receipt of this information, it is translated into a digital form and sent to the application software. Again, there are a variety of different reading systems and technologies. These include: Handheld Readers Readers embedded into mobile devices (like embedded in a fork lift) Fixed Readers

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UHF Tag Memory Structure and Programming

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UHF Tag Memory Structure and Programming

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................................8 BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................................9 UHF TAG MEMORY STRUCTURE........................................................................................................10 A) RESERVE MEMORY OR BANK 0:.................................................................................................................10 CONCLUSION.............................................................................................................................................14 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.........................................................................................................................15 REFERENCES.............................................................................................................................................16

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UHF Tag Memory Structure and Programming

Introduction
As development of a software application, it is being implemented by some minimum necessity like one or more software language or languages and the data needs to be stored in some database, or flat file etc. The connectivity with database and software is made through wire or wireless network. But did you ever think how to keep data store for a long time without using flat file or database at low cost? Do you think the data can be read and written in air without requiring any network? Do you think the data can be saved for long time without battery or without any external power? If you go through the document, it will definitely fetch you the answers.

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UHF Tag Memory Structure and Programming

Background
One of the benefits of an RFID system is the ability to provide automatic identification to physical objects without the need for line-of-sight communication. The main components of an RFID system are: tags, readers, and host computer. RFID tags are attached to physical objects as the means to identify them. RFID readers convert the radio waves reflected from the tags to get the digital data and send the collected data to the host computer. In this paper we provide benchmark metrics for passive UHF EPC-compliant tags. Tag: A microchip attached to an antenna that is packaged in a way that it can be applied to an object. The tag picks up signals from and sends signals to a reader. The tag contains a unique serial number that is called EPC (Electronic Product Code), but may have other information, such as a customers' account number. Tags come in many forms, such smart labels that can have a barcode printed on it, or the tag can simply be mounted inside a carton or embedded in plastic. RFID tags can be active, passive or semi-passive. UHF Tag: An RFID tag that works in a portion of the ultra high frequency (UHF) range. The read range (the distance at which a tag can be read) depends on the type of the tags (passive or active or semi passive), readers power, antenna, orientation sensitivity, channel sensitivity and the manufacturers of the tags. RFID Reader: An RFID reader is a device that is used to interrogate an RFID tag. The reader has an antenna that emits radio waves; the tag responds by sending back its data. A number of factors can affect the distance at which a tag can be read (the read range). The frequency used for identification, the antenna gain, the orientation and polarization of the reader antenna and the transponder antenna, as well as the placement of the tag on the object to be identified will all have an impact on the RFID systems read range.

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UHF Tag Memory Structure and Programming

UHF Tag Memory Structure

Before going forward we will keep in our mind some units of information storage. 8 bits = 1byte 4bits= 1 hexadecimal char 2 hexadecimal chars = 1 byte 16 bits=2 bytes= 4 hexadecimal chars = 1 word= 1 memory block Logically RFID UHF tags memory are divided into four distinct memory banks, they are A) Reserve Memory or Bank 0: It contains Kill and Access password memory blocks. The kill password is a 32 bits value stored in Reserve Memory shall be stored at memory addresses 00h to 1Fh; the access password is also 32 bits value shall be stored at memory addresses 20h to 3Fh. There may be present some extra memory blocks called Access Password memory locations which are kept in reserve for future use. Functionalities: Kill password memory block is used to kill the tag and keep it silent there after. Access password block is used to read/write lock or unlock operation of particular tags memory blocks. Later you will get in details. Note: The default value (unprogrammed) of the reserve memory block shall be zero that is set by tags manufacturer. An Interrogator shall use a tags kill password once, after that the tag will go permanently inactive. An Interrogator can permanently lock the read/write operation or he/she can temporarily lock read/write operation by using the Access password value of tag. B) Electronic Product Code (EPC) or Bank 1: It shall contain CRC-16 (stored in EPC memory at addresses 00 to 0F), PC bits (stored in EPC memory at addresses 10 to 1F) and EPC (stored in EPC memory at starting addresses from 20 to onward). There may be present another memory block that is reserved for future use (RFU). The list of memory locations of EPC block are shown below

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UHF Tag Memory Structure and Programming Functionalities: CRC-16 is a 16 bits cyclic redundancy check that is used for error detecting code when read/write operation is executed on a tag. PC is 16 bits Protocol Control is a communications protocol that is a way of organizing the conversation between devices -- in the case of RFID, between tags and a reader -- to ensure that information actually gets transferred. Developer can calculate the EPC (Electronic Product Code) length, Numbering System Identification (NSI), getting tag type information from Protocol Control bits. For an example

Electronic Product Code (EPC): It identifies the object to which a tag is attached.

Note: This memory block plays key role. This memory block cant be blocked by access password. C) Tag ID (TID) or Bank 2: It is a Tag Identification or Tag Identifier memory. It shall have sufficient identification information of the tag. Functionalities: TID memory locations 00h to 07h shall contain an 8-bit class identifier valueseither E0h or E2h.

If the class identification is E0H then TID memory locations 08h to 0Fh shall contain an 8-bit manufacturer identifier. TID memory locations 10h to 3Fh shall contain a 48-bit tag serial number (written by tag manufacturer).

If the class identification is E1H then TID memory locations 08h to 13h shall contain a 12-bit Tag mask-designer identifier (obtainable from registration authority). TID memory locations 14h to 1Fh shall contain a 12-bit model number defined by vendor. A TID memory location above 1Fh is defined EPCglobal Tag Data Standards.

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UHF Tag Memory Structure and Programming

Note: TID memory is permanently locked by manufacturer and Interrogator can read only the TID memory data but cant ever write on the memory. D) User Memory or Bank 3: An UHF tag may contain User memory, which means it is not mandatory that all UHF tag should contain user memory. If the user memory is present on the tag then the size of the memory depends on manufacturers. Functionalities: User can store user specific data into user memory locations. Note: User can lock or unlock the memory bank. The memory locations 03h to 07h of unprogrammed tag shall have the default value (00000)2. RFID Tag Programming What is RFID Tag programming? Each RFID tag contains a unique id (that is EPC) and possibly other information in its tag memory. Physically each tag contains an antenna- actually coil of wire-that when it is in the vicinity of a reader, it generates a small charge that is enough to transmit its own memory data to the reader. So programmer needs to develop program as per user requirement which will be run on the platform of RFID reader. Why RFID Tag programming is required? The EPC (which is unique id of the tag) sets one tag apart from all other tags. If a tag is placed on an item and associates the EPC of the tag with the item, then each item is uniquely identified by the unique EPC data, after that user can do the job. User can track inventory of items User can search a particular item from a warehouse. User can write item-specific data into tag memory without any wire or wireless network, without any computer only by using RFID reader. Keep the secured state maintain when user goes to read or write user-specific data from tag memory.

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UHF Tag Memory Structure and Programming How does developer program RFID tag? The developers can develop their RFID tag memory related own application by using hardware vendors API and API based languages.

The RFID Reader API is being controlled by the HOST device (it may be PC, external circuit board etc) and the Reader API is in turn communicating with the UHF tags. There are some bidirectional communication channels between HOST and RFID READER API and data is transmitted between RFID READER and Tags through Radio Frequency in air. The HOST sends some set of instruction command to the RFID READER through the basic communication channels (serial ports, USB ports and Wi-Fi network) and the reader changes the instruction commands into native language and the READER produces radio frequency (RF) that typically emit a RF interrogation signal that causes the RFID tag to respond with a return RF signal encoding the data stored in the tag memory. Developer can develop the application by using C, C++, Java, J2ME, VC++, .Net, Windows CE, Pocket PC, Smart Phone software languages.

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UHF Tag Memory Structure and Programming

Conclusion
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UHF Tag Memory Structure and Programming

Acknowledgements
<Acknowledge the team that supported you in authoring the whitepaper>.

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UHF Tag Memory Structure and Programming

References
[1] Last name, First name of the author(s), Year of publication within parenthesis, Title of the reference material, Name of the publisher. [2] URL of the website

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