This article starts by exploring the grand vision of the Internet of Things promoted by EPCGlobal, while drawing from the author's hands-on experience in several RFID pilot projects. It emphasizes the essential system qualities that a typical RFID application should possess and highlights the importance of meeting these quality requirements. By analyzing the characteristics of RFID application systems, the paper derives a practical reference architecture for RFID applications. Moreover, through appropriate customization, the proposed RFID reference architecture can be adapted to various industries and scenarios, such as RFID service hosting, internal enterprise applications, supply chain information sharing, and industry-specific RFID information centers.
RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology has been widely applied across numerous fields since its development during World War II. In China today, electronic tags are commonly used in railways, postal services, public security, manufacturing, logistics, tobacco, retail, healthcare, and financial sectors. One of the most successful implementations of RFID in China is the railway vehicle dispatching system, known as the Automatic Train Identification System (ATIS). This system has significantly increased annual revenue by nearly 300 million yuan through improved efficiency and reduced manual intervention.
With major retailers like Walmart, Albertsons, and Best Buy mandating that top-tier suppliers adopt RFID technology by the end of 2005, the commercialization of RFID has accelerated rapidly. Recent developments also show that many RFID label suppliers have adopted the GEN2 standard, leading to a significant drop in prices. Compared to last year’s average of 25 cents per tag, some labels now cost less than 8 cents, making RFID more affordable and accessible. This cost reduction is expected to further drive the widespread adoption of RFID technology across industries.
EPCglobal, a non-profit organization formed by the International Article Numbering Association (EAN) and the Uniform Code Council (UCC), plays a key role in developing global standards for the EPC network. Its mission is to enable fast, automatic, and accurate identification of goods throughout the supply chain. The organization envisions a global "Internet of Things," where every product in circulation is uniquely identified and tracked. By integrating the internet with wireless communication networks, this system will transform how people, computers, and goods interact within supply chains, signaling a future where RFID impacts nearly every aspect of daily life.
In the coming years, RFID technology is expected to become even more prevalent. However, challenges related to scalability, availability, security, interoperability, integration, management, and messaging will become more apparent. This article focuses on addressing these issues during the planning phase of RFID implementation, emphasizing the need for an enterprise-level application architecture that can meet the evolving and long-term technical demands of RFID systems.
The Internet of Things framework, as envisioned by EPCGlobal, consists of several key components:
1. Electronic Product Code (EPC): A unique identifier for goods moving through the supply chain. EPCglobal has established coding standards to ensure consistency and accuracy in product identification.
2. Identification System (ID System): This includes RFID tags and readers that communicate through radio frequency technology. Standards have been developed for tag packaging and data exchange between tags and readers.
3. EPC Middleware: Acts as a bridge between RFID readers and backend systems, enabling real-time data capture and event processing. The Application Level Event (ALE) standard is currently being developed to support this functionality.
4. EPC Information Discovery Service: Comprising Object Naming Service (ONS) and supporting services, this component helps locate EPC data using the product code. EPCglobal partners with Verisign to manage and maintain the root ONS system.
5. EPC Information Service (EPCIS): Enables users to access and exchange EPC data within the IoT environment. Interfaces and standards for EPCIS are still under development.
The overall architecture relies on a distributed network operating over the global internet, involving not only standard-setting bodies but also suppliers, logistics providers, retailers, and EPC service hosts. This cross-organizational and global setup introduces complex security needs. To support the global supply chain, the system must be scalable, available, and easy to manage. Additionally, reliable messaging and seamless integration with existing business systems are crucial for maximizing the value of EPC data.
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