ipico df rfid 20060428 1

IPICO Dual Frequency RFID IPICO Dual Frequency RFID

May 2006IPICO Engineering

IPICO RFID for Mining Applications May 2006 COPYRIGHT © 2006, IPICO INC

Limitations of Conventional RFID TechnologyLimitations of Conventional RFID Technology

Active RFID: High cost of tags ($20-50) prevent all equipment from being

tagged Long active read ranges prevent active from being used as

access control technology Limited battery life implies additional costs to maintain batteries

Passive RFID: choice between Low Frequency (LF) – 125-134 kHz High Frequency (HF) – 13.56 MHz Ultra-high Frequency (UHF) – 860-960 MHz Microwave (uW) – 2.45 GHz


Limitations of LF and HF Passive RFID Limitations of LF and HF Passive RFID

Low Frequency (125/134 kHz): Read range limited by carrier / signal ratio Low frequency of data carrier implies low data rates Low data rates implies limited anti-collision, i.e. not many tags

can be read in a short time period Too slow to read several assets carried by person walking

through gate

High Frequency (13.56 MHz): Restrictive power limitations for energising tags at 13.56 MHz Very limited read range in noisy environments (<200 mm) - too

low to read assets carried by people through turnstiles


Limitations of UHF and uW Passive RFID Limitations of UHF and uW Passive RFID

Ultra-high Frequency (860-960 MHz): UHF waves do not penetrate human body – absorbed by

liquids Assets carried by people are invisible to UHF reader if

screened off by person’s body Tag directly on human body difficult to read even in case of

line-of-sight – not sufficiently reliable for safety systems

Microwave (2.45 GHz): Same limitations as UHF for people and assets carried by

people, but much more limited read range (~1m) Also not suitable for this type of safety system


Alternative Technology: Dual Frequency RFIDAlternative Technology: Dual Frequency RFID

IPICO developed patented Dual Frequency (DF) RFID to overcome many of the limitations of LF, HF, UHF and uW RFID

DF has following characteristics: Utilises magnetic induction both for energising tags and for

communication (similar to LF and HF) Low Frequency signal is used for energising tags – less

restrictive regulations compared to HF band allows longer energising range

High Frequency signal is used for communication from tag to reader – sufficiently high data rates can support good anti-collision, i.e. many tags can be read in short time period


DF Tag and Reader Air InterfaceDF Tag and Reader Air Interface


DF Reader and Tag Functional BlocksDF Reader and Tag Functional Blocks


Unique Capabilities of Dual Frequency RFIDUnique Capabilities of Dual Frequency RFID

Based on its inherent characteristics, DF RFID offers the following benefits: Offers much longer read range than HF (1.2 – 2 m compared

to 0.6 – 0.7 m in ideal circumstances) Offers much faster anti-collision than LF (~100 tags/sec

compared to < 5 tags/sec) Can read through liquids, in contrast with UHF and uW –

suitable for tracking people and assets carried by people Performs reliably and consistently in close proximity to metals,

in contrast with UHF and uW


RReal eal LLife ife EExamplexample: Anglo Platinum Mines: Anglo Platinum Mines

Paardekraal shaft of Anglo Platinum mine outside Rustenburg in South Africa, with ~5000 cap lamps, required RFID solution

Assortment of multiple RFID technologies is a nightmare to manage – required one RFID technology to solve all problems

Technology options considered by Paardekraal: Use active tags on the batteries for the continuous tracking of these assets

- cost too high (10 times passive tags) LF (125 kHz) technology found to be highly susceptible to electromagnetic

interference, which is severe in mines HF (13.56 MHz) had too limited read range (100 mm) to read small tags

over sufficient read range through turnstiles uW (2.45 GHz) had too limited read range and incompatible with people


RReal eal LLife ife EExamplexample: Anglo Platinum Mines : Anglo Platinum Mines (cont’d)(cont’d)

Practical trial with UHF RFID: About 4-5 years ago Paardekraal decided to put UHF RFID on trial (4W

EIRP readers and passive tags, operating at 915.3MHz) A criterion for using the UHF tags was to increase the read range from

proximity reading provided by HF (100mm) to 600mm to realise a hands free environment through turnstiles

Cap lamp battery compartments were fitted with tags whilst readers were installed at issuing bays and at turnstiles

Results: system failed for two reasons Primay reasons: Data integrity of the system was unsatisfactory due to

limitations of passive UHF technology in an environment where people, wet goods and metals are involved

Secondary reason: Wrong packaging techniques resulted in tag failures due to corrosion of unprotected tags


IPICO SolutionIPICO Solution

After the failures with other technologies, Anglo Platinum approached IPICO for an alternative

Although IPICO also manufactures UHF tags/readers, DF was recommended due to nature of application

Advantages of DF over UHF was easily demonstrated during a live pilot period of 4 weeks

The first phase operational system at Paardekraal included 14 DF short range master readers, 4 slave readers and 5000 DF linear tags (read range +/- 600mm with Short range reader)

Based on this success the DF system was then implemented at one of Anglo Gold Ashanti’s largest mines (Kopanang in Orkney, South Africa); the deployment included tags for about 5000+ cap-lamps, 200+ SCSR, 900+ GDI’s and proximity readers for 76 issuing and registration points as well as 14 medium range portal readers


Packaging Requirements for TagsPackaging Requirements for Tags

Before : Unprotected UHF tag

After: iPico’s Sealed DF tag


Reader Installation RequirementsReader Installation Requirements

UHF readers requiring screening

DF Short range readers requiring no screening


Various DF tags on equipmentVarious DF tags on equipment

Because of magnetic coupling between the readers and tags, human bodies, fluids, and even some kinds of metals pose no problem


DF Short-range DF Short-range RReader eader PPortalortal

DF Short-range reader portal with single body access reading the tag in the Cap-lamp battery as well as the tag on the SCSR pack


DF Short-range DF Short-range RReadereader InstallationsInstallationsPhotos: Courtesy Willard: Paardekraal mine – AmplatsPhotos: Courtesy Willard: Paardekraal mine – Amplats


DF Medium DF Medium RRange ange RReader eader PPortalortal

DF Medium range reader portal for free flow tracking at the turnstiles to cover a larger area


Lamp room Management System Lamp room Management System (LMS) at Kopanang (LMS) at Kopanang Source: Courtesy Lamp room Solutions and Source: Courtesy Lamp room Solutions and

Consulting (Pty) LtdConsulting (Pty) Ltd

LMSReader Controller LAN

10Mb TCP/IP

Mine LAN100Mb TCP/IP

MineHR application

MineAccess control and T/A application

MineOther ERP applications

LMS ServerMS Win XPMS Dot Net

MS SQLLMSSupervisorFrontend

LMSReport

interface

Equipment IssueStations

- iPico OEM readers- Barcode readers- Keyboards- Displays

Gas TestStations

- iPico OEM readers- 2x Display

Equipment Testand Repair Stations

- iPico OEM readers- Barcode readers- Keyboards- Displays

Free FlowMonitoring Portals- iPico Portal readers- iPico DIMI-SA-4


The ResultsThe Results

Evaluation of iPico’s equipment started in Sept 2003 for a period of a month using 150 tags and 4 readers

Orders were placed in November 2003, and system was commissioned in Jan 2004

100% shift clearance reports at Paardekraal since installation – 24 hour operation all year

Seamless integration into existing IT and Lamp room management system

Automated logging and issuing, increasing operational through-put

Trouble free access control speeds up shift entrance and clearance at the turnstiles


The ResultsThe Results (cont’d)(cont’d)

Maintenance cycles on batteries can now be managed intelligently and cost effectively

Huge savings have already been achieved because battery theft and losses are under control

Billing of asset usage is more accurate Data integrity of battery movement is 100%. No more manual logging of

items are done During the first 2 weeks after commissioning the RFID installation,

accurate shift clearance information resulted in saving an employee’s life. The management system flagged an incident of a person not entering the Lamp room on time. A proto-team was send down the mine were they found the disorientated employee just in time before the blasting session commenced


Expanding RFID Systems to Productivity Expanding RFID Systems to Productivity ManagementManagement

Required benefits for Productivity Management systems: Improvement of utilisation of production assets Measuring productivity of individuals and teams Improving accuracy of maintenance management

New RFID requirements to support Productivity Management systems: Tracking of assets and people not only through turnstiles at

lamproom but also through wider gates at cage and in haulage to cover operational areas

Tracking of underground vehicles Tracking of assets taken from shafts to maintenance depots


Required Functional Extensions of RFID Required Functional Extensions of RFID Systems to support Productivity ManagementSystems to support Productivity Management

Tracking people and assets through underground operations need at least 3m wide portals, i.e. 1.5m read range from each antenna – DF is only viable option, but requires increase in reader power levels

To sustain increased DF read ranges in noisy environments, increased noise robustness is required – digital signal processing (DSP) techniques will be employed as part of DF receivers

Large assets transported above ground in trucks need even larger read ranges – UHF best choice for assets too large to be carried by people, but requires structured operations to ensure line-of-sight

RFID readers must be integrated with underground telemetry systems When RFID is integrated into much wider scope of operational activities,

buy-in from trade unions is essential to ensure support from miners and to prevent “Big Brother Watching” syndrome


Current Status of Integration of RFID into other Current Status of Integration of RFID into other Operational SystemsOperational Systems

IPICO is working with specialist system and service providers in several application areas to make RFID part of mainstream operations: RFID readers will be linked to telemetry systems to make RFID information

available to various MIS systems without requiring additional infrastructure – RFID becomes just another data capturing system, similar to environmental monitoring, fire alarms, etc.

RFID will provide existing software applications with more complete and more accurate data on the location and status of people and assets

Time-and-Attendance: DF RFID will be used in combination with mag-stripe / Smartcards for general T&A applications, including access of to hostel facilities and clock-card systems


ConclusionsConclusions

Dual Frequency RFID technology is a successful method deployed as part of Asset Management Projects

Dual Frequency RFID technology provides a wonderful tool for People Tracking and Product Spotting solutions

Systems installed for safety applications can be extended to productivity improvement systems using the Dual Frequency Technology

The Dual Frequency Technology can be deployed in solutions where the current EPC UHF technology would never work, harsh conditions, bodies of liquid, metals

ipico df rfid 20060428 1

Business

low frequency lf

limited read range

low data rates low data

khz high frequency hf

active read ranges

ultrahigh frequency

high cost of tags

limitations of lf