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Fig.1 The system architecture of Internet of Things (IOT)
RFID Technology and Its Applications in Internet of
Things (IOT)
Xiaolin Jia1,2, Quanyuan Feng2, Taihua Fan1, Quanshui Lei1
1School of Computer Science and Technology, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, China
2School of Information Science and Technology, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
Abstract—Radio frequency identification system (RFID) is an
automatic technology and aids machines or computers to identify
objects, record metadata or control individual target through
radio waves. Connecting RFID reader to the terminal of Internet,
the readers can identify, track and monitor the objects attached
with tags globally, automatically, and in real time, if needed. This
is the so-called Internet of Things (IOT). RFID is often seen as a
prerequisite for the IOT. This paper introduces the technologies
of RFID and IOT, discusses the applications and challenges of
RFID technology used in IOT.
Keywords-RFID technology; application; Internet of Things
I. INTRODUCTION
Radio frequency identification system (RFID) is an
automatic technology and aids machines or computers to
identify objects, record metadata or control individual target
through radio waves [1]. The RFID technology was first
appeared in 1945, as an espionage tool for the Soviet Union,
which retransmitted incident radio waves with audio
information. Similarly, the IFF (Identification Friend or Foe)
transponder developed in the United Kingdom was routinely
used by the allies in World War II to identify aircraft as friend
or foe.
A typically RFID system is consisted of tags (transmitters/
responders) and readers (transmitters/receivers) [2]. The tag is
a microchip connected with an antenna, which can be attached
to an object as the identifier of the object. The RFID reader
communicates with the RFID tag using radio waves. The main
advantage of RFID technology is the automated identification
and data capture that promises wholesale changes across a
broad spectrum of business activities and aims to reduce the
cost of the already used systems such as bar codes. Although
RFID technology was discovered many years ago, it has
advanced and evolved only during the last decade since cost
has been the main limitation in all implementations.
As predicted in [3], RFID is one of the big opportunities in
information technology, which will change the world broadly
and deeply. When the RFID readers abided by appropriate
communication protocols are connected to the terminal of
Internet, the readers distributed throughout the world can
identify, track and monitor the objects attached with tags
globally, automatically, and in real time, if needed. This is the
so-called Internet of Things (IOT).
The IOT refers to uniquely identifiable objects (things) and
their virtual representations in an Internet-like structure. The
IOT first became popular through the Auto-ID Center and
related market analysts publications. RFID is often seen as a
prerequisite for the IOT. If all objects of daily life were
equipped with radio tags, they could be identified and
inventoried by computers. This paper introduces the primary
concepts and technologies of RFID and IOT, discusses the
applications and challenges of RFID technology used in IOT.
II. IOT AND RFID TECHNOLOGY
A. Internet of Things
Internet of Things (IOT) is a global network infrastructure,
linking physical and virtual objects through the exploitation of
data capture and communication capabilities. It will offer
specific object identification, sensor and connection capability
as the basis for the development of independent cooperative
services and applications. These will be characterized by a high
degree of autonomous data capture, event transfer, network
connectivity and interoperability.
The IOT system architecture is generally divided into three
layers: the perception layer, the network layer, and the service
layer (or application layer), as shown in Fig.1.
Perception layer: It is the information origin and the core
layer of IOT. All kinds of information of the physical world
used in IOT are perceived and collected in this layer, by the
technologies of sensors, wireless sensors network (WSN), tags
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978-1-4577-1415-3/12/$26.00 ©2012 IEEE
Reader TagApplication
Command Command
Response Response
Master Slave
Master Slave
Data flow
Fig.2 The components of a RFID system
and reader-writers, RFID system, camera, global position
system (GPS), intelligent terminals, electronic data interface
(EDI), objects, and so like.
Network layer: This layer, also called transport layer,
including access network and core network, provides
transparent data transmission capability. By the existing mobile
communication network, radio access network, wireless sensor
network (WSN) and other communications equipment, such as
global system for mobile communications (GSM), general
packet radio service (GPRS), worldwide interoperability for
microwave access (WiMax), wireless fidelity (WiFi), Ethernet,
etc., the information form perception layer can be sent to the
upper layer. At the same time, this layer provides an efficient,
reliable, trusted network infrastructure platform to upper layer
and large scale industry application [4].
Service layer: This layer, also called application layer,
includes data management sub-layer and application service
sub-layer. The data management sub-layer provides processing
complex data and uncertain information, such as restructuring,
cleaning and combining, and provides directory service, market
to market (M2M) service, Quality of Service (QoS), facility
management, geomatics, etc. by service oriented architecture
(SOA), cloud computing technologies, and so on. The
application service sub-layer transforms information to content
and provides good user interface for upper level enterprise
application and end users, such as logistics and supply, disaster
warning, environmental monitoring, agricultural management,
production management, and so forth.
B. RFID System
RFID systems are composed of three main components:
RFID tags, reader, application system [2][5], as shown in Fig.2.
RFID tags: also known as transponders (transmitter/
responder), are attached to the objects to count or identify.
Tags could be either active or passive. Active tags are those
that have partly or fully battery powered, have the capability to
communicate with other tags, and can initiate a dialogue of
their own with the tag reader. Passive tags, on the other hand,
do not need any internal power source but are powered up by
the tag reader. Tags consist mainly of a coiled antenna and a
microchip, with the main purpose of storing data.
Reader: also known as transceiver (transmitter/receiver)
made up of a radio frequency interface (RFI) module and
control unit. Its main functions are to activate the tags,
structure the communication sequence with the tag, and
transfer data between the application software and tags.
Application system: also called data processing system,
which can be an application or database, depending on the
application. The application software initiates all readers and
tags activities. RFID provides a quick, flexible, and reliable
way for electronically detecting, tracking and controlling a
variety of items. RFID systems use radio transmissions to send
energy to a RFID tag while the tag emits a unique
identification code back to a data collection reader linked to an
information management system. The data collected from the
tag can then be sent either directly to a host computer, or stored
in a portable reader and up-loaded later to the host computer.
C. RFID Tags
RFID tags come in many different shapes, sizes, and
capabilities. When an RFID solution is designed, the solution’s
architect must take into account both business and technology
requirements before choosing the type of RFID tag to use [6].
All RFID tags have the following essential components in
common: antenna, integrated circuit, printed circuit board (or
substrate).
The main responsibility of antenna of RFID tag is to
transmit and receive radio waves for the purpose of
communication. The antenna is also known as the coupling
mechanism, which can transform the energy in the form of
electromagnetic radiation. This is the way the tag and reader
communicating each other. In a suitable environment and
proximity to an RFID reader, the antenna can collect enough
energy to power the tag’s other components without a battery.
The integrated circuit (IC) is a packaged collection of
discrete components that provide the brains for the tag. The IC
in a RFID tag is much like a microprocessor found in any
cellular phone or computer, but it is usually not very
sophisticated. For many RFID tags, the IC component has only
a single purpose, to transmit the tag’s unique identifier (ID). If
the tag has any peripheral components, the IC is also the master
controller that is responsible for gathering any extra
information and transmitting it along with the tag’s ID.
The printed circuit board (PCB) is the material that holds
the tag together. The circuit board may be rigid or flexible, and
is composed of many different types of materials, depending on
the type and purpose of the tag. For example, tags that are used
for tracking components on an assembly line where extremely
high temperatures may be encountered would tend to be much
more rigid and are usually placed inside a protective enclosure.
Tags are built to comply with a categorization called a class.
Classes progressively have greater capability. EPCglobal has
defined six classifications for RFID tags (0 to 5). A general
description of functionality that each class is required to
comply is as follows.
¾ Class 0/class 1: These classes provide the basic radio
frequency (RF) passive capability. Class 0 is factory-
programmed. Beyond class 0, including class 1, the
tags are user-programmable.
¾ Class 2: Additional functionality is added, which
includes encryption and read-write RF memory
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Fig.3 RFID reader consisting of control system and HF interface [2]
¾ Class 3: Batteries are found on board that will power
logic in the computer circuit. Class 3 provides longer
range and broadband communications
¾ Class 4: Active tags are part of the definition of class
4 tags. Peer-to-peer communications and additional
sensing are also included.
¾ Class 5: Class 5 tags contain enough power to activate
other tags and could be effectively classified as a
reader.
Passive tags, which have no built-in power source and the
power is provided by the radio frequency wave created by the
reader, are usually classified in the class 0 to 3 range. Class 4
describes active tags, which have an internal power source (a
battery), that provides the necessary power for the operation of
the tag over a period of time. Class 5 is reserved for tag readers
and active tags that can read data from other tags.
D. RFID Reader
RFID readers are also referred to as interrogators because
they query tags as the tags enter their read range. The reader is
responsible for orchestrating the communication with any tags
in its read range and then presenting the tags’ data to an
application that can make use of the data.
Readers in all systems can be reduced to two fundamental
functional blocks: the control system and the high frequency
(HF) interface, consisting of a transmitter and receiver, as
shown in Fig.3. The entire system is controlled by an external
application via control commands.
The reader’s HF interface performs the following functions:
(a) generation of high frequency transmission power to activate
the transponder and supply it with power; (b) modulation of the
transmission signal to send data to the transponder; (c)
reception and demodulation of HF signals transmitted by a
transponder.
The reader’s control unit performs the following functions:
(a) communication with the application software and the
execution of commands from the application software; (b)
control of the communication with a transponder (master–slave
principle, as shown in Fig.2); (c) signal coding and decoding.
In more complex systems the following additional functions
are available: (d) execution of an anti-collision algorithm; (e)
encryption and decryption of the data to be transferred between
transponder and reader; (f) performance of authentication
between transponder and reader.
The control unit is usually based upon a microprocessor to
perform these complex functions. Cryptological procedures,
such as stream ciphering between transponder and reader, and
also signal coding, are often performed in an additional ASIC
(application specific integrated circuit) module to relieve the
processor of calculation intensive processes.
III. APPLICATIONS OF RFID TECHNOLOGY
The functions of RFID system generally include three
aspects: monitoring, tracking, and supervising. Monitoring
generally means to be aware of the state of a system, by
repeated observing the particular conditions, especially to
detect them and give warning of change. Tracking is the
observing of persons or objects on the move and supplying a
timely ordered sequence of respective location data to a model.
Supervising is the monitoring of the behaviors, activities, or
other changing information, usually of people. It is sometimes
done in a secret or inconspicuous manner.
The RFID applications are numerous and far reaching. The
most interesting and successful applications include those for
supply chain management, production process control, and
objects tracking management. Now RFID has been gradually
and broadly used in the following fields.
¾ Logistics and Supply
¾ Manufacturing
¾ Agriculture Management
¾ Health Care and Medicine
¾ Marine Terminal Operation
¾ Military and Defense
¾ Payment Transactions
¾ Environment Monitor and Disaster Warning
¾ Transportation and Retailing
¾ Warehousing and Distribution Systems
¾ Other applications in many walks of life businesses
For instance, in Manufacturing, RFID technology offers a
number of applications in the automotive industry. A RFID-
based antitheft vehicle immobilizer is a protective device
installed in many cars. RFID also holds great promise for the
assembly and manufacturing processes of automobiles, in
particular, for flexible and agile production planning, spare
parts, and inventory management. RFID technology not only
helps to automate the whole assembly process in which a
significant reduction in cost and shrinkage can be achieved, but
it also offers improved services to automobile users that
include more efficient replacement part ordering and
automated generation of maintenance reminders. The benefits
that RFID offers to the automotive industry, both to the
production process as well as to end users, are visibility,
traceability, flexibility, and added security.
As illustrated in Fig.4, the evolution of IOT is coinciding
with that of RFID and sensor technologies. Form supply-chain
helper to vertical-market applications to ubiquitous positioning,
1284
2000 2010 2020 time
Source: SRI Consulting Business Inte lligence
RFID tags for facilitation
routing inventorying,
and loss prevention
Surveillance, security,
healthcare, transport, food
safety, document management
Locating people and
everyday objects
Teleoperation and
telepresence: Ability
to monitor and control
distant objects
Supply-Chain Helpers
Vertical-Market Applications
Ubiquitous Positioning
Physical-World Web
Demand for
expedited logistics
Cost reduction leading t o
diffusion into 2nd
wave of applications
Ability of devices located
indoors to receive
geolocation signals
Miniaturization, powe r-
efficient electronics, and
available spectrum
Software agents and
advanced sensor fusion
Technology Reach
Fig.4 Technology roadmap of Internet of Things (IOT)
and so on, the RFID technology is a very important and
fundamental groundwork for IOT.
IV. CHALLENGES OF RFID TECHNOLOGY
Although promising, RFID is not without its challenges,
which arise from both a technological and usage point of view.
A. Collision Problems
Communication between tags and readers are inherently
susceptible to electromagnetic interference. Simultaneous
transmissions in RFID lead to collisions as readers and tags
typically operate on a same wireless channel. Therefore,
efficient anti-collision protocols for identifying multi-tags
simultaneously are of great importance for the development of
large-scale RFID applications [1].
Many anti-collision protocols for RFID tag identification
have been proposed, such as query tree protocol (QT), binary
tree protocol (BT), frame slotted ALOHA protocol (FSA), etc.,
but almost all known protocols exhibit an overall
identification efficiency small than 50%. Besides, uniform IDs
distribution has always been assumed in the past. Furthermore,
it is very useful for pointing out the best performing features
of RFID tag identification protocols, and for designing new
and better protocols. In [1], we present a novel and efficient
anti-collision protocol for RFID tag identification, i.e.,
collision tree protocol (CT), which outperforms all the other
anti-collision protocols proposed so far.
B. Security and Privacy Concerns
Security and privacy issues [7] of RFID tags can effect both
organizations and individuals. Unprotected tags may be
vulnerable to eavesdropping, traffic analysis, spoofing or denial
of service and many more. Even unauthorized readers can
affect the privacy by accessing tags without enough access
control. Even if the tag content is secure then also it can be
tracked by the predictable tag responses; “location privacy” can
be affected by a traffic analysis attack. Attacker can also
threaten the security of systems, which depends on RFID
technology through the denial of service attack.
Due to its cost and resource constraint limitations, RFID
system does not have a sufficient security and privacy support.
Many researcher and scientist work to implement low cost
security and privacy protocol to increase the applicability. Lots
of lightweight solutions have been proposed for RFID, but they
are still expensive and vulnerable to the security and do not
fully resolve the security issues. So there is a good research
scope in the field of designing an efficient ultra-lightweight
cryptographic protocol for low-cost RFID system.
C. Other Challenges
Three other issues also are mainly holding back RFID’s
widespread adoption. The first one is the cost. The RFID tags
are still more expensive than printed labels. The second issue is
design. It is still needed to engineer tags and readers so that
they guarantee highly reliable identification. Another challenge
to RFID is its integration into existing systems. It is significant
to develop effective RFID middleware which used to link new
RFID systems into existing back-end infrastructures.
Despite these challenges, it’s only a matter of time before
these issues could be solved. RFID’s potential benefits are
large, and many novel applications will be see in the future,
even some of which can not begin to imagine.
V. CONCLUSION
The IOT uses a variety of information sensing identification
device and information processing equipment, such as RFID,
WSN, GPRS, etc. combining with the Internet to form an
extensive network in order to informationize and intelligentize
the entities or objects. This paper analyzes the applications and
challenges of RFID technology, which is the important and
foundational component of IOT.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This work is supported by the National Natural Science
Foundation of China under Grant 60990320 and 60990323;
10876029, and the National 863 Propjet of China under Grant
2009AA01Z230; and the Southwest University of Science and
Technology (SWUST) funded project of China under Grant
11XNZD83.
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