Glossary

antenna

Each tag has at least one antenna. On the other side of the communication link, the reader must also have an antenna. Some readers can drive multiple antennae at the same time. Depending on the protocol, frequency and application, these antennae vary from thin strips of metal laid across a surface, to a portal doorway antenna that is meters tall

chip

A silicon chip, with embedded memory, is used in a tag. The chip implements the wireless protocol and access functions to its embedded memory. Note that in Active Tags, this is not a single chip but an entire board. See tag.

device

An end point of a sensor-based architecture, such as an RFID reader, a dry contact, a laser diode, carousel, or a robotic picker.

Oracle Sensor Edge Server

The server that resides between all of the readers and the application middle tier. It is responsible for interfacing with all of the readers and sending normalized data back to the application server.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)

RFID is the use of small transponders with embedded Electronic Serial Numbers (ESNs) or memory, which transmit identifiers across one or more frequencies.

reader

A reader reads from, and writes to, the tags to which it is connected. Readers usually have serial interfaces used to communicate with a host computer. There is no widely-accepted standard for this protocol. The process of retrieving data stored on an RFID tag by sending radio waves to the tag and then converting the waves the tag sends back into data is known as a read.

reader field

The area of coverage for a reader. If tags are outside of a reader field, then they cananot receive radio waves and cannot be read.

Real Time Location System (RTLS)

A technology that uses radio-frequency to produce real-time location information for tagged items.

tag

(Also known as an RFID tag. ) A single unit that contains a chip, one or more antennae, and a power source. If it is battery-driven or from a external source, the tag is an Active Tag. If the power source is inductive-based (which means that it relies on photoelectric effect to generate power from remotely generated radio waves), the tag is a Passive Tag. A tag containing data that cannot be changed is a read-only tag. See chip.