Enjoyrfid Technical

Companies Involved in RFID
Radio Frequency Identification, or RFID, is a shorthand way of referring to the set of technologies that allows digital data to be transferred from a physically real object into the computer world. RFID readers sense information contained in RFID tags that are attached to an object. Because the readers are in a specific location, when they sense a tagged object, they connect that object to a specific location. That could be your car going through a toll booth, a library book exiting the building, or a box of macaroni and cheese passing through a checkout lane. When the object’s information is read, the attached software will perform some action: bill you for the bridge toll, assign the library book to your account, or charge your debit card for the box of mac and cheese. Because of the diversity of applications and their underlying technology, many companies are involved in RFID.

How RFID Works
RFID tags are similar to computer chips that contain miniature radio transmitters. The computer chips contain some fixed data, and some data that can be overwritten when the chip receives the right kind of radio signal. The tag chip is connected to an antenna. Readers are devices that send a radio signal out, then sense the return radio signal sent by the tag. The readers interface with software that performs the actions necessary when a tag is sensed. Each component within these elements — tag, antenna and reader — is made up of several sub-components. There are at least several hundred companies involved in designing and producing those sub-components.

Key Patent Holders
According to a study conducted at the University of Arizona, some of the most cited patents are held by Lucent Technologies, Micron Technologies, IBM, Checkpoint Systems, Texas Instruments, Intermec, and E-Tag Systems. In terms of the numbers of patents held, Micron Technologies is top of the group, followed by IBM, Signal Technologies, and Hewlett-Packard. Some other familiar names on the list of patent holders are 3M, Xerox, Avery Dennison, Motorola, and Nokia.
Standards Bodies
Because of the complex interplay of technologies that must be used together to optimize the performance of RFID systems, industry leaders recognized that some standardization was necessary. Much of the effort of creating the standards has fallen to EPCglobal, an international non-profit consortium of members from more than 100 countries. A separate organization, the RFID Consortium, has taken on the task of licensing a broad range of RFID patent-ptrotected technologies. The Consortium includes 3M, ETRI, Federal Signal Technologies, France Telecom, HP, LG, Motorola, ThingMagic, and Zebra Technologies.
More Companies on the List
There are far more companies manufacturing RFID tags, antennas, and readers than can be mentioned in a brief article. Some of the tag technology leaders that haven’t already been mentioned are NXP, AbsoluteSky, Magellan Technology, UPM Raflatac, and Alien Technology. Antenna manufacturers include Impinj, Invengo, and Innovative Timing Systems. Some additional reader manufacturers are Advanced ID Corporation, Cisco, NCR, Northstar Electronics, and Triquint Semiconductor.