prEN IEC 61406-1:2022

Identification Link - Part 1: General requirements

IEC 61406-1:2022 specifies minimum requirements for a globally unique identification of physical objects which also constitutes a link to its related digital information. This identification is designated hereinafter as "Identification Link" (IL), with the encoded data designated as IL string. The IL string has the data-format of a link (URL). The IL is machine-readable and is attached to the physical object in a 2D symbol or NFC tag. The requirements in this standard apply to physical objects: - that are provided by the manufacturer as an individual unit, - and that have already been given a unique identity by the manufacturer. This document does not specify any requirements on the content and the layout of nameplates/typeplates (e.g. spatial arrangement, content of the plain texts, approval symbols etc.).

Identification Link

Lien d’identification

L'IEC 61406-1:2022 spécifie les exigences minimales pour permettre une identification unique et globale des objets physiques, qui constitue également un renvoi vers ses informations numériques connexes. Cette identification est par la suite appelée "lien d’identification" (IL), les données codées étant désignées "chaîne IL". La chaîne IL a le format de données d’un lien (URL). L’IL est lisible par machine et associé à l’objet physique sous la forme d’un symbole 2D ou d’une balise NFC. Les exigences de la présente norme s’appliquent aux objets physiques: - qui sont fournis par le fabricant sous forme d’unité individuelle; - et auxquels le fabricant a déjà attribué une identité unique. Le présent document ne spécifie aucune exigence relative au contenu et à la disposition des plaques signalétiques (par exemple organisation spatiale, contenu des textes bruts, symboles d’homologation, etc.).

Itentifikacijska povezava - Nedvoumna strojno berljiva identifikacija z natančnim ujemanjem

General Information

• Status: Not Published
• ICS: 35.240.15 - Identification cards. Chip cards. Biometrics
• Technical Committee: CLC/TC 65CX - Fieldbus
• Drafting Committee: IEC/SC 65E - IEC_SC_65E
• Ref Project: oSIST prEN IEC 61406:2022 - Identification Link - Unambiguous biunique Machine-Readable Identification

Standards Content (sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
oSIST prEN IEC 61406:2022
01-april-2022
Identifikacijska povezava - Nedvoumna edinstvena strojno berljiva identifikacija
Identification Link - Unambiguous biunique Machine-Readable Identification
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN IEC 61406:2022
ICS:
35.240.15 Identifikacijske kartice. Čipne Identification cards. Chip
kartice. Biometrija cards. Biometrics
oSIST prEN IEC 61406:2022 en,fr,de

2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

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oSIST prEN IEC 61406:2022
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oSIST prEN IEC 61406:2022
65E/845/CDV
COMMITTEE DRAFT FOR VOTE (CDV)
PROJECT NUMBER:
IEC 61406 ED1
DATE OF CIRCULATION: CLOSING DATE FOR VOTING:
2022-02-11 2022-05-06
SUPERSEDES DOCUMENTS:
65E/796/CD, 65E/843/CC
IEC SC 65E : DEVICES AND INTEGRATION IN ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS
SECRETARIAT: SECRETARY:
United States of America Mr Donald (Bob) Lattimer
OF INTEREST TO THE FOLLOWING COMMITTEES: PROPOSED HORIZONTAL STANDARD:
Other TC/SCs are requested to indicate their interest, if
any, in this CDV to the secretary.
FUNCTIONS CONCERNED:
EMC ENVIRONMENT QUALITY ASSURANCE SAFETY

SUBMITTED FOR CENELEC PARALLEL VOTING NOT SUBMITTED FOR CENELEC PARALLEL VOTING

Attention IEC-CENELEC parallel voting
The attention of IEC National Committees, members of
CENELEC, is drawn to the fact that this Committee Draft
for Vote (CDV) is submitted for parallel voting.
The CENELEC members are invited to vote through the
CENELEC online voting system.

This document is still under study and subject to change. It should not be used for reference purposes.

Recipients of this document are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of

which they are aware and to provide supporting documentation.
TITLE:
Identification Link
PROPOSED STABILITY DATE: 2024
NOTE FROM TC/SC OFFICERS:

Copyright © 2022 International Electrotechnical Commission, IEC. All rights reserved. It is permitted to download this

electronic file, to make a copy and to print out the content for the sole purpose of preparing National Committee positions.

You may not copy or "mirror" the file or printed version of the document, or any part of it, for any other purpose without

permission in writing from IEC.
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2 CONTENTS

4 FOREWORD ........................................................................................................................... 6

5 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 8

6 1 Scope ............................................................................................................................ 10

7 2 Normative references .................................................................................................... 11

8 3 Terms, abbreviated terms and definitions ...................................................................... 12

9 4 Identification Link string ................................................................................................. 13

10 4.1 ILS-1: Global uniqueness ...................................................................................... 13

11 4.1.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 13

12 4.1.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 13

13 4.2 ILS-2: Link to additional information ...................................................................... 14

14 4.2.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 14

15 4.2.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 14

16 4.3 ILS-3: No reuse .................................................................................................... 14

17 4.3.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 14

18 4.3.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 14

19 4.4 ILS-4: No altering .................................................................................................. 14

20 4.4.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 14

21 4.4.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 14

22 4.5 ILS-5: String length ............................................................................................... 14

23 4.5.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 14

24 4.5.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 14

25 4.6 ILS-6: URL syntax ................................................................................................. 15

26 4.6.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 15

27 4.6.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 15

28 4.7 ILS-7: Allowed characters ..................................................................................... 15

29 4.7.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 15

30 4.7.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 16

31 4.8 ILS-8: Uppercase and lowercase characters ......................................................... 16

32 4.8.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 16

33 4.8.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 16

34 4.9 ILS-9: No character-combinations with special functions ....................................... 16

35 4.9.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 16

36 4.9.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 16

37 5 Identification Link with 2D symbol .................................................................................. 17

38 5.1 2D-1: When marking with 2D symbol ..................................................................... 17

39 5.1.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 17

40 5.1.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 17

41 5.2 2D-2: 2D symbol content ....................................................................................... 17

42 5.2.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 17

43 5.2.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 17

44 5.3 2D-3: Symbology .................................................................................................. 17

45 5.3.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 17

46 5.3.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 17

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47 5.4 2D-4: Module size ................................................................................................. 18

48 5.4.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 18

49 5.4.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 18

50 5.5 2D-5: Quiet zone ................................................................................................... 18

51 5.5.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 18

52 5.5.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 18

53 5.6 2D-6: Error correction ........................................................................................... 18

54 5.6.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 18

55 5.6.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 18

56 5.7 2D-7: Label print quality ........................................................................................ 19

57 5.7.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 19

58 5.7.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 19

59 5.8 2D-8: Direct part marking print quality ................................................................... 19

60 5.8.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 19

61 5.8.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 19

62 5.9 2D-9: Durability of the 2D marking ........................................................................ 19

63 5.9.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 19

64 5.9.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 19

65 5.10 2D-10: Frame ........................................................................................................ 20

66 5.10.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 20

67 5.10.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 20

68 5.11 2D-11: Positive image ........................................................................................... 20

69 5.11.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 20

70 5.11.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 20

71 5.12 2D-12: Location of the 2D symbol ......................................................................... 21

72 5.12.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 21

73 5.12.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 22

74 6 Near Field Communication for the Identification Link ..................................................... 22

75 6.1 NFC-1: When marking with NFC ........................................................................... 22

76 6.1.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 22

77 6.1.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 22

78 6.2 NFC-2: Air interface standards .............................................................................. 22

79 6.2.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 22

80 6.2.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 23

81 6.3 NFC-3: Data format and content ........................................................................... 23

82 6.3.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 23

83 6.3.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 23

84 6.4 NFC-4: Data consistency ...................................................................................... 23

85 6.4.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 23

86 6.4.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 23

87 6.5 NFC-5: Protection classes and approvals .............................................................. 24

88 6.5.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 24

89 6.5.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 24

90 6.6 NFC-6: Durability .................................................................................................. 24

91 6.6.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 24

92 6.6.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 24

93 6.7 NFC-7: Write protection ........................................................................................ 24

94 6.7.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 24

95 6.7.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 24

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96 6.8 NFC-8: Tag location for use in installed state ........................................................ 24

97 6.8.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 24

98 6.8.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 24

99 6.9 NFC-9: Tag position relative to existing marking for identification ......................... 25

100 6.9.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 25

101 6.9.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 25

102 6.10 NFC-10: Tag position relative to neighbouring tags ............................................... 25

103 6.10.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 25

104 6.10.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 25

105 6.11 NFC-11: Generic RFID Emblem in frame............................................................... 25

106 6.11.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 25

107 6.11.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 26

108 6.12 NFC-12: RFID Emblem visibility ............................................................................ 26

109 6.12.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 26

110 6.12.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 26

111 6.13 NFC-13: RFID Emblem position relative to tag ...................................................... 27

112 6.13.1 Requirement .................................................................................................. 27

113 6.13.2 Rationale and supplemental guidance ........................................................... 27

114 Annexe A (normative) Overview of characters permitted for the IL string ............................. 28

115 Annexe B (informative) Examples of Identification Link strings ............................................. 30

116 A.1 Examples: URL syntax according to RFC 3986 with restrictions according to

117 this standard ......................................................................................................... 30

118 A.2 Examples: Parameters with data identifiers according to ISO/IEC 15418............... 32

119 Annexe C (informative) 2D symbol examples and layout considerations............................... 34

120 A.3 Choice of symbology ............................................................................................. 34

121 A.4 Square and rectangular symbols ........................................................................... 34

122 A.5 Selection of corner for triangle when using QR Code ............................................ 35

123 A.6 Symbols not centered in the frame ........................................................................ 35

124 A.7 Layout example when space is not sufficient ......................................................... 36

125 Annexe D (informative) 2D symbols on curved surfaces ....................................................... 37

126 Annexe E (informative) Duplicates of the Identification Link ................................................. 38

127 Annexe F (informative) Search Engine friendliness .............................................................. 39

128 Annexe G (informative) Cybersecurity aspects ..................................................................... 40

129 Annexe H (informative) IL string as IRDI .............................................................................. 41

130 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................... 42

131

132 Figure 1 – Example of an IL linking a physical object to information associated with it .......... 13

133 Figure 2 – Frame around the 2D symbol ............................................................................... 20

134 Figure 3 – Comparison of a 2D symbol as negative and normal positive image ..................... 21

135 Figure 4 – Representation of an IL on a dark background ..................................................... 21

136 Figure 5 – marking of an NFC tag as an IL ............................................................................ 26

137 Figure 6 – IL size may vary depending on the used symbology ............................................. 34

138 Figure 7 – IL with square and rectangular Data Matrix .......................................................... 35

139 Figure 8 – IL with 2D symbols not centered in the frame ....................................................... 35

140 Figure 9 – IL with 2D symbols quiet zone below 4 modules on 2 sides .................................. 36

141
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142 Table A.1 – List of ASCII Code Characters permitted as this standard to create an IL ........... 28

143 Table B.1 — Structure of example a) .................................................................................... 30

144 Table B.2 — Structure of example b) .................................................................................... 30

145 Table B.3 — Structure of example c) .................................................................................... 30

146 Table B.4 — Structure of example d) .................................................................................... 31

147 Table B.5 — Structure of example e) .................................................................................... 31

148 Table B.6 — Structure of example f) ..................................................................................... 32

149 Table B.7 — Structure of example g) .................................................................................... 32

150 Table B.8 — Structure of example h) .................................................................................... 32

151 Table B.9 — Structure of example a) .................................................................................... 33

152 Table B.10 — Structure of example b) .................................................................................. 33

153 Table D.1 – Recommended maximum radii when using QR Codes ........................................ 37

154
155
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156 INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
157 ____________
158
159 IDENTIFICATION LINK
160
161
162
163 FOREWORD

164 1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising

165 all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote international

166 co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To this end and

167 in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications, Technical Reports,

168 Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as “IEC Publication(s)”). Their

169 preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested in the subject dealt with

170 may participate in this preparatory work. International, governmental and non-governmental organizations liaising

171 with the IEC also participate in this preparation. IEC collaborates closely with the International Organization for

172 Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by agreement between the two organizations.

173 2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international

174 consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all

175 interested IEC National Committees.

176 3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National

177 Committees in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that the technical content of IEC

178 Publications is accurate, IEC cannot be held responsible for the way in which they are used or for any

179 misinterpretation by any end user.

180 4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications

181 transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional publications. Any divergence between

182 any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in the latter.

183 5) IEC itself does not provide any attestation of conformity. Independent certification bodies provide conformity

184 assessment services and, in some areas, access to IEC marks of conformity. IEC is not responsible for any

185 services carried out by independent certification bodies.

186 6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.

187 7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including individual experts and

188 members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for any personal injury, property damage or

189 other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and

190 expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC

191 Publications.

192 8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is

193 indispensable for the correct application of this publication.

194 9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of patent

195 rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

196 IEC 61406 has been prepared by subcommittee 65E: DEVICES AND INTEGRATION IN

197 ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS, of IEC technical committee 65: Industrial-process measurement,

198 control and automation. It is an International Standard.

199 Full information on the voting for its approval can be found in the report on voting indicated in

200 the above table.

201 The language used for the development of this International Standard is English.

202 This document was drafted in accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, and developed in

203 accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 and ISO/IEC Directives, IEC Supplement, available

204 at www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs. The main document types developed by IEC are

205 described in greater detail at http://www.iec.ch/standardsdev/publications.

206 The committee has decided that the contents of this document will remain unchanged until the

207 stability date indicated on the IEC website under webstore.iec.ch in the data related to the

208 specific document. At this date, the document will be
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209 • reconfirmed,
210 • withdrawn,
211 • replaced by a revised edition, or
212 • amended.
213
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214 INTRODUCTION

215 Every year, industry purchases hundreds of millions of items of technical equipment – referred

216 to here as physical objects – for setting up new production facilities and maintaining existing

217 ones. When applying this standard these physical objects can be simply and unambiguously

218 identified by using a standardized Identification Link (IL), attached for example on the

219 nameplate. This means that all information relating to the physical object can be identified in

220 various IT systems and then called up, edited and stored as necessary across all processes

221 from storage and retrieval to assembly, maintenance, inspection, repair and disassembly. This

222 is an invaluable advantage in all these processes. The manufacturer in turn can link all

223 information such as drawings, operating instructions and spare part lists to this IL in its systems.

224 Users, e.g. owners or operators, can do the same with their information in their systems. In

225 communication between the manufacturer and user, this IL alone then suffices for both parties

226 to find and exchange all the information they need about a physical object throughout its

227 lifecycle. This IL is therefore a prerequisite for easy accessing and maintaining information in

228 the physical object’s digital twin.

229 Previous standards for machine-readable identification of physical objects essentially describe

230 how the traditional identification features (manufacturer, product number, serial number) can

231 be stored in a machine-readable way using standardized syntax (e.g. as per ISO/IEC 15434)

232 and semantics (e.g. as per ISO/IEC 15418) so that the strings used for identification according

233 to these standards can be analyzed (parsed) and processed across all manufacturers using

234 suitable software. These regulations allow a great variety of identifiers and technologies to be

235 used, some of which can be highly complex, depending on the chosen solution. This means

236 that in the relationship between the manufacturer and the user, it must be determined which

237 parts of these regulations and which of the identification methods specified in them are to be

238 used. A universally usable identification by the manufacturer is not possible without consulting

239 the respective user. The identification options listed in these regulations also always require

240 analysis of the character string and the information encoded in it using suitable software, which

241 involves much greater requirements for further processing. Furthermore, for industrial

242 applications such as in the process manufacturing industry, there are special requirements for

243 the long-term legibility and reliability of markings in the harsh conditions of industrial

244 environments.

245 Production systems, e.g. in the process manufacturing industry, usually consist of several

246 thousand individual physical objects. Each of these physical objects must be uniquely identified

247 during all steps and processes in its lifecycle by both the manufacturer and the user. On the

248 part of the manufacturer, this identification starts during the production of the physical object,

249 and continues during its packaging and shipping. On the part of user, this process continues

250 with the receipt, storage and retrieval of the physical object, carries on through installation,

251 commissioning, operation, inspection, maintenance, repair and disassembly, and finally ends

252 when it is scrapped.

253 The manufacturer usually provides each physical object with an identifier that allows it to be

254 uniquely identified. This identification of the physical object usually takes place using a

255 nameplate.

256 The product type of the physical object can generally be clearly identified using the information

257 on the nameplate. If it is a serialized physical object, which means a serial number is present

258 on the nameplate, then it can also be identified as a single, distinguishable instance of a model.

259 However, in practice this identification of physical objects on a nameplate often cannot be read

260 and used automatically. This is a serious drawback to optimizing and in particular automating

261 identification in all work processes. The reason for this is that the characteristics of a nameplate

262 such as the content, designation, layout and fonts vary greatly according to t

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