ETSI TR 102 644-1 V1.1.1 (2008-12)

Electromagnetic compatibility and Radio spectrum Matters (ERM); RFID Plugtests to investigate the interoperability of tags manufactured by different vendors; Part 1: RFID Plugtests report

DTR/ERM-TG34-006-1

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 09-Dec-2008
• Technical Committee: ERM TG34 - ERM RF Identification Devices
• Current Stage: 12 - Completion
• Due Date: 17-Dec-2008
• Completion Date: 10-Dec-2008

Standards Content (Sample)

ETSI TR 102 644-1 V1.1.1 (2008-12)
Technical Report


Electromagnetic compatibility
and Radio spectrum Matters (ERM);
RFID Plugtests to investigate the interoperability
of tags manufactured by different vendors;
Part 1: RFID Plugtests report

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2 ETSI TR 102 644-1 V1.1.1 (2008-12)



Reference
DTR/ERM-TG34-006-1
Keywords
radio, testing, SRD
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© European Telecommunications Standards Institute 2008.
All rights reserved.

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ETSI

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3 ETSI TR 102 644-1 V1.1.1 (2008-12)
Contents
Intellectual Property Rights . 5
Foreword . 5
Introduction . 5
1 Scope . 6
2 References . 6
2.1 Normative references . 6
2.2 Informative references . 6
3 Definitions, symbols and abbreviations . 7
3.1 Definitions . 7
3.2 Symbols . 7
3.3 Abbreviations . 7
4 Executive summary . 7
5 General . 8
6 Description of tests . 8
6.1 Garment tests . 8
6.2 DVD tests . 9
6.3 Portal tests . 11
6.4 Conveyor tests . 12
7 Discussion . 13
8 Conclusions . 13
9 Acknowledgements . 14
Annex A: Test equipment . 15
A.1 List of tags . 15
A.2 Antennas . 16
A.2.1 Checkpoint . 16
A.2.2 Kathrein Antenna . 17
A.2.3 MTI Wireless Edge . 18
A.2.4 Scanology . 20
A.3 Conveyor system . 25
A.4 Motion sensor . 26
Annex B: DVD test combinations . 27
Annex C: Pallet details . 28
C.1 50 tag pallet . 28
C.1.1 Homogeneous tags . 28
C.1.2 Mixed tags . 29
C.2 200 tag pallet . 30
C.2.1 Homogeneous tags . 30
C.2.2 Mixed tags . 31
Annex D: Session flags and "Select" command . 33
D.1 Handling of "select" command and session flags . 33
D.1.1 Introduction . 33
D.1.2 Session Flags . 33
ETSI

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4 ETSI TR 102 644-1 V1.1.1 (2008-12)
D.1.3 Selected Flag . 33
D.1.4 Select Command . 34
D.1.5 Use of flags and select commands . 34
Annex E: Photographs of tests . 36
E.1 Pictures of RFID Plugtests . 36
History . 40




ETSI

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5 ETSI TR 102 644-1 V1.1.1 (2008-12)
Intellectual Property Rights
IPRs essential or potentially essential to the present document may have been declared to ETSI. The information
pertaining to these essential IPRs, if any, is publicly available for ETSI members and non-members, and can be found
in ETSI SR 000 314: "Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs); Essential, or potentially Essential, IPRs notified to ETSI in
respect of ETSI standards", which is available from the ETSI Secretariat. Latest updates are available on the ETSI Web
server (http://webapp.etsi.org/IPR/home.asp).
Pursuant to the ETSI IPR Policy, no investigation, including IPR searches, has been carried out by ETSI. No guarantee
can be given as to the existence of other IPRs not referenced in ETSI SR 000 314 (or the updates on the ETSI Web
server) which are, or may be, or may become, essential to the present document.
Foreword
This Technical Report (TR) has been produced by ETSI Technical Committee Electromagnetic compatibility and Radio
spectrum Matters (ERM).
The present document is part 1 of a multi-part deliverable covering RFID Plugtests to investigate the interoperability of
tags manufactured by different vendors, as identified below:
Part 1: "RFID Plugtests report";
Part 2: "Test plan and preliminary tests".
Introduction
The present document describes an RFID Plugtest that was performed at the MGI centre in Neuss and at the
th th
VanDerLande premises in Veghel during the period 11 - 15 June 2008. The purpose of the tests was to investigate if
there were any problems of interoperability when multiple tags manufactured by different vendors were simultaneously
present in the same interrogation field. The question had been raised by some members of ERM_TG34 who had
observed reduced reading performance when using different tag types on loads containing multiple items. This had led
them to suspect that there may be an incompatibility between different designs of tag built with different ASICs.
Since RFID is a global business that is frequently used in open systems, members of ERM_TG34 recognized that any
interoperability between tags would be unacceptable. It was therefore considered necessary to carry out a series of tests
at the earliest opportunity to determine whether there were any such problems existed. The tests simulated a number of
real life scenarios in which tags manufactured by different vendors might be present simultaneously in the same
interrogation zone. The tests are described in a test plan which was reviewed and approved by members of ERM_TG34
and are available at annex A. In addition, prior to the Plugtests, a practical investigation was made to measure certain
characteristics of the ASICs. It was considered that these measurements might assist in understanding the reasons for
any incompatibility observed during the Plugtests.
Three of the four test scenarios were preformed at the MGI centre in Neuss and comprised of the following:
• Reading tagged items of clothing using a hand-held reader.
• Reading of stacks of individually tagged DVDs using shelf antennas.
• Reading pallets containing multiple tagged items passing through a portal.
In addition tests were carried out on a conveyor system at VanDerLande on which items with multiple tags passed
reading stations. These tests simulated, for example, airline baggage fitted with RFID tags or tagged goods moving
along a production line.
Seven RFID manufacturers took part in the Plugtests. They all participated on the basis that the results of the tests on
their equipment would remain confidential. The present document therefore only provides an overall summary of the
results recorded for each of the tests. In addition all of the participants in the tests had completed the ETSI
Non-disclosure Agreement.
ETSI

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6 ETSI TR 102 644-1 V1.1.1 (2008-12)
1 Scope
The present document describes an RFID Plugtest that was performed at the MGI centre in Neuss and at the
VanDerLande premises in Veghel during the period 11th - 15th June 2008.
The purpose of the tests was to investigate if there were any problems of interoperability when multiple tags
manufactured by different vendors were simultaneously present in the same interrogation field.
2 References
References are either specific (identified by date of publication and/or edition number or version number) or
non-specific.
• For a specific reference, subsequent revisions do not apply.
• Non-specific reference may be made only to a complete document or a part thereof and only in the following
cases:
- if it is accepted that it will be possible to use all future changes of the referenced document for the
purposes of the referring document;
- for informative references.
Referenced documents which are not found to be publicly available in the expected location might be found at
http://docbox.etsi.org/Reference.
For online referenced documents, information sufficient to identify and locate the source shall be provided. Preferably,
the primary source of the referenced document should be cited, in order to ensure traceability. Furthermore, the
reference should, as far as possible, remain valid for the expected life of the document. The reference shall include the
method of access to the referenced document and the full network address, with the same punctuation and use of upper
case and lower case letters.
NOTE: While any hyperlinks included in this clause were valid at the time of publication ETSI cannot guarantee
their long term validity.
2.1 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of the present document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For non-specific references, the latest edition of the referenced document
(including any amendments) applies.
Not applicable.
2.2 Informative references
The following referenced documents are not essential to the use of the present document but they assist the user with
regard to a particular subject area. For non-specific references, the latest version of the referenced document (including
any amendments) applies.
[i.1] ETSI EN 302 208 (all parts): "Electromagnetic compatibility and Radio spectrum Matters (ERM);
Radio Frequency Identification Equipment operating in the band 865 MHz to 868 MHz with
power levels up to 2 W".
[i.2] ISO 18000-6C: "Information technology - Radio frequency identification for item management -
Part 6: Parameters for air interface communications at 860 MHz to 960 MHz".
[i.3] ETSI TR 102 644-2: "Electromagnetic compatibility and Radio spectrum Matters (ERM); RFID
Plugtests to investigate the interoperability of tags manufactured by different vendors; Part 2: Test
plan and preliminary tests".
ETSI

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7 ETSI TR 102 644-1 V1.1.1 (2008-12)
3 Definitions, symbols and abbreviations
3.1 Definitions
Void.
3.2 Symbols
Void.
3.3 Abbreviations
Void.
4 Executive summary
These Plugtests were held at the request of members of ERM_TG34 who were concerned at possible problems of
interoperability between tags manufactured by different vendors. To determine if this was the case, a series of tests,
simulating real life scenarios, were defined. The tests were carried out the Metro Innovation Center in Neuss and at
VanDerLande in Veghel.
Seven manufacturers of interrogators and two tag vendors participated in the tests. A total of eleven different tag types
were tested, which included some RFID baggage labels provided by Air France.
Prior to the Plugtests an investigation had been carried out under laboratory conditions to determine if there were any
obvious differences in the behaviour of ASICs (in the tags) that were manufactured by different foundries.
Measurements made during this investigation showed that there was a noticeable difference in the behaviour of the
session flags, which appeared to be dependent on the foundry that had produced the ASIC. However it was not clear if
the difference would give rise to a reduction in reading performance in normal operation where mixed populations of
tags were present.
The results from the Plugtests showed that there was no apparent difference in reading performance, due to any
interoperability issues associated with the ASICs, between populations of tags from a single manufacturer and with
mixed populations of tags.
It was observed that there was a noticeable difference in the sensitivity of different tag types, which directly affects their
reading range. In applications where mixed types of tag might be used, it will be important to specify all tag types
correctly to ensure that they are compatible with the system requirements.
Two distinctly different types of tag are available for item level tagging. One type is designed to be operated by a
conventional radio wave. The other type is energized by a field that is predominantly magnetic. The antennas designed
to read these two tag types are different. In an environment where both tag types are present, care will be necessary
during system design to ensure that acceptable reading performance is achieved.
Tests on a conveyor demonstrated that it is possible to operate satisfactorily in situations where the interval between
successive reads of the same tag by different interrogators is less than 2 s. Additional tests showed that using the select
command it is possible to read only the "wanted tags" from a large population of mixed tags.
During the Plugtests it became apparent that not all manufacturers had a proper understanding of the features in the
ASICs. This applied in particular to the use of the "select" command and the session flags. The correct use of these
features is essential if optimum performance is to be achieved. Guidance on the behaviour of these functions, and how
best they should be configured, is provided in an annex to the present document.
The outcome from the Plugtests was satisfactory and, based on the samples presented for the tests, showed that there
was no incompatibility between different tag and ASIC types.
ETSI

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8 ETSI TR 102 644-1 V1.1.1 (2008-12)
5 General
The names of the seven manufacturers of interrogators who participated in the tests were Hoeft & Wessel, Impinj,
Kathrein, Nordic ID, Panmobil, Sirit and ThingMagic. In addition 10 different tag types were provided by three label
manufacturers using ASICS from two different foundries. Further details of the tags are included in annex A. Also a
number of airline RFID baggage labels were supplied by Air France.
For three of the test scenarios a pre-programmed tag was attached to each of the objects under test. The objects were
divided into groups with tags assigned by tag type to each group. In addition there was an additional group which
comprised items that included tags manufactured by different tag vendors. This made it possible to compare the
performance of tags by type against the performance of a mixed population of tags. For practical reasons, in the case of
the conveyor system, each item had three different tag types attached to it, although it was possible at any time to
disable any two of the three tags.
The ID number and type of all of the tags were pre-loaded into the IBM server prior to the Plugtests. In addition the
server contained an application tool that enabled easy manipulation of the recorded results to provide useful
information. Each participant recorded each of their results on log files, which were subsequently transferred to the
server following each test sequence. The total number of individual records that were logged during the Plugtests
exceeded half a million.
Prior to each test the participant provided the test supervisor with details of the configuration of his interrogator. The
configuration selected was the one considered by the participant to be the most suitable for the application that was
being tested.
Pictures of each of the test scenarios are provided in annex E.
One of the interrogators presented for the Plugtests differed from the configuration that had been assumed in the Test
Plan. Instead of being designed to drive four external antennas, the unit was equipped with an in-built antenna and an
option to drive one external antenna. Where relevant, details of the set-up for this equipment are included in the
description of each of the test scenarios.
With the exception of one manufacturer all of the interrogators presented at the Plugtests operated in
accordance with EN 302 208 [
]. (This describes the four-channel plan). One equipment operated in accordance with the earlier version of the standard
which specifies "Listen before Talk" and permits transmission on any channel within the band
865,6 MHz to 867,6 MHz.
All of the tags used in the Plugtests were compliant with the specification in ISO 18000-6 C [i.2].
The tests were managed by three neutral test supervisors, who were John Falck (Chairman ERM_TG34),
Josef Preishuber-Pfluegl (Vice Chairman ERM_TG34) and Manfred Jantscher (CISC).
6 Description of tests
The definition of the four test scenarios is contained in the Test Plan at annex A. Where time permitted some additional
tests were carried out. Details of these additional tests are also included in the present document. The Appendix to the
Test Plan also describes some preliminary tests that were carried out prior to the Plugtests.
6.1 Garment tests
Four racks were prepared, each comprising forty tagged nightdresses, as described in clause 6.10.4.2 of
TR 102 644-2 [i.3]. Three tag types, A, B and C, were used for the tests. The garments on three of the four racks were
each tagged with tags of a particular type. The fourth rack contained an equal number of tags of all three types. An
identical arrangement was configured for four stacks of trousers. Details of all of the individual tag ID numbers were
stored in the IBM server.
The output power of the different handheld readers ranged from 200 dBm e.r.p. to 500 dBm e.r.p. All manufacturers
with one exception operated in accordance with the four channel plan. All handheld readers were operated using
session S0. Subsequently one manufacturer tried setting his reader to session S1 and achieved an improvement in his
reading performance.
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9 ETSI TR 102 644-1 V1.1.1 (2008-12)
Each participant was asked to configure their handheld reader for optimum performance for the application. To ensure
consistency in the reading process, a representative from Metro scanned the garments on each rack using each of the
handheld readers in turn. The results from each scan were transferred to the IBM server. This same process was
repeated for the stacks of trousers.
The results, averaged for all handheld readers, is shown below in figure 1.
100%
80%
60%
Trousers
Nightdresses
40%
20%
0%
AB C M
Tag types

Figure 1: Averaged results for garment tests
The average results for the three tag types are shown in red for the trousers and in blue for the nightdresses. The two
right hand columns show the results for the mixed types of tags.
Manufacturers of the handheld readers pointed out that in normal use operators would move garments hanging on racks
as they scanned the tags. This would provide significantly better results than those recorded in the tests. However in
order to obtain consistency in the testing of the different readers, it was decided scan the tags with only minimal
movement of the nightdresses.
As might be expected there was a variation in the reading performance between interrogators. One reader consistently
achieved reading rates of 96 % on the nightdresses and 100 % on the trousers.
6.2 DVD tests
The tests were performed using different stacks of DVDs each comprising ten cased DVDs. Each stack was tagged with
different combinations of spine tags and inductive tags. A total of four different tags from three tag manufacturers were
used in the tests. In every case each tag combination was repeated to give three identical stacks of a particular type. In
total 31 different stack combinations were prepared for the tests.
The spine tags were fixed to the DVD cases while the inductive tags were attached directly to the DVDs. A particular
feature of the inductive tag is that it is designed to be activated predominantly by a magnetic field. Three different
manufacturers supplied tags that included both the spine and inductive varieties.
The test position comprised four shelf antennas arranged in a square and mounted immediately beneath a horizontal
wooden surface. The antennas were connected to the interrogator under test and driven in turn sequentially. All
participants operated using the "select" command but some interrogators used session S2, while others used either
session S0 or session S1.
ETSI
Reading performance

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10 ETSI TR 102 644-1 V1.1.1 (2008-12)
Initially three stacks of an identical tag type were positioned over three of the shelf antennas and the interrogator was
activated for a period of 4 s. The number of tags read in each stack was recorded. This process was repeated with
successively more complex combinations of stacks. Details of each of the combinations that were tested are shown in
annex C.
The results from each of the combinations were analysed to provide an average figure for the reading performance of all
of the interrogators that were measured. During the analysis it was discovered that two tags had been incorrectly
programmed and two other tags were defective. These four faulty tags were excluded from the results. The corrected
results are shown in figures 2 and 3 below in the form of bar charts. For ease of interpretation the results for the spine
tags are shown in blue while the inductive tags are displayed in red. The tag types used in each test can be determined
from the table in annex C.
Reading performance
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
Spine
50%
Inductive
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD
G01 G02 G03 G04 G05 G06 G07 G08 G09 G10 G11 G12 G13 G14 G15
Stack combinations

Figure 2: Averaged results for basic DVD tests
For some of the simpler DVD combinations a number of the interrogators achieved a reading performance that came
close to 100 %.
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
Spine
50%
Inductive
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD
G16 G17 G18 G19 G20 G21 G22 G23 G24 G25 G26 G27 G28 G29 G30 G31
Stack combinations

Figure 3: Averaged results for advanced DVD tests
ETSI
Reading performance

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11 ETSI TR 102 644-1 V1.1.1 (2008-12)
From the results it is clear that the inductive tags performed less favourably than the spine tags. The reason for this was
considered due to the use in the tests of shelf antennas that predominantly generated electro-magnetic transmissions.
Additional tests were subsequently performed using one of the interrogators connected to a near field antenna. The
conducted power level of the interrogator was left unchanged. The use of the near field antenna improved the reading
performance of the inductive tags from 56 % to 71 %. It was still possible to read the spine tags although the reading
performance dropped from 98 % to 90 %. It should be borne in mind that these tests were concerned solely with
interoperability and comparisons between the performance of different systems is inappropriate.
It should be noted that one of the inte
...