TAGSYS Announces 'Path to V2,' Intelligent Infrastructure for RFID Networks, and Partnership with IBM on Serialization Pilot Kit for Pharmaceutical Manufacturers

jpg TAGSYS announces the “Path to V2" program: a combination of partnerships, programs, and products designed to provide customers an easy migration from existing HF RFID infrastructure to EPCglobal's anticipated high-performance RFID standard — HF Version 2 (V2). TAGSYS, IBM, and NXP are working together to make it simpler and easier for customers to deploy RFID infrastructure today with the ability to migrate to HF V2 in the future without risk or penalty.

TAGSYS and NXP have partnered to optimize performance for HF V2 systems and accelerate HF V2 system availability after the specification is ratified early next year. As part of the rigorous testing that was required to develop the HF V2 candidate specification, TAGSYS and NXP developed tag emulators and reader firmware.

TAGSYS and IBM announced a Serialization Pilot Kit for pharmaceutical manufacturers to assist customers with initiating their mass serialization efforts in advance of impending requirements. The Serialization Pilot Kit offers customers a complete system, from 50,000 tags to reader systems to software to TAGSYS' and IBM's services — all designed to roll out the RFID system in a low-cost, low-risk manner. The Serialization Pilot Kit was designed with HF V2 in mind and will enable customers to pilot today and rapidly move to HF V2 for item-level serialization in the future.

The Path to V2 includes TAGSYS' new Medio™ L400, the industry's first self-diagnostic and self-correcting long-range HF reader. It will be compatible with the HF V2 via a simple firmware upgrade. In HF V2 mode, the Medio L400 will be able to simultaneously support additional protocols.

The Medio L400 offers up to six times faster processing speed and 40% greater read range than the currently available TAGSYS readers. Utilizing breakthrough sensor technology and self-diagnostic capabilities, the Medio L400 self-monitors nine different functions, including temperature and digital output load. When coupled with e-connectware™, TAGSYS' comprehensive set of management and administrative tools, administrators can remotely monitor, manage and modify 50 separate parameters in the Medio L400 in real time.

The Medio L400 uses advances in Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and RF Front End technology to achieve an industry-leading signal-to-noise ratio. The result is breakthrough performance in read range and read speed. The Medio L400 has been specifically designed to operate in noisy environments such as manufacturing plants and distribution facilities while maintaining the highest levels of data integrity for item-level tracking-and-tracing, inventory management, and security applications. Designed as a network device, the Medio L400 conserves critical network bandwidth by filtering tag data to remove redundancies before sending data to the host. It is available with two or four antenna ports; supports a wide array of TAGSYS antennas; and provides connectivity through Ethernet, USB, and serial communication modes. An integrated LCD screen allows floor operators to easily configure and maintain the Medio L400 without the use of peripheral equipment such as computers or PDAs.

TAGSYS has also teamed up with IBM to offer a Serialization Pilot Kit for pharmaceutical manufactuerers. As of January 1, 2009, all prescription drugs being sold in the State of California must bear a unique identifier that can be used to track products throughout the supply chain, making it easier to identify counterfeits and prevent them from reaching patients. The new IBM and TAGSYS offering provides the hardware, software, and services needed to validate the performance, reliability, and cost-effectiveness of RFID for this purpose.

The Serialization Pilot Kit offered by IBM and TAGSYS will be available in December. It includes:

Tags: 50,000 High Frequency (HF) TAGSYS tags ready to be integrated into the product and 1,000 Ultra High Frequency (UHF) tags for case level serialization.
RFID Hardware: TAGSYS HF reader stations (based on the new L400 Long Range Reader) with integrated diverters that can be easily added to a packaging line, HF/UHF stations for associating items to cases, and a UHF RFID printer to print case labels.
Software: The IBM WebSphere Premises Server software to manage the RFID data capture process, associate items with production run data, and generate serialization reports.
Services: The necessary services to install and configure the system for optimal performance.

This offering can be deployed in under four weeks for $125,000. With it, pharmaceutical manufacturers can learn how easily and quickly RFID can be applied in packaging operations, evaluate the accuracy and reliability of the technology at production speeds, and make an informed choice on their path to item-level serialization. Since the hardware is provided for the duration of the pilot, clients can use RFID with minimal risk and expense. TAGSYS will provide customers with the same expertise and architecture used in its Six Sigma Performance Program

The Serialization Pilot Kit can be upgraded to IBM's full solution for pharmaceutical track-and-trace. The full solution automates event capture by integrating into real-time operational systems, incorporates receiving and pick-pack-ship processes for distribution centers, and leverages IBM's WebSphere RFID Information Center's new ePedigree feature to meet California pedigree requirements and enable supply chain optimizations.

“Quality of service for the client is key here," says John Jordan, President of Worldwide Operations, TAGSYS. “We're taking the argument out of the protocol layer. We're less focused on 'frequency' so we can be more focused on 'performance.'"

DriveCam Inc. Leverages Texas Instruments Signal Processing Technologies Within Automotive Driver Risk Management Solution

DriveCam Inc., a global driver risk management company, announces that it has integrated Texas Instruments Incorporated's (TI) digital signal processors (DSP), analog components, microcontrollers (MCUs), and RFID technologies into its innovative behavior-based risk mitigation solution. DriveCam's risk mitigation solution is used by distribution fleets worldwide to predict and prevent risky driving behaviors and save lives.

DriveCam's event recorder and peripherals are governed by multiple TI processors including the ultra-low-power MSP430 processor and a multimedia-optimized DSP. The flexible and programmable TI DSP enables DriveCam to encode the video stream in compact MPEG4 format before wireless upload. Going forward, DriveCam's RiskPredict™ algorithm will also be implemented to run on TI's processor.

"Texas Instruments provides not only the high-performing DSP that our solution needs at a reasonable price, but also the MCUs, analog, and RFID components that allow DriveCam to differentiate its products in the market," states Peter Ellegaard, Vice President, Hardware and Firmware Engineering, DriveCam. "Being able to use multiple components all from a single vendor allows us to speed our time-to-market and makes life easier on our design teams. In addition, we have received valuable support from TI during the development, ramp-up, and product introduction."

"Because TI offers a DSP integrated system-on-chip, it enables us to create a more compact system design for DriveCam's event recorder," says Ellegaard. "And since we're running a Linux kernel, it has been an easy integration to get Linux up and running on the processor because it works directly with existing Linux libraries."

DriveCam's exception-based video event recorder is card-accessed by the commercial vehicle driver through TI's embedded RFID reader integrated circuit (IC), TI's TRF7961 (which is integrated with the MSP430). Once the system recognizes the driver, the vehicle's video event recorder, which is mounted on the windshield behind the rearview mirror, is able to capture sights and sounds inside and outside the vehicle. Exceptional forces such as hard braking, swerving, and collision cause the recorder to save the critical seconds immediately before and after the triggered event. Saved events are analyzed and used in ongoing driver coaching programs to improve behavior and mitigate driver risk.

"DriveCam offers an invaluable automotive solution that has the potential to save many lives on the nation's roads and highways," says Brooke Williams, Worldwide Automotive Vision Marketing Manager, Texas Instruments. "The processing challenges put forth by such an innovative and computing-intensive solution are large. TI offers the right mix of analog and digital device performance, cost and support to make it an easier decision to select TI as the vendor of choice. DriveCam's program is a great example of how TI is able to work closely with smaller and innovative companies to create life-changing solutions."

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