C5.3 - Smart Passive Sensors with RFID Read-Out for Item Tagging
- Event
- SENSOR+TEST Conferences 2009
2009-05-26 - 2009-05-28
Congress Center Nürnberg - Band
- Proceedings SENSOR 2009, Volume II
- Chapter
- C5 - Sensor Communication II
- Author(s)
- M. Hoffmann, M. Schneider - Technische Universität Ilmenau, Ilmenau, Germany, G. Menges - NXP Semiconductors Germany GmbH, Hamburg, Germany, M. Werner - Alcan Packaging Singen GmbH, Singen, Germany
- Pages
- 189 - 193
- DOI
- 10.5162/sensor09/v2/c5.3
- ISBN
- 978-3-9810993-5-5
- Price
- free
Abstract
The integration of RFID functionality into packaging materials is a new approach for item tagging and opens new aspects as compared to bar code labels or RFID labels. The BMBF-funded project SMARTPACK that is driven by an RFID-chip manufacturer (NXP), a manufacturer of packaging material (Alcan Packaging) and a machine manufacturer (ASEM - Mühlbauer) aims for the integration of RFID functionality already during packaging material manufacturing. To allow the mass-volume production as required for item level tagging, a roll-to-roll process is targeted. Thus, the integration leads to a substantial reduction of production costs of RFID functionality by cutting down the value chain. The aim is the implementation of item level tags with extended functionality into end customer packages.
Besides an advanced product safety due to integrated RFID, item tagging also allows to add sensors that allow to control the product status inside a package. For cost and safety reasons complex smart active labels are not suitable for this application. New concepts for passive sensors are required that collect information on the product status during storage without permanent power supply and represent the integrity and quality at the time of read-out, preferentially as good / bad decision.
For many applications, the temperature-over-time integral (TTI) is of highest interest. It is characteristic for predicting the quality of perishable goods such as fish or other food, but also to control the sterilisation process of medical goods or nonperishables: a low TTI is an indicator of insufficient sterilisation; a very high TTI indicates a degradation of vital parts. On the other hand, a sensor detecting a single overtemperature (e.g. a short transport at high temperature) is almost not required; the increase of bacteria is small whereas the increase of bacteria may be dramatical if the good is stored for long time a few degrees above the prescribed temperature. Therefore, the project SMARTPACK aimed for fully pasive TTI sensor concepts.