RFID Sensors
RFID sensors, or Radio Frequency Identification sensors, are key components of RFID systems used for tracking, monitoring, and managing assets across various industries. The sensors operate using electromagnetic fields and radio waves to interact with the RFID tags affixed to the objects. From these tags, they collect basic but crucial information. This RFID tag data includes the location and the identity of the object, as well as its status. The RFID system consists of the reader, the antennas, and of course, the tags. RFID tags can be quite simple or more complex, and how "smart" a tag is directly impacts what sort of data the system can gather. A more sophisticated tag can also relay more sophisticated data.
RFID technology is efficient. It allows tracking of items and the transmission of data at low, high, and ultra-high frequency. When combined with RFID sensors, the RFID readers that are in inventory management systems can almost instantaneously give real-time insights into the whereabouts and identities of the things being managed as part of an inventory. This almost instantaneous feedback allows operational efficiency. The efficiency and effectiveness of that almost instantaneous feedback in operational systems come from the use of passive tags. Active RFID tags, which can be battery-powered, also exist. They are used with higher-value items that benefit from longer read ranges and more data that can be stored in the tags.
More Information about RFID Sensors
Manufacturing, retail, and logistics have been transformed by RFID sensors, which have made operations smoother, mistakes fewer, and inventory counts more reliable. Unlike barcodes, which require a clear view of the code for the scanner to read it, RFID does not have to work in a "line of sight." An operator can use an RFID reader in various positions and still read the RFID tags.
FAQs
Do RFID stickers and an RFID chip track inventory and transmit data in a supply chain the same way that an RFID sensor does?
No, RFID stickers and RFID chips serve as tags that store and transmit data when activated by an RFID reader, whereas RFID sensors actively detect and capture information from tags to facilitate inventory tracking and data transmission within a supply chain.
Analog and Digital Control Signals: The Basics
Digital Signals
Digital signals are represented in either a true or false. There is no gray area with digital signals. An example of this might be a light switch. A light switch is either on or off. Another example of this might be a motor that is running or not running. Digital signals can be generated with both AC and DC circuits with varying voltages, currents and resistance. Some practical examples of using digital signals in an industrial environment might be if a pump is running or not running or a whether a valve is open or closed.
Analog Signals
Analog signals convey information in the form of a range. A light switch might be on or off as a digital signal, but a dimmer switch would be an analog signal. It can be on or off, but it can also be somewhere in between. A practical example of using analog signals in an industrial environment would be if there is a need to measure the level of a tank; whether it's full, empty or somewhere in between. Analog signals can take many different forms with some of the more common being a 4 to 20 milliamp signal or a 0 to 5 or 0 to 10 volt signal.
Communication
Communication in a device can either be sent or received. Whether that data is sent or received depends on the type of information. Is there a need to monitor the status of something? If so, an input needs to be received about that information. Is there a need to control something? If so, an output needs to be sent about what needs to occur. Receiving inputs and setting outputs are both things that can be accomplished by using both digital and analog signal types. Therefore, the signals are referred to as analog outputs (AO), analog inputs (AI), digital inputs (DI) or digital outputs (DO).