According to an announcement from Intermec Technologies Corp., a group of major manufacturers and technology providers are backing an RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) protocol
that could lead to rapid adoption of a new worldwide RFID standard known as EPC UHF Generation 2 -- or simply Gen-2.
RFID is used to transmit data over short distances. In trucking, RFID is used for various applications, from automatically downloading data from onboard truck computers at terminal gates to scanning documents and tagged freight in cross-dock operations.
Besides Intemec, the group includes Royal Philips Electronics, Texas Instruments, Impinj Inc., SAMSys Technologies, Q.E.D Systems and UPM Rafsec, among others.
According to Intermec, the proposed RFID definition is based on technology developed by IBM and licensed to Intermec that meets requirements outlined by the leading retailers and others, including the U.S. Dept. of Defense.
Currently, there are two major RFID standards, but initiatives like Wal-Mart's demand for RFID technology from suppliers, have increased the urgency of establishing one world-wide standard.
"The reason Gen-2 is being developed is the use of UHF technology on a worldwide basis," Dirk Morgenroth, a marketing manager for Philips Electronics, told Internetnews.com. "After spending time and attention on mandates such as Wal-Mart's, initially kicking off in the U.S., suppliers require something that can be used worldwide, because Wal-Mart gets products worldwide. That's why they're driving this specification.”
Internetnews reported that Gen-2 will be backwards compatible so Gen-2 users will be able to read both kinds of chips.