Title: National AIDC Centre for Wales Faculty of Advanced Technology
1Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC)
Hywel Williams
National AIDC Centre for Wales Faculty of
Advanced Technology
AIDC Centre for Wales
2What is the biggest single barrier to advancement
in IT?
- Slow, (QWERTY) inaccurate, subject to human
frailty - We need a way of getting rid of the keyboard,
either - Reduce the volume of information we collect OR
- Automate the capture of as much data as possible
AIDC Centre for Wales
3My personal preferred term is Intelligent Data
Capture
Intelligent Data Capture is now all around us,
and forms an increasing part of our lives
Think of something as routine as a supermarket
visit
- All the products (except some weighable items)
are bar coded - The shelf edge labels are bar coded
- Expensive items have RFID tags which have to be
removed - The Anti-Theft gates at the exit are based on
RFID - The Credit card you pay with has RFID chip and
magnetic data - Loyalty cards have magnetic identification
- Has the potential for beneficial use
- Has the potential for intrusive use
AIDC Centre for Wales
4What is Automatic Identification and Data Capture?
Some form of Identity which stays with or is
part of the entity it aims to identify and the
ability to read that identity
Wide range of technologies and application areas,
but all exhibit certain characteristics.
- Accuracy the technology has extremely low error
rates on reading or transmitting codes (virtually
nil) . - Keying errors 1300
- OCR errors 130,000
- Bar Code errors 13,000,000 (3
Million) - RFID errors 110,000,000 (10 Million)
AIDC Centre for Wales
5Characteristics (Continued)
2. Speed of data availability faster than any
manual input, thousands of characters can be read
every second. Also very often data can be
captured while either the goods or the reader are
moving. 3. Economics the speed and accuracy of
data collection over manual methods result in
greater customer satisfaction, and rapid
payback. 4. Versatility Almost every type of
situation requiring recording or measuring will
have an answer somewhere within the technology
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6- There are dozens of differing technologies and a
myriad of devices which fall within the scope of
Automatic Identification Data Capture but there
only two basic technologies - Data Carrier - Sometimes known as item
attendant identification a device or tag which
belongs with or is attached to in some way to the
object to be identified. - Advantages- cost, often relatively simple
technology - Disadvantages- some carriers can become detached
- Feature Extraction- An inherent unique feature
of the article maybe isolated and used as an
identifier. - Advantages- integral part of the object cant
be detached - Disadvantages- can be expensive and highly
technical
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7Take a moment to think of some- Technologies Appl
ications
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8AIDC Centre for Wales
9- Industry Sectors
- Retail bar codes, anti-theft (RFID), payment
methods (swipe cards) - Manufacturing bar codes, RFID process control
- Logistics Transport bar codes, RFID
- Healthcare bar codes, 2D bar codes, RFID
- Social Care Digital Pen Paper, RFID
- Warehouse Management Systems bar codes, RFID
- Wherehouse systems dont use them
- Pharmaceuticals bar codes, 2D barcodes, RFID
- Agriculture Animal Tagging
AIDC Centre for Wales
10- Historical Milestones
- 1949 -- the first barcode is invented (patent
1952) - 1959 -- first wildlife radio tags
- 1967 -- first retail barcode scanning system
(little used at first) - 1975 -- anti-theft material tags appear in
libraries and stores - 1984 1989 10 fold increase in retail bar code
use - 1980 -- RFID is invented
- 1990 -- Automobile toll-collection tags appear
- 1997 -- first all-polymer IC tag demonstrated
- 1997 to present day -- Increasing use as tag
prices fall and application areas grow - Estimated growth from 300M in 2004 to 3Billion
in 2009
Booh!!
AIDC is without doubt a source to be exploited
by those intent on winning, and a competitive
threat to those who choose to ignore it or are
unaware of its potential. (Patricia Hewitt when
Secretary of State for the DTI)
AIDC Centre for Wales
11Common Excuses in the Supply Chain
I can assure you your shipment is on the water
Your shipment is waiting to be released
Your order is being put onboard as we speak
Your goods have just left the loading dock
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12Data Carrier Technology
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13Optical Data Carriers
- Linear Bar Codes (Licence Plate technology)
- In use since the 1970s especially in retailing.
Very simple to print either on to special labels
or direct on to product or immediate packaging. - Need to be read by a line of sight reader which
may be fixed, semi-fixed or portable.
Supermarkets use X lasers to compensate for
angular presentation.
Low capacity up to about 50 characters. Some
symbologies can accommodate alpha, numeric, and
special characters. Wide range of affordable
hardware available, some specialised, some can be
general purpose, e.g. print bar codes direct on
documents using laser printer
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14Numbering Systems
GTIN numbering system (Also known as EAN) In
retailing every product sold to the public which
carries a bar code is unique and centrally
registered worldwide with a group of
organisations under the GS1 umbrella. Each
country has its own organisation but they work to
a common standard.
It is a 14 digit number the format of which
varies a bit but basically, the first part of the
number identifies the manufacturer, and the
second identifies the product within that
manufacturer. The final digit is always a check
digit. Companies with a large product range have
a short company identifier leaving room for lots
of products, whilst companies with smaller
product ranges may have longer company ids but
shorter product codes. Codes with 50 as first 2
digits are registered in UK.
Example of 3 of 9 - used to print bar code
equivalent of things like Document Serial Number
very easy to use, most database systems just
use a special font, e.g. print twice once using
Arial or Times New Roman, and once using bar code
font.
1234567
1234567
AIDC Centre for Wales
152-D (Matrix) Bar Codes
Matrix Codes- Consist of a block of cells, which
are filled with mini bar codes, can be
interpreted and translated into blocks of up to
2000 characters. The borders act as
registration so that code can be read in any
orientation
The technique is widely used in Direct Part
Marking. Useable in hostile environments
Shows a 2D bar code on a brake calliper of a car.
Can also be used on pistons
Marks can be very small, the example shows a 2D
matrix on a pin head
- Many product marking methods
- Printing
- Laser
- Punching, drilling
- Embossing, dot peen
UID DoD Identity on everything supplied to US
Armed Forces
AIDC Centre for Wales
16Other Optical Methods
- Multi-row bar codes- series of linear barcodes
stacked one on top of the other. Label must
pass under reader for each line to be read.
Data can be appended (like word wrap) to carry
more data. Often found on outers. - Optical Character Readers Originally special
stylised fonts either OCR-A or OCR-B Best known
on bank cheques. Can now read text (Omnipage etc)
but not accurately enough to collect data for
decision making. - 3. Optical Mark Readers extension of punch
cards best known example is Lotto. The lottery
till has to be capable of reading five different
masks, for the different games
AIDC Centre for Wales
17Digital Pen Paper a unique combination of
technologies
The camera photographs the handwriting at 100
fps, either the image is sent to the phone via
bluetooth or the pen is plugged into the cradle,
in either case the image is passed on to the
server, where it overlays the master. It can
then be stored as an image, and also translated
to text using very sophisticated context
sensitive handwriting recognition. This is far
more accurate than conventional OCR text
recognition
AIDC Centre for Wales
18Magnetic/Electronic
- Magnetic Stripe-
- Widely used on credit cards, debit cards, loyalty
cards, hotel door keys etc. Durable and fairly
cheap. Low storage capacity. Chip and Pin uses
RFID instead of the magnetic strip - Also widely used as access control devices.
- Form the basis of many Time Attendance systems
including Job Time Logs - Smart Cards are an extension of this technology,
which are chip based, and have read/write
properties and larger storage potential. Cashless
Systems, like the Oyster Card is an example which
is capable of top up, and balance retention.
These systems hold data on the card rather than
in a remote database.
AIDC Centre for Wales
19Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
Bar Codes have changed our lives over the past 20
years, the next 20 will be changed even more by
the uptake of RFID
- The term covers a range of devices from simple
licence plate systems, up to complex tags capable
of integration to GPS systems for satellite
tracking. Also often used to maintain information
on-board rather than just link to other
computer records. - Advantages over bar codes- Do not need line of
sight, Can hold far more data, Data more secure
(smudging) Data can be read/write and added to,
Can be read much faster. - System consists of two parts, a transponder and a
transceiver. The transceiver emits a signal to
which the transponder responds, which in turn is
picked up by the transceiver. The system was
first invented 1939 to distinguish friendly or
enemy aircraft. - High growth area as costs of tags and readers
reduce, and as software becomes more available. - RFID can be classified as- chipped or chip-less,
active or passive, and frequency in which they
operate.
AIDC Centre for Wales
20Outline Principles of RFID
Handheld Option
Key
Wake up call
Response
Static Option
RF signal converted to power (Faradays Law)
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21Chipped Tags
- Passive Tags
- No internal power supply. The chip needs to
become excited, which it does by means of a radio
signal sent out from the reader. The internal
Arial is designed to generate enough power from
the signal to activate the chip and then to
transmit a signal back to the reader. The tag can
contain information other than just its number.
The read only memory can have data added to it
(usually only once at creation). Read distances
only a metre or so. - They come in all shapes and sizes dependant upon
the application to which they will be put - Can be VERY small 0.4mm X 0.4mm and thinner than
paper (about a grain of sand)
- Active Tags (Beacons)
- They use an internal power supply to generate an
outgoing signal, sometimes continuously sometimes
at fixed intervals. - Transmission range up to 10 metres and battery
life up to 10 years. - Can be linked to amplifiers and used in
conjunction with Global Positioning Satellites,
into SatNav systems, and vehicle tracking systems.
AIDC Centre for Wales
22RFID Frequencies
RFID Tags are available in a range of
frequencies, each of which have their particular
advantages and disadvantages, and it is CRITICAL
the right one is chosen to match the application,
e.g. read distance, cost, read/write ability
Throw Away
Speed
Distance
Cost
- Low Frequency (125 134 KHz)
- High Frequency (13.56MHz)
- Ultra High Frequency (850-950MHz)
- Microwave (2.45 5.8GHz)
Re-use
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23Tags come in all shapes and sizes depending on
the use to which they will be put
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24Chip-less Tags
A development area currently
a tag will be developed with just enough
intelligence built in to a circuit that can be
printed using special conductive inks that a
separate IC will not be required.
Low cost, Low data capacity Low range (often near
contact), but more rugged than silicon based
equivalents.
To replace chipped tags as a carrier for the
Electronic Product Code (EPC) which would be a
bit like current GS1 bar codes in that a world
wide universal code is developed for all products
AIDC Centre for Wales
25Vision Systems
- Camera systems can be used in a variety of ways
for example- - Monitoring product conformity product on a line
can be continually checked against a standard
and corrective action taken when deviation occurs.
- As part of a biometric system e.g. facial
recognition or Iris recognition - Traffic Identification recognise number plates
for City congestion charges and possibly road
tolls in the future.
AIDC Centre for Wales
26Feature Extraction Technology
These systems depend on a property of the item
itself, rather than data about the item
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27Person Based Systems (Biometrics)
- Facial Recognition key co-ordinates of faces
are recorded and compared - Handwriting Recognition used forensically, but
now in use on PDAs and tablet PCs. - Speech Recognition Record and compare sound as
wave patterns. - Physical Patterns e.g. iris recognition, finger
print recognition, hand geometry and vasculature
can be used in conjunction with other means,
e.g. smartcards - Gait Step length, walking speed, joint rotation
are combined to a pattern for comparison. - DNA Who goes on the database?
AIDC Centre for Wales
28Substance Based recognition
- Physical or Chemical properties of substances
can be used to identify batches - Inert trace elements may be added to chemicals in
varying strengths to identify the source and
batch. Classic example being
detection taggants and
post explosive taggants which allow
tracking of plastic explosives via
chromatography - Inherent unique properties may be used for
example the use of a chemical nose. Substance
specific sensors are used to measure ammonia, SO2
etc. - Emission sensors e.g. thermal images can be
compared against stored patterns to detect some
substances
AIDC Centre for Wales
29Practical Example of Major Retail Chain moving
from Bar Coding to RFID
Clothing
Food
- 5 million tagged returnable trays
- 100 suppliers writing to tags
- Read/Write 24 million trays per week
- Each tag contains product code, use by date,
supplier code, batch number allowing full
traceability - Cross docking warehouses drop trays from
suppliers onto conveyors which are automatically
labelled with the store and directed to the
correct output bay.
Throw away tag System now adopted in MOST MS
stores on high value items such as Men's Suits,
Ladies jackets etc. Still to become cheap enough
for underwear and socks etc.
AIDC Centre for Wales
30- Some Other Examples-
- Airport security and baggage handling bar
codes, RFID and biometrics are all either in use
or shortly to be put into use - London (and other ) Marathon all runners have
microchips to record their time - Ticketing Systems All 2006 World Cup tickets
had RFID tags which eliminated forged tickets.
Also allowed traceability if touting of genuine
tickets was reported.
AIDC Centre for Wales
31Healthcare
Unique identification of all surgical instruments
with 2D bar codes makes tracking and recording of
which instruments were used in which operations,
which can be sterilised and which have to be
discarded (CJD etc)
All blood is identified by donor as well as blood
type. Records need to be kept especially when
blood is turned into other products like plasma
etc when several bloods may be merged
Which leg, right or left? Coded tags can
eliminate notes mix up, and reduce the effect of
poor handwriting and reduce mistakes
AIDC Centre for Wales
32The Power of ID in Healthcare
Conference in Cardiff on Tuesday 30th October
jointly organised by ourselves and Informing
Healthcare
- Morning will be split into-
- Background i.e. putting AIDC in Context within
Wales and Europe. - Technical Advances smart cards RFID and other
technologies - Afternoon session
- Specific applications in Health Care sector
including Community care - Discussion led by Informing Healthcare as to the
future adoption of these technologies into the
Welsh NHS
AIDC Centre for Wales
33- Myths a lot of myths exist around RFID tags in
particular, about the loss of anonymity - You can be located anywhere by any random tag you
may have. - Most retail tags are removed at the till, they
have performed their function by then - Tags are usually part of the packaging rather
than the item - You must be within 4 feet of a reader, the reader
must be able to identify the tag, it then needs a
link back to a database to tie your details up to
the tag. A bit tenuous to say the least. - Cash tagged Euros help counting avoid
counterfeiting traceable? No there is no link
from you to the cash when you hand it over
unless of course you have to provide personal id
for every transaction then we would have to
worry
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34- If you ever visit an organisation that claims
that they are making maximum use of AIDC
technologies - Tell me Id love to use them as a case study
- Look out of the window
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35- Some people within organisations pretend that
they have no applications which AIDC could
streamline. That position is - Uncomfortable
- Unsustainable
- Its dangerous if anyone is looking for somewhere
to park their bike
- If you are a Welsh organisation, let us at the
National AIDC Centre for Wales help you to see
the future. Initial consultations are FOC to all
Welsh organisations be they private or public,
large or small, North or South - If you are outside Wales
- Why not relocate its good down here
- If you cant relocate, we should still be able to
re-direct you
36Thank You very much for your attention, I hope
that the presentation has been somewhat
informative. Website www.aidcwales.co.uk
(English) www.aidccymru.co.uk
(Cymraeg) Telephone 01443-654542 Email
hwillia5_at_glam.ac.uk
AIDC Centre for Wales