STMicroelectronics, and Feig Electronic, a leading RFID-reader, and antenna specialist have created a production-ready contactless system capable of personalizing palletized items containing ST’s ST25DV NFC dynamic tags in just a few seconds. This eliminates the need to power-up or even remove the products from their packaging. With this system, end users can eliminate the costs associated with inline programming and leverage contactless NFC technology to enjoy efficient, economical, and flexible stock management and logistics. It can enhance flexibility for vendors of high-tech products such as smart industrial, consumer, and medical devices.
A typical application configures setup parameters such as manufacturer ID, serial number, and default language in new products before they are shipped. Historically a laborious and time-consuming process that requires connecting each unit to a programmer and basic setting up can now take place at any convenient point in the supply chain using this new contactless solution.
The innovative solution extends the readable range for contactless NFC interactions beyond the typical distance of only a few centimeters, to create a 1m x 1m x 1m readable space. By connecting the Feig ID LR2500 long-range reader/writer to two pairs of long-range antennas positioned on either side of the reading area, the Feig system can simultaneously program batches of products containing the ST25DV dynamic NFC tags placed in the reading area.
“Our ST25DV dynamic NFC tag is a catalyst for creative contactless applications that enhance numerous activities including smart manufacturing, asset tracking, and brand protection,” said Sylvain Fidelis, ST25 Marketing and Applications Manager, STMicroelectronics. “In this case, the tag’s dual RF and host interfaces and large built-in non-volatile memory let Feig’s powerful long-range system update the personalization settings of already-packaged products quickly and efficiently.”
“Working with ST, we have produced a game-changing innovation that enables product manufacturers to boost productivity, save factory space, and benefit from extra flexibility to organize product personalization and shipping,” said Wolfgang Meissner, Senior Product Manager at Feig Electronic GmbH. “Leveraging features of the ST25DV, the use case we have demonstrated can be extended to activities such as updating existing inventory with the latest firmware before dispatch.”
ST’s ST25DV dynamic tag is compliant with the NFC Forum Type-5 specification and contains up to 64Kbits of EEPROM, an I2C interface that allows the tag to connect to a host microcontroller or processor, and energy-harvesting circuitry. An integrated buffer of 256 Bytes permits high data-transfer speeds suitable for exchanging larger files such as firmware upgrades.
