RFID read/write devices with ISO functionality

Siemenss Industry Automation Division has now redesigned its HF (high frequency) 13.56 megahertz range Simatic RF310R and RF380R RFID (radio frequency identification) read/write devices so that they can also work with ISO 15693 standard transponders (tags).

Its ISO 15693 functionality makes the RF300 system also suitable for use in applications which only need simple types of transponders with little memory, such as the inexpensive MDS D100 and D124 ISO 15693 tags. The D324 and D160 tags in the Moby D product line have data capacities ranging from twenty bytes to one kilobyte. These are typically used in applications with central data storage in manufacturing industries, such as the automotive industry and its suppliers, and baggage handling systems, such as those in airports.

Simatic RF310R and RF380R readers are also suitable for use with more advanced tags in the RF300 transponder range. These have larger data capacities and facilitate particularly fast data communication between reader and transponder. The mode of operation is easily switched in the Step7 program by changing the parameters in function blocks, so that the readers at the air interface can either communicate in the high-performance "RF300 protocol" mode, as before, or under the ISO 15693 protocol. Already available standard communication modules are used to integrate these readers into PC applications or an automated system with Simatic, Profibus and Profinet. The Simatic RF380R reader has an additional RS232 interface which enables it to be connected directly to another manufacturer's control system or a PC - without needing an interface converter. The next devices to be equipped with ISO 15693 functionality will be the RF340R and RF350R readers and the RF310M mobile handheld terminal.