EPC Gen2

1. What is EPC Gen 2?
   
2. What is the foundation protocol?
   
3. What's the difference between ISO and EPC?
   
4. What is ISO 18000-6?
   
5. What is EPCglobal?
   
6. What is the Auto-ID Center?
   
7. What are the Auto-ID Labs?
   
8. What type of research are the Auto-ID Labs doing?
   
9. Is EPC technology just for use on consumer products goods?
   
10. What is the Electronic Product Code?
    
11. How does the EPC work?
    
12. Why is EPC technology important?
    
13. Will there be just one type of EPC?
    
14. What's the EPC header for?
    
15. How can a company track items using EPCs?
    
16. How do you know what item 1-2345-67890 is?
    
17. How do companies use the EPC data to become more efficient and more profitable?
    
18. How does a computer act on information about a product?
    
19. How do you avoid having all this data about individual products overload existing networks?
    
20. How do Savants work?
    
21. Why were Savants needed?
    
22. What is the Object Name Service?
    
23. Who will maintain the ONS?
    
24. What is Physical Markup Language?
    
25. What types of data will be stored in the PML file?
    
26. Where will all these PLM files be stored?
    
27. Will my company have to replace our entire bar code infrastructure to take advantage of the Electronic Product Code?
    
28. What can the EPC network do that existing bar code systems can't do?
    
29. What information is stored on RFID tags?
    
30. Why are companies so keen to use RFID if it is not to gain more information on consumers?
    
31. Will RFID enable companies to keep track of what consumers buy?
    
32. Can RFID tags be read from satellites?
    
33. From how far away can a typical RFID tag be read?
    
34. Can RFID tags in consumer products be deactivated before the customer leaves the store?
    
35. How big are RFID transponders?
    
36. Can tags be reactivated?
    
37. Can RFID tags be hidden in consumer products?
    
38. Are there any consumer benefits to RFID? Or do all the benefits go to the companies that use it?
    
39. Can RFID be embedded in money?
    
40. Can RFID tags be sewn into clothing?
    
41. Are there any health risks associated with RFID and radio waves?
    

1. What is EPC Gen 2?
Gen 2 is the shorthand name given to EPCglobal's second-generation EPC protocol. It was designed to work internationally and has other enhancements such as a dense reader mode of operation, which prevents readers from interfering with one another when many are used in close proximity to one another.
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2. What is the foundation protocol?
The term "foundation protocol" is sometimes used to describe the second-generation EPC air interface protocol, or UHF Gen 2. EPCglobal calls it the foundation protocol because Gen 2 is designed a way that higher-class tags will also talk to readers. These higher-class tags will have more memory, encryption capabilities, the ability to use a battery to broadcast a signal to a reader and the ability to communicate information from temperature and other sensors. The Foundation Protocol is expected to be approved by the end of 2004.
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3. What's the difference between ISO and EPC?
The Electronic Product Code is a standard created by EPCglobal. Although it was designed to be a global standard for use in many industries, EPC is not an international standard approved by The International Organization for Standardization. EPCglobal, the body responsible for EPC technology, says it plans to submit the EPC Gen 2 protocol to ISO for approval. ISO has created many standards for RFID. These deal with both the air-interface protocol and applications for RFID. EPC deals with more than just how tags and readers communicate. EPCglobal wants to create network standards to govern how EPC data is shared among companies and other organizations.
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4. What is ISO 18000-6?
ISO 18000-6 is a proposed international standard governing the way tags and readers communicate in the UHF spectrum. There are currently two versions, 18000-6A and 18000-6B. It is possible that EPCglobal's Gen 2 standard could become an international standard and be called ISO 18000-6C, but as of December 2004, the Gen 2 standard did not include an 8-bit application family identifier, which would be required for it to be an ISO 18000-6 standard.
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5. What is EPCglobal?
EPCglobal is a not-for-profit joint venture set up by the Uniform Code Council, which licensed the EPC technologies developed by the Auto-ID Center, and EAN International, the bar code standards body in Europe. EPCglobal is an umbrella organization overseeing local chapters that will work with companies to encourage the adoption of EPC technologies. EPCglobal will issue EPCs to companies that subscribe to its service.
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6. What is the Auto-ID Center?
The Auto-ID Center was set up in 1999 as a not-for-profit consortium to develop a system for using the Internet to identify goods anywhere in the world, using something called the Electronic Product Code (EPC). It was originally supported by the Uniform Code Council, EAN International, Procter & Gamble and Gillette, and was based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass. Over time, it received funding form large companies who wanted to use RFID to track goods, and who believed an open standard was critical. Other labs were established in England, Switzerland, Japan and China. In October 2003, the center closed its doors and was transitioned into two separate organizations: EPCglobal took over the commercialization of EPC technologies, while Auto-ID Labs continued the research and development role of the Auto-ID Center.
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7. What are the Auto-ID Labs?
The Auto-ID Labs are nonprofit research labs, headquartered at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, that do primary research into the development of EPC and related technologies. The labs were part of the Auto-ID Center. The name was changed when the Auto-ID Center ceased to exist after October 2003.
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8. What type of research are the Auto-ID Labs doing?
The Auto-ID Labs are focused both on the development of the EPC network technology and applications for the technology. Work is being done to develop standards for sharing data. The labs have also set up special interest groups to research ways of embedding tags in packaging and solving problems reading tags on certain types of products, and to develop standards for using EPC and other technologies to reduce counterfeiting of products.
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9. Is EPC technology just for use on consumer products goods?
The original vision was for EPC technology to be used on all types of products, not just consumer products. Having a single numbering scheme would make it easier to track goods not just within an industry but across industries as well. Goodyear, for instance, sells tires to automakers and to Wal-Mart, and it would be better to use one numbering scheme to track all their tires. But many industries have their own numbering systems, and EPCglobal is now working on a "translation engine"-a software system that would convert EPCs into industry-specific numbers and back again. Many industries are moving toward adopting EPC technology, including pharmaceuticals, defense, electronics and computing.
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10. What is the Electronic Product Code?
The Electronic Product Code (EPC) was created by the Auto-ID Center as an eventual successor to the bar code. The aim was to create a low-cost method of tracking goods using RFID technology. The benefit of RFID is that it doesn't require line-of-site, which means goods can be scanned through packaging and without needing people to scan items. EPC tags were designed to identify each item manufactured, as opposed to just the manufacturer and class of products, as bar codes do today.
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11. How does the EPC work?
The EPC is a string of numbers and letters, consisting of a header and three sets of data partitions. The first partition identifies the manufacturer. The second identifies the product type (stock keeping unit) and the third is the serial number unique to the item. By separating the data into partitions, readers can search for items with a particular manufacturer's code or product code. Readers can also be programmed to search for EPCs with the same manufacturer and product code, but which have unique numbers in a certain sequence. This makes it possible, for example, to quickly find products that might be nearing their expiration date or that need to be recalled.
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12. Why is EPC technology important?
EPC technology could dramatically improve efficiencies within the supply chain. The vision is to create near-perfect supply chain visibility-the ability to track every item anywhere in the supply chain securely and in real time. RFID can dramatically reduce human error. Instead of typing information into a database or scanning the wrong bar code, goods will communicate directly with inventory systems. Readers installed in factories, distribution centers, and storerooms and on store shelves will automatically record the movement of goods from the production line to the consumer.
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13. Will there be just one type of EPC?
No. The Auto-ID Center originally proposed EPCs of 64-, 96- and 128-bits. Eventually, there could be more. The 96-bit number is the one the center believed would be most common. It chose 96 bits as a compromise between the desire to ensure that all objects have a unique EPC and the need to keep the cost of the tag down (the less information on the microchip the cheaper the cost of producing the chip). The 96-bit EPC provides unique identifiers for 268 million companies. Each manufacturer can have 16 million object classes and 68 billion serial numbers in each class, more than enough to cover all products manufactured worldwide for years to come. Since there is no need for that many serial numbers at this time, the center has proposed an interim 64-bit code. The smaller code will help keep the price of the RFID chips down initially (the simpler the chip, the cheaper the tag), while providing more than enough unique EPCs for current needs. The center foresees using a 128-bit code to cover all the items made around the world.
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14. What's the EPC header for?
The EPC header is used to indicate the format of the EPC code, (i.e. the length of field partitions), and was designed to make the system flexible. For instance, the header tells the reader whether the tag has a 64-bit or a 96-bit EPC. The header also makes it possible to divide the data partitions in different ways, so a manufacturer that makes large amounts of only a few products could shift digits from the object class partition to the serial number partition.
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15. How can a company track items using EPCs?
Companies have to create a network of RFID readers. In a warehouse for example, there could be readers around the doors on a loading dock and on every bay. When a pallet of goods arrives, the reader on the dock door picks up its unique license plate. Computers look up what the product is using the EPC Network. Inventory systems are alerted to its arrival. When the pallet is put in bay A, that reader sends a signal saying item 1-2345-67890 is in bay A.
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16. How do you know what item 1-2345-67890 is?
The EPC by itself tells you no more about a product than a car's license plate tells you about a car. Computers need a way to associate the EPC with information stored elsewhere about the unique item. To help computer systems find and understand information about a product, the Auto-ID Center developed some infrastructure technologies that would be integrated with the Internet to allow companies to look up information associated with each item in secure databases.
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17. How do companies use the EPC data to become more efficient and more profitable?
How companies use EPC data and the EPC Network will be up to them, just as it's up to them to decide how they want to use the Internet. But the EPCglobal is working with industry partners to provide some basic tools that will help them take advantage of the network. VeriSign, for instance, has been awarded a contract to manage the root directory for the Object Name Service. VeriSign and others will host EPC Information Services for companies. And some of the functionality of Savants is being incorporated into commercial RFID middleware. These tools will enable companies to track and trace goods, which should help reduce counterfeiting, and enable many other improvements in supply chain efficiency. For instance, retailers may provide EPC data about stock levels in stores to enable automated replenishment of products.
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18. How does a computer act on information about a product?
The whole point of automatic identification is to take people out of the loop, to enable computers to gather information and act on it.For that to happen, computers must be able to not just identify a product, but also interpret some basic information about it. To make this possible, the Auto-ID Center started to develop a new computer language called the Physical Markup Language. PML is based on the widely accepted eXtensible Markup Language (XML), which is used to describe common types of data (addresses, dates, invoice numbers and so on) and transactions (purchases, requests for quotes and so on) in a way computers running different proprietary applications can understand. PML files will be stored in the EPC Information Service (once called PML servers). EPC Information Service will reside on computers distributed across the Internet. (The Object Name Service, described above, points computers to data about products stored in the EPC Information Service.) Some information about each product will be stored in a PML file, such as a product's name and broad category (soft drink, auto part, clothing and so on), when it was made and where, its expiration date, its current location, even its current temperature, if that's important. PML files will provide information to existing enterprise applications or new yet-to-be developed applications. The PML file could contain instructions for where a pallet should be shipped. It could contain instructions for a point-of-sale display to lower the price of an item when its expiration date approaches. Or it could contain instructions for how long your microwave needs to cook a particular brand of frozen pizza.
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19. How do you avoid having all this data about individual products overload existing networks?
The Auto-ID Center created software technology called Savants to manage and move information in a way that doesn't overload existing corporate and public networks. Savants use a distributed architecture, meaning the software runs on different computers distributed through an organization, rather than from one central computer. Savants are organized in a hierarchy and act as the nervous system of the new EPC network, managing the flow of information. At the edge of the network, Savants gather data from readers. They pass on only relevant information to existing business applications, such as which products are about to expire. A Savant running at a distribution center might determine when product needs to be reordered from manufacturers, and so on. EPCglobal is phasing out the name "Savants". Middleware companies have developed commercial products that do what Savants were designed to do.
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20. How do Savants work?
The Auto-ID Center designed Savants to act as the nervous system of the network. Savants were designed to be different from most enterprise software in that it isn't one overarching application. Instead, Savants were designed as a distributed architecture and the software would be organized in a hierarchy to manage the flow of data. The vision was that there would be Savants running in stores, distribution centers, regional offices, factories, perhaps even on trucks and in cargo planes. Savants at each level would gather, store and act on information and interact with other Savants. This function is being absorbed into different forms of RFID middleware.
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21. Why were Savants needed?
There are tasks that needed to be performed in order for the EPC network to work as envisioned by the Auto-ID Center. At the time, no middleware could handle these tasks. But companies have taken the concept and incorporated many of the tasks envisioned for Savants in their middleware products. Among the tasks are: o Data smoothing: Software at the edge of the network-those attached to readers-will smooth data. Not every tag is read every time, and sometimes a tag is read incorrectly. By using algorithms middleware is able to correct these errors. o Reader coordination: If the signals from two readers overlap, they may read the same tag, producing duplicate EPCs. Software must be used to analyze reads and delete duplicate codes. o Data forwarding: At each level, middleware has to be set up to filter information and pass on only necessary information to an enterprise application. For instance, middleware in a cold storage facility might forward only changes in the temperature of stored items that exceed certain thresholds. o Data storage: Existing databases can't handle more than a few hundred transactions a second, so another job of the middleware is to maintain a real-time in-memory event database (RIED). In essence, the system will take the EPC data that is generated in real time and store it intelligently, so that other enterprise applications have access to the information, but databases aren't overloaded. o Task management: Essentially, middleware is customized to manage data and execute commands. For instance, middleware running in a warehouse might be programmed to alert the manager when the number of pallets of a particular product drops below a certain level.
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22. What is the Object Name Service?
The Object Name Service (ONS) is an automated networking service similar to the Domain Name Service (DNS) that points computers to sites on the World Wide Web. When an interrogator reads an RFID tag, the Electronic Product Code is passed to middleware, which, in turn, goes to an ONS on a local network or the Internet to find where information on the product is stored. ONS points the middleware to a server where a file about that product is stored. The middleware retrieves the file (after proper authentication), and the information about the product in the file can be forwarded to a company's inventory or supply chain applications.
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23. Who will maintain the ONS?
EPCglobal has awarded VeriSign a contract to maintain the root ONS directory. But the Object Name Service will handle many more requests than the Web's Domain Name Service. Therefore, companies will likely maintain ONS servers locally, which will store information for quick retrieval. So a manufacturer may store ONS data from its current suppliers on its own network, rather than pulling the information off the Web site every time a shipment arrives at the assembly plant. The system will also have built-in redundancies. For example, if a server with information on a certain product crashes, ONS will be able to point the RFID middleware to another server where the same information is stored.
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24. What is Physical Markup Language?
The Electronic Product Code identifies individual products, but all the useful information about the product would be written in a new, standard computer language called the Physical Markup Language (PML). PML is based on the widely accepted eXtensible Markup Language (XML). Because it's meant to be a universal standard for describing all physical objects, processes and environments, PML will be broad and will cover all industries. It will provide a common method for describing physical objects and will be broadly hierarchical. So, for instance, a can of Coke might be described as a carbonated beverage, which would fall under the subcategory soft drink, which would fall under the broader category food. Not all classifications are so simple, so to ensure that PML has broad acceptance, EPCglobal is relying on work already done by standards bodies, such as the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (Le Système International d'Unités - SI) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the United States.
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25. What types of data will be stored in the PML file?
In addition to product information that doesn't change (such as material composition), PML will include data that changes constantly (dynamic data) and data that changes over time (temporal data). Dynamic data in a PML file might include the temperature of a shipment of fruit, or vibration levels from a machine. Temporal data changes discretely and intermittently throughout an object's life. One example is an object's location. By making all of this information available in a PML file, companies will be able to use information in new and innovative ways. A company could, for instance, set triggers so the price of a product falls as its expiration date approaches. Third party logistics providers could offer service-level contracts indicating that goods will be stored at a certain temperature as they are transported.
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26. Where will all these PLM files be stored?
PML files will be stored in online databases that will be part of something called the EPC Information Service (formerly called a PML server). The EPC Information Service is a distributed system of managing EPC data across many computers connected to the Internet. One element of the service is to manage who has access to different types of company data. So a company might provide full access to some business partners, access to shipping information to its logistics providers and inventory data only to its retail partners. Companies may maintain their own EPC Information Service computers or outsource this to companies such as VeriSign.
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27. Will my company have to replace our entire bar code infrastructure to take advantage of the Electronic Product Code?
EPCglobal is promoting the Electronic Product Code as the next standard for identifying products. It is trying to create a migration path for companies to move from established standards for bar codes to the new EPC. To encourage this evolution, it has adopted the basic structures of the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), an umbrella group under which virtually all existing bar codes fall. It is envisioned that companies will maintain their bar code systems and add new EPC infrastructure.
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28. What can the EPC network do that existing bar code systems can't do?
Bar codes are a line-of-sight technology. That is, a scanner has to "see" the bar code to read it. That means people usually have to orient the bar code towards a scanner for it to be read. Also, if a bar code label is ripped, soiled or falls off, there is no way to scan the item. Radio frequency identification, by contrast, doesn't require line of sight. RFID tags can be read as long as they are within range of a reader. And since radio waves pass through plastic, tags can be protected from damage. Because RFID tags can communicate with readers without line of sight in most cases, RFID also has the potential to reduce out of stocks. Studies show that, on average, products are not on the store shelves 7 percent of the time. Every time a customer leaves a store without buying what they came for because it wasn't on the shelf, the retailer and the manufacturer lose out. RFID has the potential to dramatically reduce out of stocks by providing real-time visibility into what's on the store shelves. It also has the potential to dramatically reduce theft by alerting store employees to unusual activity at the shelves. It may also reduce employee theft, counterfeiting, administrative errors, and mass recalls. And there are some unique benefits associated with the ability to track individual items. Down the road, RFID tags have the potential to be combined with sensors to monitor the status of the product. Sensors might, for instance, detect that a shipment of milk was left in a warm environment for a period of time. Computer systems could then bring forward the milk's expiration date to account for the lack of refrigeration. Sensors might also reveal whether food products have been spoiled or tampered with. Once a company has installed the infrastructure to take advantage of tracking products over the EPC network, other capabilities can be added cost effectively.
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29. What information is stored on RFID tags?
The tags most companies are planning to use in the supply chain in the short term and in consumer packaging in the long term will contain only an Electronic Product Code. The EPC will be associated with data in online databases. Some information about the item might be accessible to anyone-such as what the product is-but other information, such as where it was made and when-will be accessible only to those whom the manufacturer wants to make the information available to. So Wal-Mart will not have access to data about products sold by Target and vice versa.
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30. Why are companies so keen to use RFID if it is not to gain more information on consumers?
RFID could dramatically improve efficiency in the supply chain and reduce waste. If it can reduce the times products are not on the shelf when consumers want to buy they, it could also increase sales. Top

31. Will RFID enable companies to keep track of what consumers buy?
There are very few items with RFID tags in them today, so it is not clear exactly what information companies will collect. But it's likely that any information companies collect using RFID will be similar to what they glean today when consumers buy items using a credit card or a loyalty card. It's envisioned that the packaging of products will have an RFID tag that contains an Electronic Product Code-a unique serial number that identifies the manufacturer, product type and a series of numbers that identifies that unique item. Companies will use this number to track products through the supply chain. It's important to be able to tell one carton of milk from another in the supply chain because they have different expiry dates. But there is little benefit to knowing which specific items customers by. Companies want to know the types of items people buy, so they can sell those customers other items that match their taste. Companies can already get this information from barcodes.
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32. Can RFID tags be read from satellites?
Passive RFID tags, the kind companies are talking about using one day on consumer products, can't be read from more than 20 feet or so. Active RFID tags, which use a battery to broadcast a signal and are used on cargo containers and other large assets, could be read from a satellite if there is little RF "noise" (ambient RF energy that causes interference) and the broadcasted signal is powerful enough.
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33. From how far away can a typical RFID tag be read?
The distance from which a tag can be read is called its read range. Read range depends on a number of factors, including the frequency of the radio waves uses for tag-reader communication, the size of the tag antenna, the power output of the reader, and whether the tags have a battery to broadcast a signal or gather energy from a reader and merely reflect a weak signal back to the reader. Battery-powered tags typically have a read range of 300 feet (100 meters). These are the kinds of tags used in toll collection systems. High-frequency tags, which are often used in smart cards, have a read range of three feet or less. UHF tags-the kind used on pallets and cases of goods in the supply chain-have a read range of 20 to 30 feet under ideal conditions. If the tags are attached to products with water or metal, the read range can be significantly less. If the size of the UHF antenna is reduced, that will also dramatically reduce the read range. Increasing the power output could increase the range, but most governments restrict the output of readers so that they don't interfere with other RF devices, such as cordless phones.
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34. Can RFID tags in consumer products be deactivated before the customer leaves the store?
Yes. This is known as the "kill" command. The reader sends a code to the tag that turns the tag off permanently. When RFID systems are fully deployed in stores and most products have RFID tags in their packaging (this won't happen for at least 10 years), each checkout counter will likely have an RFID reader that can kill the tags. In the mean time, companies will likely place kiosks near the exits of stores, so consumers who wish to can kill the tags. Products will have symbols indicating that the package contains a tag and retailers may remove the tags at the time of checkout if consumers want them removed.
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35. How big are RFID transponders?
RFID transponders range in size from the size of a grain of pepper to the size of a brick. The size depends on whether the tag uses a battery to broadcast a signal or simply reflects a signal back from the reader. The other factor is the size of the antenna. As the antenna gets smaller the read range decreases. Tags that are the size of a grain of pepper have an antenna etched onto the microchip. Because the antenna is so small, the tags can only be read from less than an inch away.
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36. Can tags be reactivated?
EPCglobal, the nonprofit organization that is developing standards for the use of EPC technology, has stipulated that all EPC tags should have a feature that enables them to be rendered permanently inoperably by the kill command. This is to prevent anyone from reactivating a tag and using it to track a person without their knowledge. It's always possible that a design flaw is discovered which enables someone to reactivate a tag. No such flaw is known to exist at this time.
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37. Can RFID tags be hidden in consumer products?
RFID tags can be read through non-metallic packaging so they can be embedded in products and product packaging. However, it's unlikely that companies would try to hide tags in their products, since these would be easy to discover. A consumer could use a reader to locate the tag.
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38. Are there any consumer benefits to RFID? Or do all the benefits go to the companies that use it?
There are many consumer benefits. Greater efficiency in the supply chain will reduce costs and improve efficiencies. Companies will pass some of these savings on to consumers to try to gain market share from less efficient competitors. RFID could be used by retailers to expedite returns and by manufacturers to manage warrantee claims and improve after-sales support of items such as computers and DVD players. RFID could also reduce the counterfeiting of pharmaceutical drugs and insure the integrity of products purchased by consumers. And RFID could be used to secure the food supply and prevent terrorists from sneaking weapons of mass destruction into a country through shipping containers.
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39. Can RFID be embedded in money?
It's possible but so far, no country has used RFID tags in this way. Hitachi, the Japanese high-technology company, has developed a very tiny RFID chip, called the mu-chip, designed to help governments prevent the counterfeiting of passports, securities and other documents. There have been reports that the European Union and Japan are considering embedding these chips in large bills, but officials of the EU Bank and the Bank of Japan told RFID Journal that they had no plans to use RFID in bills as of mid-2004. Even if it is technically possible, it's not clear that the benefits would outweigh the huge costs of the infrastructure needed to make RFID an effective anti-counterfeiting tool. Also, there would likely be strong opposition from privacy advocates (as well as companies that do business mostly in cash).
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40. Can RFID tags be sewn into clothing?
Yes. A number of companies make RFID tags encased in protective plastic. These tags are designed for use in the laundry and uniform rental business. The tags used are typically 13.56 MHz tags, which have a read range of less than 3 feet (1 meter). Today, there is no way to embed a tag that is undetectable to the consumer into clothes. Companies that are testing RFID systems for tracking clothes in the supply chain are putting the RFID transponder on a hangtag that the consumer cuts off before wearing the item.
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41. Are there any health risks associated with RFID and radio waves?
RFID uses the low-end of the electromagnetic spectrum. The waves coming from readers are not dangerous.
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