Embedding RFID reader capability into your device or application is easier than ever. Impinj's Indy reader products address a diverse range of UHF RFID applications including: retail inventory visibility, asset tracking, consumables authentication/brand protection, access control, and process control. The Indy family includes three chips which provide a range of performance capability and the new RS500 system in package (SiP) which simplifies development and enables fast time-to-market. The Indy family and supporting software provide a platform for developing a wide range of devices that need RFID read/write capability.

1. Which Indy Reader Chip/SiP is
right for your application?
March 2014

2. Today’s Presenter & Agenda
Indy reader chip/SiP overview
• Good, better, best product family
• Key feature differences
• Emerging use cases
Mohammed Sajid
Director, Technical Marketing - Impinj Inc.
msajid@impinj.com
March 2014

3. About Impinj, Inc.
• Leading provider of
UHF RFID technology
• Innovative product
portfolio
– Tag chips
– Reader chips
– Readers & Antennas
• Enabling numerous
industries
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Retail
Pharmaceutical
Food and beverage
Consumer electronics
March 2014

4. Embedded RFID Will Deploy Broadly
Smart TVs
Tablets
Servers
Dispensers / appliances
Medical
equipment
Smart toys
Phones
Laptops
Battery-less communications = endless applications
March 2014

5. The worlds leading manufacturers
use Indy® reader chips
March 2014

6. Price
Indy Reader Chip Family
Indy R2000
Best Performance
Indy R1000
Better Performance
Indy R500
Industry exclusive
Self-Jammer Cancellation
ensures best read reliability
Good Performance
Utility and Value
March 2014

7. Inside An Indy Based Reader
5 Host
1 Reader Radio Module
CPU
A
P
I
Serial
Rx
(ARM7 µCtlr)
4
3
1 Reference radio module design
2 Indy Reader Chip
3
MAC Firmware (Atmel ARM7, Cortex M0)
4
Radio drivers and API library
Gen2 protocol, radio control, digital host interface
RFID specific function calls (library)
5 Host – Another controller or PC
March 2014
Tx
MAC Firmware
2
Antenna
Antenna
Front End
Front -end
USB

8. Indy RS500 Reader SiP – System in Package
Completely integrated
solution
Quick and easy embedding with
low risk and fast time to market
Impinj Radio Interface (IRI)
makes integration easy
Fully tested for regulatory
compliance
Small surface mount package
Solder it and start reading tags!
Now in Production!
March 2014

9. Indy RS500 Makes Integration Easy
DC power
IRI Library
IRI = Impinj Radio Interface
Host
Partners build libraries
with IRI Tool Kit
IRI Tool Kit
March 2014
IRI
UART
Antenna
Three simple connections
1. DC power
2. Communication via UART
3. RF Antenna

10. Comparing Embedded RFID Options
Module
Chip
Low system cost
Fast development
Small form factor
High performance
options
March 2014
RS500 SiP

11. Comparison
Rx sensitivity
Benefit/Comment
-85dBm
-75dBm
-65dBm
*-65dBm
• Measure of receiver performance
• More negative is better
Self-Jammer
Cancellation
• Ensures high read reliability in the
presence of antenna reflection
Max tag reads
per second
800
600
• Higher read rates ensure read
reliability of a large population of
fast moving tags
Supported
modes
FM0,
Miller
FM0,
Miller
180
Miller
180
Miller
• Improves noise immunity from
other readers in the environment
• R2000 built-in switches save space
External DRM
filtering
Integration
• FM0 enables fast reads
• Miller ensures interference
immunity from other readers
Requires
external
parts
Requires
external
parts
Requires
external
parts
No
external
parts
• RS500 SiP is a fully integrated
solution which enables fast TTM
*note – RS500 sensitivity at mono-static antenna port, Indy chip sensitivity at Rx pin
March 2014

12. Devices In Retail
• Detacher for reusable tags
– Read/write tag while detaching
• POS devices
March 2014

13. Service Vehicle Management
• Authentication of consumables
– Oil filters
– Air filters
• UHF RFID Value
– Protect asset (rental/lease)
– Ensure regular maintenance is performed
– Ensure genuine filters are used
March 2014

14. Consumables Authentication
• Appliances
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Beverage syrup
Printer toners
Water filters
Air filters
Batteries
Light bulbs
Brush heads
• Healthcare equipment
– Blood bags, more
– Consumable test strips
March 2014

15. Self Inventorying Retail Kiosk
• RFID enables vendor managed
inventory innovation
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–
–
–
Inventory of goods
Reader HW embedded into stand
Data is sent via cellular backhaul
Does not rely on retail IT
infrastructure
• Value
– Real-time inventory awareness
– Optimized restocking drives sales
– Distributors save time and money
March 2014

16. Industrial Automation
• Factory Automation
– Automatic identification of parts moving through an
assembly line
• UHF RFID Benefit
– Enables identification of fabricated metal parts
– Durable tags withstand acid wash, paint and high temp
bake
– Better read range than HF
March 2014

17. Emerging Embedded RFID Apps
• Hospitals
– Hand washing stations
• Shopping experience
• Entertainment
– Smart toys
– Gaming hardware
• Diagnostics (black box)
– Wireless error-code
retrieval from unpowered
devices
March 2014

18. Indy Product Family Comparison
Key features
• Market leading performance
• Read range and data rates
• Self-jammer cancellation
• Preserves read reliability
Applications
• Fixed readers that require
maximum performance
• Portal readers
• High-end industrial handhelds
• Great read performance
• Supports high data rates
• Good read performance (up to 3m)
• Enables low system cost
•
•
•
•
Printers
Appliances
Access control
Light-duty handhelds
• Completely integrated
• Fast TTM, no HW development
• Ease of use, (IRI)
March 2014
• Fixed readers with dedicated
read zones (up to 7m)
• Handhelds
• High speed printers/encoders
•
•
•
•
POS devices
Proximity readers
Light-duty handhelds
Printers

19. Questions & Answers
Mohammed Sajid
Technical Marketing Director, Impinj Inc.
msajid@impinj.com
March 2014