- The world's largest provider of cell phones is offering
a kit that will enable workers to scan tags remotely and transmit data
via their cell phones. March 17, 2004"Nokia, the Finnish cell phone
maker, today unveiled the world's first RFID-enabled GSM cell phone at
the CeBIT2004 trade show in Germany. The Nokia Mobile RFID Kit features
two RFID reader shells"plastic housings that fit over a cell Gerhard
Romen phone"20 13.56 MHz tags and software to enable mobile workers
to scan tags and access information remotely.
-
- Nokia expects the kit to appeal to companies such as
Halliburton and Schlumberger, which provide field services for the oil
and gas industry, as well to utilities and companies providing security
for buildings.
-
- "About two and a half years ago, we started looking
at RFID as a way of empowering people to do things," says Gerhard
Romen, head of global market development at Nokia New Growth Business,
the product development unit that created the RFID kit. "Today, RFID
tags tend to be mobile and readers are stationary, but things get really
interesting when you turn that around and make the tags stationary and
the readers mobile."
-
- The RFID phone might be used by a engineer in the field
checking a meter on a gas pipeline or other industrial equipment. The engineer
would scan the tag attached to a meter to identify which meter was being
read. The phone-reader would record the time of the read, and then the
engineer could key in the meter reading into the phone using the buttons
on the phone. The data could be stored in the phone and downloaded to a
PC via an infrared connection.
-
- Data can also be transferred via the GSM system. For
example, a security guard walking a building could read a tag at each door
whenever the guard checks the door to confirm it is locked. That information
could be sent to a control center via the cell phone, and someone in the
control center could monitor the guard's progress in real time.
-
- In another application, a telecommunications repair technician
could read a tag on a malfunctioning switching station or other remote
asset. The phone would be programmed to go to a specific Web site to download
a service history and a schematic diagram of that switching station to
the cell phone. The engineer could then learn what previous problems that
site had and which cables are carrying electric current.
-
- Another feature triggers the phone to call a predefined
number when a particular tag is read. So for instance, a security guard
might scan a tag on his belt when in trouble and the cell phone would automatically
call for help.
-
- The software for the reader is written in the Java programming
language. Nokia has a community of developers who create software for the
phones, and Romen says he expects these developers to create new applications
for customers.
-
- The new RFID reader works with the Nokia 5140, a GSM
phone that is water resistant and more rugged than a typical cell phone.
Users simply slide off their existing Xpress-on cover and slide on the
RFID reader. The software needed to run the reader is automatically loaded
into the phone and the reader becomes operational.
-
- The readers, which are made by third-party manufacturers
that Nokia is not identifying, use the ISO 14443A communication protocol,
so companies that purchase the kit can buy additional tags from Philips
Semiconductor and other vendors. The read range is typically 2 to 3 centimeters
(0.8 to 1.2 inches).
-
- Nokia has been working with several companies over the
past year to test how convenient and easy to use the device is. This is
an important issue, according to Romen. "We've been testing it in
the energy, gas supply and security industries," he says. "One
of the key things with a new technology is understanding the requirements
of end users who are not IT experts. Can they read the screen without glasses?
What happens if I drop it? How long does the battery last?"
-
- Romen says that the battery in the cell phone will last
several days when reading 50 to 80 tags per day. The company believes there
is a significant business market for the device, but also expects consumers
will eventually discover the benefits of using their cell phone to control
RFID applications. While it will be several years before consumer applications
are common, he envisions consumers one day scanning items in stores and
automatically downloading information on the product from the Web, or scanning
the tag on a product to register it with the manufacturer.
-
- Pricing for the RFID kit, which will be available at
midyear, will be set by Nokia resellers. Several companies, including Minec
www.minec.com and Magnatec Technologie www.magnatec.de/index_e.htm , sell
a handheld, GSM-enabled computer that can be equipped with an RFID reader.
These sell typically sell for $1,200 to $1,500. The Nokia kit should be
significantly less than that, since the GSM-enabled phone is sold separately
and it doesn't have all the capabilities of a handheld computer.
-
- http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/834/1/1/
|