Interference mitigation and read rate improvement in RFID‐based network‐centric environments

Abstract

Purpose

This paper investigates interference mitigation and read rate improvement by using novel power control and graph‐based scheduling schemes for radio frequency identification (RFID) systems.

Design/methodology/approach

The first method is a distributed power control (DPC) scheme proposed as an alternative to listen‐before‐talk (LBT) for RFID systems specified under CEPT regulations. The DPC algorithm employs reader transmission power as the system control variable to achieve a desired read range and read rate without causing unwanted interference. The second approach is graph‐based scheduling, which uses a graph coloring‐based approach to temporally separate readers with overlapping interrogation zones. The scheduling of the timeslots is carried out so as to offer better efficiency for each reader.

Findings

This paper shows that power control, graph theory, collision probability analysis along with timeslot scheduling schemes can be widely adapted to solve general RFID problems. The study shows that selection of timeslot allocation schemes should be carried out after carefully analysing the process/workflow in the application domain. While fair scheduling schemes can be applicable to stable manufacturing environments, event‐triggered scheduling schemes are more effective in fairly chaotic environments.

Originality/value

The study shows that the proposed interference mitigation and read rate improvement techniques can be generalized to assist in design, development, and implementation of a variety of RFID‐based systems, ranging from supply chain level operations to shop floor control. The proposed techniques improve not only the reliability of RFID systems but, more importantly, improve business processes that rely on RFID data.

Citation

Cha, K., Zawodniok, M., Ramachandran, A., Sarangapani, J. and Saygin, C. (2006), "Interference mitigation and read rate improvement in RFID‐based network‐centric environments", Sensor Review, Vol. 26 No. 4, pp. 318-325. https://doi.org/10.1108/02602280610692033