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Title |
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ISO 28560 Technical
Comments - Structure of the composite standard and
frequency issues |
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Date |
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2008-12-04 |
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Status |
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Publication for free. Copyright: ISO TC46/SC4/WG11 |
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Remarks |
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Additional information for the
discussion in ISO TC46/SC4/WG11 up to and at the WG11 meeting 19 May 2008 in
Stockholm by |
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Published by |
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ISO/TC46/SC4/WG11
RFID in Libraries
Information
and documentation, Technical interoperability |
This short paper addresses two of the technical
comments raised for discussion by
Frequency Issues and Parts 2 & 3
Irrespective of the discussions of the
technical merits of UHF or HF (see below), one thing needs to be clearly
understood. ISO 28560 Part 2 is based on
a particular tag memory architecture, and so is Part
3. This is the memory architecture of ISO/IEC
18000-3 Mode 1. Choosing any other tag
air interface protocol, at whatever frequency, is unlikely to enable what is
written in these two standards to be directly transferred into a different tag architecture.
Therefore, Parts 2 and 3 are correct in their
requirement to mandate particular air interface protocols, because ipso facto it impacts on the memory
structure and therefore on the encoding rules.
The following component parts of the ISO 28560
Part 2 and Part 3 will require completely different encoding:
· AFI
· DSFID
·
Encoding
of a primary identifier (in fact, this might need a future additional
specification in Part 1 to ensure greater uniqueness to enable some tags to
function)
·
Some
of the issues associated with security will need to be addressedin
a different manner
In addition, if and when a
different tag architecture is specified, alternative encoding techniques
of ISO/IEC 15962 might be more appropriate for ISO 28560 Part 2. There might also be additional constraints on
the structure of the encoding for ISO 28560 Part 3.
As none of these
issues has been discussed in any detail by TC46, SC4 WG11 seems premature to
implement a set of changes against hypothetically different tag
architecture. Certainly, the way to address this
is for a New Work Item to be submitted, which provides background information
on interoperability (see below) of the new air interface / tag architecture to
be supported. This New Work Item also
needs to give consideration as to whether this is considered to be a development
of the flexible structure in Part 2 or the fixed structure in Part 3.
Finally, any such change could result in a
completely new part to ISO 28560 or an amendment to Part 2 and / or Part
3. If the new tag architecture imposes
constraints on the primary identifier, then even ISO 28560 Part 1 might need to
be reviewed.
In summary, while it makes sense for the
library community to be looking at new RFID technologies, there are
implications about the way data can be encoded, locked and modified that seem
to have been ignored in comments to propose an alternative to ISO/IEC 18000-3
Mode 1.
The Challenge of UHF
Some comments have been received about the
merits of UHF technology, particularly the ISO/IEC 18000-
·
There
is a significant legacy base of RFID installations in the library community:
most of these installations are based on ISO/IEC 18000-3 Mode 1 tags (or the
smart card equivalent ISO/IEC 15693). It
is important to support these legacy systems when introducing new standards,
with a view of not requiring tags and the reader infrastructure to be changed
or declared obsolete, or at least for change to be addressed in a manageable
manner to support migration issues.
·
A
key point to stress is that interoperability between high frequency tags
operating at 13.56MHz and UHF tags operating at a 860
to 960 MHz requires fundamentally different radio frequency devices. No such devices appear to be available on the
market to enable the established base of RFID library systems to migrate. Until such a need is identified, the most
likely outcome is for fundamentally different data capture systems to be a
requirement.
·
ISO/IEC
18000-
·
Some
assumptions about the merits of the ISO/IEC 18000-
q
The
introduction of a new high frequency tag nominally called ISO/IEC 18000-3 Mode
3 (see detailed discussions below), which could offer a completely different
migration path for future developments.
q
The
introduction, in a standardised way, of other established UHF technology (such
as ISO/IEC 18000-6 TOTAL), which might offer completely different value
propositions. This tag – in a
proprietary format – is the one used by Marks & Spencer and is the world's
largest retail item level RFID application.
As an ISO standard, its potential for addressing applications will
increase.
As an International Standard, ISO 28560 has to
provide some fundamental stability on the topics it addresses. ISO/IEC 18000-3 Mode 1 has been proven as fit
for purpose for library applications.
This should be the start position for ISO 28560. Introducing new technologies on an aggressive
time scale should only be done on the formal basis of an ISO Technical Report.
Developments in HF Tag Technology
The most significant development at 13.56 MHz
is the eminent introduction of work on ISO/IEC 18000-3 Mode 3 and its EPCglobal equivalent (HF Gen2). At the April meeting of ISO/IEC JTC1 SC31
WG4 SG3 dealing with air interface protocols, there were strong indications
that the EPCglobal standard would be completed and
ratified this year and submitted to ISO.
It is also expected that ISO will be able to add additional
functionality not necessarily required by the EPCglobal
system. Publication cannot be expected
prior to the end of 2009.
A key feature of what is generally understood
about ISO/IEC 18000-3 Mode 3 is the intention is to make it interoperable with
ISO/IEC 18000-3 Mode 1. In fact, the
possibilities of including some of the features of Mode 2 could be extremely
useful for library applications.
The following URL provides some useful
information (as well as publicity for a report) that analyses markets and
developments at high frequency.
http://www.idtechex.com/products/en/articles/00000826.asp
This article should be essential reading for
those deciding the future of RFID in libraries.
There are significant developments in High Frequency RFID technology
that might mean that all those that have jumped on the UHF bandwagon have to
seriously re-think their positions. The
following facts are likely to impact on the long term support for 13.56 MHz
RFID technology:
·
The
introduction of 18000-3 Mode
·
Although
the use of HF by governments for passport is a significant development for the
frequency, it does not have any real impact on RFID for libraries
. What is
more significant are the developments in Near Field Communication (NFC)
standards which are all based at HF.
This will result in hundreds of millions of mobile telephones having the
capability of being HF readers.
·
Additional
work on antenna design and production will continue with a focus on material to
achieve either cost reduction or improve performance. Unlike UHF, the HF antenna is typically a
coil designed so that all the focus can be on methodologies rather than shape.
·
Many
high value item level products are small in shape. One of the long established capabilities of
an HF RFID tag is to be able to present in small form factors, including as
small as a postage stamp. This means
that the technology has a form factor advantage over UHF tags for a number of
products.
If, as the predictions from IDTechEx
continue and HF remains the dominant RFID technology in terms of market share,
then there are likely to be even further developments with technology. Just as the 18000-3 Mode 3 tag has similar
architecture to the 18000-
Proposal: A Technology Watch
A basic fact that has to be addressed by WG11
is that, on a weekly basis a number of new library installations take place
based on HF using 18000-3 Mode 1 technology.
This is far outstripping implementations using other RFID technologies
whether standardised or proprietary.
This means that libraries that have made investments in RFID need to be
supported in the future. ISO 28560
cannot ignore the need to support such libraries, whatever options are
available in future.
The future direction of item level RFID is
extremely unclear. This will have a
direct impact on anything that the book and media industry decides to adopt in
the long term, which might have some implications for vertical integration with
libraries. At best, we can expect a
period of two or three years of "turf wars" not only among technology
vendors, but also among retailers and various manufacturing sectors. There is no certain outcome that can be
predicted at this point in time.
In the meantime, there will be technological
developments of both UHF and HF technology.
The changes to ISO/IEC 18000-6, even the introduction of 18000-6 TOTAL,
are generally small technology steps when compared with high frequency. 18000-3 Mode 1 (particularly when referred to
as ISO/IEC 15693) has enjoyed a significant market dominance with few technical
changes over recent years. The
introduction of 18000-3 Mode 3 will produce a significant stepwise change in
the functionality, performance and features supported at this frequency.
The reality over the next two or three years is
a reasonably unstable period for those organisations having to make
decisions. ISO TC46 SC4 WG11 needs to
make future decisions about ISO 28560 based on facts and research, rather than
on opinion and marketing hype. To this
end, it will be sensible for the members of WG11 to participate in an ongoing
technology watch that provides a factual base for future decisions. For example, even a basic time line of when
standards are being developed and expected to be published could be
useful. Furthermore, the availability of
compliant products is another key factor.
In addition, what might also be necessary is
some detailed "what if?" analysis based on certain assumptions. The two most obvious assumptions are the
possible adoption of
ISO/IEC 18000-
With such factual information, WG11 will be in
a better position to decide if, and when, to advise on any additional or
alternative air interface protocol. With
such factual input, it will then be possible to upgrade ISO 28560 either by
amendment or new part to address issues technically, rather than
hypothetically.
Praxis Consultants
Project Editor ISO/IEC 15961 Parts 1 to 4 and
ISO/IEC 15962
Member SC31 WG4 and Sub-Groups