This section provides overview, applications, and principles of rfid. Also, please take a look at the list of 21 rfid manufacturers and their company rankings.
Table of Contents
RFID stands for radio frequency identifier and is an automatic identification technology using short-range wireless communication.
RFID tags can be read contactless using a reader.
It differs significantly from optical reading using barcodes and the like in that all information can be entered, erased, and rewritten. However, installing a reader is costly, so the hurdle to adoption is high for privately owned restaurants and stores.
The typical RFID applications include transportation cards and prepaid cards issued by railroad companies.
The chip embedded in a driver's license is also an RFID tag, in which information such as name, date of birth, current address, legal domicile, photo, license type, license number, and license acquisition date are written to prevent forgery.
Other attempts are being made to introduce RFID into product management at convenience stores to improve the efficiency of ordering and receiving and to reduce operational costs.
To use RFID, RFID tags and readers are required. The price of RFID tags, which used to be expensive, has been declining in recent years and depending on the type of RFID tag, the cost can be as low as $0.5 per tag. With the spread of RFID tags, the price of RFID tags is still on a downward trend, and it is said that in the future, the price may drop to as low as $0.01 per tag.
Prices for readers vary depending on their performance, but the price range for a handy type tag is about $2,000, while the price range for a gate type tag used in logistics warehouses is several million dollars. Readers with limited performance can be purchased for as little as $100, but it should be noted that their use is limited by low read performance and terminal shock resistance.
In addition to RF tag readers, some vendors sell software for product management, etc., as a set. The cost, in this case, should be quoted individually depending on the system to be introduced.
RFID tags contain memory and an antenna for transmitting and receiving communication signals; information is input and output through these devices.
There are two types of reading methods, passive and active, and the difference is whether or not a battery is built into the RFID tag.
Passive RFID uses radio waves emitted from the reader as operating power, and the RFID tag transmits the information entered into its memory.
In active RFID, the battery-powered RFID tag actively transmits information, which is then received by the reader. The read information is stored in a computer and can be viewed, edited, and managed.
As described above, RFID enables non-contact reading through wireless communication, so that information can be read even if the reader is some distance from the RFID tag. Another feature of RFID is that it can read multiple tags simultaneously, which is not the case with technologies that read labels optically, such as barcodes.
RFID and NFC refer to technologies transmitting and receiving information through wireless communication. They are often confused with each other, but what are the differences?
RFID is defined as an LF band, HF band, UHF band, etc., depending on the frequency. NFC is a uniquely defined standard using the HF-band communication method. Therefore, NFC is a part of the RFID technology system.
The UHF band, which uses the ultra shortwave band of 860 to 960 MHz, can communicate up to 10 meters, whereas the HF band used by NFC can communicate over a short distance of about 10 cm. NFC is a technical specification developed by the NFC Forum, an industry standards organization, and has recently been installed in smartphones for contactless payment and other applications.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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Ranking as of January 2023 in United States
Derivation MethodRank | Company | Click Share |
---|---|---|
1 | Kronegger | 10.3% |
2 | ams | 10.3% |
3 | NEOSID | 6.9% |
4 | Impinj | 6.9% |
5 | Microsensys | 6.9% |
6 | Nordic ID | 6.9% |
7 | Elatec RFID Systems | 6.9% |
8 | HID Global | 6.9% |
9 | PHYCHIPS | 3.4% |
10 | Toda Kogyo | 3.4% |
11 | Jiakang Electronics | 3.4% |
12 | WISeKey | 3.4% |
13 | Dorset Identification | 3.4% |
14 | SIWARD | 3.4% |
15 | metraTec | 3.4% |
16 | CAEN RFID | 3.4% |
17 | FEIG ELECTRONIC | 3.4% |
18 | Mikron | 3.4% |
19 | Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. | 3.4% |
Ranking as of January 2023 Globally
Derivation MethodRank | Company | Click Share |
---|---|---|
1 | Kronegger | 11.4% |
2 | ams | 8.6% |
3 | Dorset Identification | 5.7% |
4 | HID Global | 5.7% |
5 | WISeKey | 5.7% |
6 | Mikron | 5.7% |
7 | Elatec RFID Systems | 5.7% |
8 | NEOSID | 5.7% |
9 | Nordic ID | 5.7% |
10 | Microsensys | 5.7% |
11 | Impinj | 5.7% |
12 | FEIG ELECTRONIC | 5.7% |
13 | metraTec | 5.7% |
14 | SIWARD | 2.9% |
15 | CAEN RFID | 2.9% |
16 | Jiakang Electronics | 2.9% |
17 | Toda Kogyo | 2.9% |
18 | PHYCHIPS | 2.9% |
19 | Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. | 2.9% |
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the rfid page as of January 2023. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
Newly Established Company
Company with a History
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