RFID Tags and Auto-Labeling Machine for Heavy Plate Products Identification and Tracing论文.pdfVIP

RFID Tags and Auto-Labeling Machine for Heavy Plate Products Identification and Tracing ·1 · RFID Tags and Auto-Labeling Machine for Heavy Plate Products Identification and Tracing Pan Shengbo, Wu Ruimin (Baoshan Iron Steel Co., Ltd., Shanghai 201900, China) Abstract RFID (radio frequency identification) is an emerging technology used for identifying objects via radio waves. Its many advantages make it very suitable for steel industry, but because of metal shielding, it is a challenge to deploy the radio frequency in a metal environment. This paper briefly introduces the existing RFID applications in steel industry. By improving the existing RFID tags, we have designed two kinds of RFID tags for heavy plate product identification and tracking. The first one is a paper-based tag, whose RFID inlay hangs out from the plate, makes it has a good readability. Another is a metal tag with long metal strip, which can be mounted on the side surface of the plates. Their reading performances are tested in laboratory environments. We have also developed a corresponding automatic labelling machine. The machine has an automatic hopper for feeding usable tags, and uses an industrial robot as the carrier, to carry a labelling head to complete labelling jobs including tag picking, object detection and tag labeling. The entire working process of the machine on the field is described, can adapt the rapid and continuous steel production. This research of RFID technology for heavy plates lays a foundation for further practical application. Key words RFID, heavy plate, tag, auto-labeling machine, steel industry 1 1 Introduction Radio Frequency Identification