Texas Instruments Expands RFID Transponder Line with New Inlays

DALLAS, Sept. 13 -- As part of its ongoing development to offer a broad array of radio frequency identification (RFID) transponders, Texas Instruments, a worldwide leader in RFID technology, announced two new additions to its line of 13.56 MHz Tag-it(TM) HF-I products: the 32.5 millimeter CD/DVD Inlay and the 24.2 millimeter Circular Inlay. Both inlays are compliant with the ISO/IEC 15693 vicinity card standard and the ISO/IEC 18000-3 item management standard, making them suitable for adoption worldwide. RFID systems integrators are implementing TI's new 13.56 ISO/IEC inlays for end-user applications including item-level management of electronic materials in libraries, pharmaceutical products, and consumer products on retail shelves, as well as for patient identification in hospitals and patron ID, ticketing and wireless payment at amusement parks and sports venues.

The inlays' ultra-thin design allows them to easily be incorporated into a range of packaging materials such as CDs/DVDs, plastic bottles, labels, cardboard boxes, wristbands and keyfobs.

"We are continuing to experience an extremely high demand for high- frequency 13.56 MHz transponders and TI has expanded both its manufacturing lines and product offerings to give our systems integrator and end-user customers the flexibility to innovatively apply RFID solutions in their businesses," said Bill Allen, director of marketing and communications for Texas Instruments RFid Systems.

CD/DVD Inlay

TI's Tag-it HF-I CD/DVD Inlay has been specifically designed to be attached to the case or molded into the plastic hub in the center of a CD or DVD. Applications for the TI inlay include item and shelf-level identification and tracking of CDs and DVDs in libraries, and retail music or movie rental stores. Staff can use handheld RFID readers to quickly and easily double-check that the correct items are stored in the right order on the proper shelf or rack. The application can also be automated through shelf-level RFID readers linked to the store's centralized inventory management system.

Circular Inlay

At only 24.2 mm in diameter, the Tag-it HF-I Circular Inlay is suitable for a range of applications, from pharmaceutical supply chain management to access control and ticketing. This mini circular inlay provides an additional level of flexibility for applications such as pharmaceutical item-level tracking, facilitating the attachment of the inlay to the bottom of prescription bottles, for example. The inlay also facilitates advanced patron ID and payment applications, allowing end users such as sports venues, amusement parks and special events, to customize RFID-enabled ID wristbands to nearly any shape.

"The availability of new RFID inlay form factors from Texas Instruments allows us to get creative in developing new wristbands, keyfobs and other product solutions, and expands our capabilities for serving customers in a variety of markets including patient ID, patron management and access control," said Irwin Thall, RFID manager for healthcare, Precision Dynamics Corporation.

Additional Product Features

Both the TI CD/DVD Inlay and the Circular Inlay product lines feature a unique, 64-bit factory-programmed encrypted UID (unique identification), that cannot be duplicated, ensuring that no item is misidentified. Each transponder contains 2,000 bits of memory and is available in a read/write format, allowing it to be programmed with both user and application-specific information. TI also manufactures a variety of 13.56 MHz, ISO/IEC 15693 and ISO/IEC 18000-3 reader/antennas and partners with software developers and systems integrators to provide customers with turnkey RFID solutions.