Smart label
Encyclopedia
Smart Label, also called Smart Tag, is an extremely flat configured Transponder under a conventional print-coded label, which includes chip
, antenna
and bonding wires as a so-called inlay. The label
s—made of paper, fabric or plastics—are prepared as a paper roll with the inlays laminate
d between the rolled carrier and the label media for use in specially designed printer units.
The processing of these labels is basically as with ordinary labels in all stages of production and application, with the following extensions:
The printing is processed in two steps, including
Other customisation of such smart labels is with chip cards. Also combinations of magnetic stripes with RFID chips are used, especially for credit cards.
In many processes in logistics
and transportation the barcode or the 2D-barcode is well established as the key means for identification in short distance. Whereas the automation
of such optical coding is limited in appropriate distance for reading success and usually requires manual operation for finding the code or, alternatively, scanner gates, that scan all the surface of a coded object, the RFID-inlay, as an additional means, allows for better tolerance in fully automated reading from certain specified distance. However, the mechanical vulnerability of the RFID-inlay is higher than the ordinary label, which has its weaknesses in its resistance to scratch.
Thus, the smartness of the smart label is earned in compensation of typical weaknesses with the combination of the technologies of plain text, optical character recognition
and radio code.
Smart labels are applied directly to package
s or to pallet
s or other containments. The application directly to the product is still of neglectible importance
The technologies with the smart labels are all mature and well standardised. After first wave of technology hype with RFID, current consolidation in the market shows hard competitive Darwinism
. With increasing sales quantities, the inlays are still annually redesigned and appear in releases with new extensions to performance. However, integration of RFID to handling processes requires sound engineering to ensure the balance of benefit and effort.
For details on the coding and labeling technologies please refer to he respective pages.
Integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
, antenna
Antenna (radio)
An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
and bonding wires as a so-called inlay. The label
Label
A label is a piece of paper, polymer, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or article, on which is printed a legend, information concerning the product, addresses, etc. A label may also be printed directly on the container or article....
s—made of paper, fabric or plastics—are prepared as a paper roll with the inlays laminate
Laminate
A laminate is a material that can be constructed by uniting two or more layers of material together. The process of creating a laminate is lamination, which in common parlance refers to the placing of something between layers of plastic and gluing them with heat and/or pressure, usually with an...
d between the rolled carrier and the label media for use in specially designed printer units.
The processing of these labels is basically as with ordinary labels in all stages of production and application, with the following extensions:
- the inlay is inserted in an automated processing step to ensure identical positioning for each label and careful processing to prevent any damage to the bonding.
The printing is processed in two steps, including
- normal ink-jet printing, except the space with the bonded chip, with clearly intelligible text and
- either barcodeBarcodeA barcode is an optical machine-readable representation of data, which shows data about the object to which it attaches. Originally barcodes represented data by varying the widths and spacings of parallel lines, and may be referred to as linear or 1 dimensional . Later they evolved into rectangles,...
or 2D barcode for later semi-automatic reading with handheld readers or fix-mount scanners - writing coherently concatenated information to the RFID-chip
- reading the written information on the RFID-chip subsequently in the printer for control purpose (read after write)
Other customisation of such smart labels is with chip cards. Also combinations of magnetic stripes with RFID chips are used, especially for credit cards.
In many processes in logistics
Logistics
Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...
and transportation the barcode or the 2D-barcode is well established as the key means for identification in short distance. Whereas the automation
Automation
Automation is the use of control systems and information technologies to reduce the need for human work in the production of goods and services. In the scope of industrialization, automation is a step beyond mechanization...
of such optical coding is limited in appropriate distance for reading success and usually requires manual operation for finding the code or, alternatively, scanner gates, that scan all the surface of a coded object, the RFID-inlay, as an additional means, allows for better tolerance in fully automated reading from certain specified distance. However, the mechanical vulnerability of the RFID-inlay is higher than the ordinary label, which has its weaknesses in its resistance to scratch.
Thus, the smartness of the smart label is earned in compensation of typical weaknesses with the combination of the technologies of plain text, optical character recognition
Optical character recognition
Optical character recognition, usually abbreviated to OCR, is the mechanical or electronic translation of scanned images of handwritten, typewritten or printed text into machine-encoded text. It is widely used to convert books and documents into electronic files, to computerize a record-keeping...
and radio code.
Smart labels are applied directly to package
Package
Package can refer to:* Packaging and labeling* Package testing* Mail item larger than a letter* Chip package or chip carrier, in electronics, the material added around a component or integrated circuit to allow it to be handled without damage and incorporated into a circuit* Automotive package, in...
s or to pallet
Pallet
A pallet , sometimes called a skid, is a flat transport structure that supports goods in a stable fashion while being lifted by a forklift, pallet jack, front loader or other jacking device. A pallet is the structural foundation of a unit load which allows handling and storage efficiencies...
s or other containments. The application directly to the product is still of neglectible importance
- due to the cost of the labels, which may be justified easier for agglomerations of more than one product
- because all metallic, liquid or otherwise electrically not transparentPermittivityIn electromagnetism, absolute permittivity is the measure of the resistance that is encountered when forming an electric field in a medium. In other words, permittivity is a measure of how an electric field affects, and is affected by, a dielectric medium. The permittivity of a medium describes how...
products reflect or reduce the radio waves - due to the handling, which normally addresses the package and lesser the unpacked product.
The technologies with the smart labels are all mature and well standardised. After first wave of technology hype with RFID, current consolidation in the market shows hard competitive Darwinism
Darwinism
Darwinism is a set of movements and concepts related to ideas of transmutation of species or of evolution, including some ideas with no connection to the work of Charles Darwin....
. With increasing sales quantities, the inlays are still annually redesigned and appear in releases with new extensions to performance. However, integration of RFID to handling processes requires sound engineering to ensure the balance of benefit and effort.
For details on the coding and labeling technologies please refer to he respective pages.
See also
- Automatic identification and data capture
- BarcodeBarcodeA barcode is an optical machine-readable representation of data, which shows data about the object to which it attaches. Originally barcodes represented data by varying the widths and spacings of parallel lines, and may be referred to as linear or 1 dimensional . Later they evolved into rectangles,...
- Barcode#2D barcodes
- Radio Frequency IdentificationRadio Frequency IdentificationRadio-frequency identification is a technology that uses radio waves to transfer data from an electronic tag, called RFID tag or label, attached to an object, through a reader for the purpose of identifying and tracking the object. Some RFID tags can be read from several meters away and beyond the...