Investigation of the State and Uses of Ultra-Wide-Band Radio-Frequency Identification Technology

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology has revolutionized asset tracking. By affixing RFID tags to valued assets, one can track tagged items throughout any facility where RIFD readers are in place, thereby alerting inspectors to theft, misuse, and misplacement of the tracked item; they also can assist facility operators to keep track of asset movements as a routine part of operations. While not yet implemented for tracking high value assets, RFID technology already is widely used in many industries as the standard for asset tracking. A subset of RFID technology is called Ultra-Wide-Band (UWB) RFID. While traditional (sometimes called narrow-band) RFID technology transmits a continuous sine-wave signal of a narrow frequency range, UWB technology works by transmitting signals as short pulses of a broad frequency range. This improves performance in several areas, namely range, precision and accuracy of motion detection. Because of the nature of this technology, it also performs well in close proximity to metal, which sets it apart from traditional RFID. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current state of UWB RFID technology and research the areas where it already is being used. This is accomplished through study of publicly known uses of the technology as well as personal exploration of RFID hardware and software. This paper presents the findings in a general manner to facilitate their usefulness for diverse applications.