Hoofddorp, Netherlands - The manufacturing industry is being asked to manage product lifecycle more precisely and efficiently, in part due to legislation on the disposal of home electronic equipment. Systems for tracking a product throughout its lifecycle focus on reading and writing information such as production process history from an ID in or on the product. Barcodes are the current standard for individual identification of the products, but since they cannot accept new information, RFIDs have come into the spotlight as a technology that can resolve the shortcomings of barcode-based systems.
RFID module for worldwide use
Murata's Magicstrap RFID module combines the latest innovations in ceramic materials with a new designed ceramic module and inductive coupling technology to produce a very easy to mount module. The module, otherwise known as the LXMS31 series, comprises LTCC (low temperature co-fired ceramic) substrate, plus RF IC and packaging. The companys strengths in multi-layer ceramic technology have allowed the company to embed all the necessary RF circuitry, including antenna filters, matching circuitry and 10kV ESD protection, within the LTCC substrate of the module. The RF IC is then mounted on top. The overall package dimensions are 3.2mm x 1.6 mm 0.7 mm.
The internal circuitry is connected to the antenna pattern via inductive coupling. There are therefore no connection pads on the base of the module, instead the module is simply mounted using ordinary adhesive. Compared to competing products which require micron accuracy when mounting, for this module, millimeter accuracy is sufficient. Further, it exhibits stable performance even when mounted on materials which have a capacitance, like polypropylene.
The module's embedded wideband antenna matching circuit, plus a single wideband antenna (for which a reference design will be provided), allow the module to be readable over the band 800-1000MHz at a distance of 5m. This means the same module and antenna pattern can be used worldwide (in Europe, the US and Japan), saving cost and inventory for manufacturers.
