Synchronization of RFID readers for dense RFID reader environments

Abstract

For a dense RFID reader deployment, such as in warehouse RFID deployment, where hundreds of antennas are positioned in a building, the interference between all these readers must be studied carefully to avoid severe reader collisions. Strict RFID regulations and standards have been imposed, trying to address the problem of reader collision and also the problem of RFID devices interfering with other devices operating in nearby frequency bands. However, these guidelines and regulations are not entirely friendly for dense RFID reader deployment, in some cases it is not possible to have a feasible RFID system while adhering to these regulations. Hence, this paper proposes the synchronization of RFID readers, to enable successful dense RFID reader deployment. A case study targeted at European operations is presented in this paper to visualise the actual synchronization of RFID readers in real life applications. Some fine-tuning methods are also suggested to further improve the performance of readers in a high reader density population area.