1、Designation: D7434 08 (Reapproved 2014)Standard Test Method forDetermining the Performance of Passive Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) Transponders on Palletized or UnitizedLoads1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D7434; the number immediately following the designation indicates
2、 the year oforiginal adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. Asuperscript epsilon () indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1. Scope1.1 This test method quantitatively evaluates the r
3、eadabilityof radio frequency identification (RFID) pallet transpondersplaced on pallet loads that are mechanically handled bymaterial handling equipment such as fork trucks, pallet jacks,and automated guided vehicle systems.1.2 This test method is intended for use in laboratorysettings that simulate
4、, as closely as is practicable, the distribu-tion environment of the product being tested.1.3 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regardedas standard. The values given in parentheses are mathematicalconversions to SI units that are provided for information onlyand are not considered stan
5、dard.1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2. Referen
6、ced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2D996 Terminology of Packaging and Distribution Environ-mentsD4332 Practice for Conditioning Containers, Packages, orPackaging Components for TestingE337 Test Method for Measuring Humidity with a Psy-chrometer (the Measurement of Wet- and Dry-Bulb Tem-peratures)3. Ter
7、minology3.1 DefinitionsTerms and definitions used in this testmethod may be found in Terminology D996.3.2 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:3.2.1 critical transponder distancethe distance betweenthe transponder and the interrogator antenna at which atransponder becomes undetectable by a
8、n RFID system, whenmoving the RFID transponder out of the read field.3.2.2 direct line of sightan unobstructed visible path fromone object to another.3.2.3 firmwarea series of programmable instructions,stored in read only memory (ROM), which controls thecapabilities of an interrogator.3.2.4 radio fr
9、equency identification (RFID) a wirelessdata communication technology that uses radio waves totransfer data from one source to another.3.2.5 read fieldthe area in which an RFID transponder iscapable of responding to the interrogator. The outermostboundary of the read field correlates to the critical
10、 transponderdistance. The distance between the critical transponder dis-tance and the transponder acquisition distance represents anarea of RF energy that may or may not be sufficient to activatea passive transponder.3.2.6 RFthe energy used by RFID systems to activatetransponders and wirelessly tran
11、sfer information.3.2.7 RF inhibitinga substance or material that causes asignificant reduction in the effectiveness of radio waves thatreach an RFID transponder.3.2.8 softwarean array of logic, displayed as anapplication, used to access and control a device.3.2.9 transponder acquisition distancethe
12、distance be-tween the transponder and the interrogator antenna at which atransponder is first detected by an RFID system, when movingthe transponder into the read field.4. Summary of Test Method4.1 This procedure is used to determine the read perfor-mance of the RF system while affixed to a fully as
13、sembled, unit1This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D10 onPackaging and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D10.17 on Auto-IDApplications.Current edition approved Oct. 1, 2014. Published November 2014. Originallyapproved in 2008. Last previous edition approved in 2008
14、 as D7434-08. DOI:10.1520/D7434-08R14.2For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org. For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information, refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.Copyright ASTM Internat
15、ional, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. United States1load. The read field is developed by determining the criticaltransponder distance and the transponder acquisition distance5. Significance and Use5.1 Many materials used in the production of goods canhave an ad
16、verse affect on the performance of an RFID system.This test method qualifies the performance of an RFID systemapplied to a unit load.5.2 This test method is intended for systems used exclu-sively within the United States. Additional test standards fromISO or other standards bodies may apply to inter
17、nationallyhandled goods and may include additional test scenarios notoutlined in this test method.6. Interferences6.1 RFID systems are subject to interference from metal,water, and ambient RF energy. If significant levels of any ofthese interferences are present in the immediate testing area,the obs
18、erved read field will be affected. Due to uncontrolledvariation in testing facilities, numerical values for interferencecannot be stated. Possible sources of interference shall bedocumented in the final report.6.1.1 Documentation of interference shall include informa-tion regarding, material, size,
19、and location relative to interro-gator antenna.6.2 If significant levels of interference are unavoidable,testing shall be conducted in such a manner that interferencesremain unchanged throughout testing.7. Atmospheric Conditions7.1 Testing shall be conducted at standard conditioningatmosphere 23 6 1
20、C (73.4 6 2F) and 50 6 2 % relativehumidity, unless otherwise noted as per 13.1.1.7.2 The exact measurement of temperature and relativehumidity of the testing atmosphere shall be made as close tothe specimen being exposed as is possible. (See Test MethodE337 for a detailed description of methods.) T
21、he temperatureand relative humidity indicated at the control point may not berepresentative of conditions elsewhere in the conditioned spacedue to local effects or deficiency in air circulation. Tolerancesat the controller usually must be smaller than those at thespecimen.8. Apparatus8.1 Material Ha
22、ndling EquipmentThe equipment used tomove the unit load. This equipment may consist of a manual orelectronic pallet jack, fork truck, or clamp truck.8.2 Antenna StandThe antenna stand shall be a stationarysupport constructed of an RF neutral material (wood or plastic,ideally) that can support the we
23、ight of the antenna being usedwhile allowing for antenna height adjustment.8.2.1 ProtractorA large protractor shall be placed at thebase of the antenna stand to visually guide the operator alongthe radian being tested.8.3 RFID System:8.3.1 InterrogatorA manufactured device that communi-cates with RF
24、ID transponders via antennae and communicatestransponder information to the host computer.8.3.2 Interrogator AntennaA manufactured device thatemits RF energy to transponders and receives information fromtransponders in the form of reflected RF energy.8.3.3 Transponder (pallet transponder) A microchi
25、p witha small conductive antenna that receives RF energy from theinterrogator antenna and reflects the information on the microchip back to the interrogator antenna in the form of RF energy.8.3.4 Host ComputerAny computer with the proper soft-ware to communicate with and operate the RFID interrogato
26、r.9. Test Specimen9.1 Each unit load shall be comprised of a specified quantityof unit case load(s), representative of a production run unitload.9.2 Each unit case load shall consist of a representativeproduction run package, or components of an assembledpackaging system, to include primary, seconda
27、ry, and/or ter-tiary packaging up through the shipping case level.9.3 An RFID transponder specimen shall be a randomlyselected transponder from an RFID transponder inventory.10. Conditioning10.1 Test specimens shall be conditioned at the standardconditioning atmosphere of 23 6 2C (73.4 6 3.6F) for a
28、minimum of 24 h prior to testing (see Practice D4332) unlessotherwise noted as per 13.1.1.11. Procedure11.1 Mapping the Read Field:11.1.1 Determining the Critical Distance Read Field of theUnit Load:11.1.1.1 Assemble RFID system.11.1.1.2 Affix RFID pallet transponder to the unit load.(1) The locatio
29、n of the RFID pallet transponder shall bedocumented and held constant throughout testing.NOTE 1Transponder placement was observed to be an instrumentalvariable affecting the readability of the transponder affixed to the unit load.11.1.1.3 Mount the interrogator antenna to the antennastand.(1) Docume
30、nt the distance from the floor to the center ofthe interrogator antenna. If a fixed antenna is being used,document this in final report.11.1.1.4 Place the unit load along the +90 radian, as closeto the antenna stand as possible, such that a direct line of sightexists between the interrogator antenna
31、 and the transponder.11.1.1.5 The location of the material handling equipmentrelative to the interrogator antenna shall be documented andheld constant throughout testing.NOTE 2The metallic nature of material handling equipment wasobserved to have a significant affect on the readability of the transp
32、onderaffixed to the unit load.11.1.1.6 Slowly, move the unit load along the radian, awayfrom the interrogator antenna, at a consistent speed until theRFID system no longer detects the transponder.D7434 08 (2014)2NOTE 3Transponder detection is usually indicated by the graphicaluser interface on the h
33、ost computer screen.11.1.1.7 Record the critical transponder distance.11.1.1.8 Repeat steps 11.1.1.5 through 11.1.1.7 for all radiiin the in the 690 spectrum at increments of 15.NOTE 4Testing may also be done at increments of less than 15depending upon the level of precision desired.11.1.2 Determini
34、ng the Transponder Acquisition Read Fieldof the Unit Load:11.1.2.1 Place the unit load along the +90 radian at adistance that exceeds the corresponding critical transponderdistance by 5 ft.11.1.2.2 Slowly, move the unit load along the radian, towardthe interrogator antenna, at a consistent speed (eq
35、ual to thespeed used in 11.1.1.6) until the RFID system first detects thetransponder.11.1.2.3 Record the transponder acquisition distance.11.1.2.4 Repeat steps 11.1.2.1 through 11.1.2.3 for all radiiin the in the 690 spectrum at increments of 15.12. Interpretation of Results12.1 Graphical Representa
36、tion:12.1.1 The acquisition distance and the critical distance forthe unit load shall be graphically displayed in separate scaleddiagrams representing the 690 quadrant around the interro-gator antenna (Fig. 1).NOTE 5Additional composite graphs may be produced to includeacquisition and critical dista
37、nces on the same diagram (Fig. 2).12.2 Data Analysis:12.2.1 The composite graph represents the read field of theRFID system relative to the tested unit load.12.2.2 If the RFID transponder remains undetected whileaffixed to the unit load, the load is considered to have RFinhibiting characteristics.13
38、. Report13.1 Report the following information:13.1.1 A statement that the test was conducted in compli-ance with these test methods or a description of any devia-tion(s) from these test methods.13.1.2 Identification of the RFID system including:13.1.2.1 Identification of the make, model, and firmwar
39、eversion of the interrogator.13.1.2.2 Identification of the make and model of the inter-rogator antenna.13.1.2.3 Identification of the make and model of the tran-sponder.13.1.2.4 Identification of the make, model, and softwareversion (where applicable) of the host computer.13.1.2.5 All relevant read
40、er settings where available (that is,power setting, reader operation mode).13.1.3 Description of the unit load.13.1.3.1 Description of the product, internal packaging,shipping container, and closure system, where applicable.13.1.4 The temperature and humidity conditioning prior totesting.13.1.5 Grap
41、hical representations of the observed read fields(individual or composite) including:13.1.5.1 Critical transponder distance for the unit load.13.1.5.2 Transponder acquisition distance for the unit load.14. Precision and Bias14.1 PrecisionBased on replicate testing in one laboratoryusing Alien Gen 2
42、Squiggle transponders and a SensormaticAgile 2 reader, the pooled standard deviation of acquisitiondistance was 3.4 in. The pooled standard deviation of criticaldistance was 4.0 in. These estimates of within-laboratoryrepeatability may vary with other equipment, transponders, testconditions, and so
43、forth.14.2 BiasThe procedures in this test method have no biasbecause there are no accepted reference materials or proce-dures.15. Keywords15.1 critical transponder distance; mapping; packaging; ra-dio frequency identification; read field; RFID; transponder;transponder acquisition distance; unit loa
44、dFIG. 1 Example of an Individual Graphical RepresentationFIG. 2 Example of a Composite Graphical RepresentationD7434 08 (2014)3ASTM International takes no position respecting the validity of any patent rights asserted in connection with any item mentionedin this standard. Users of this standard are
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