RFID Chips Break Speed Limits

Claiming 25-times faster read/write speeds than currently available devices, the company's radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips are the result of a team effort with Magellan Technology. The chips employ Magellan's phase jitter modulation (PJM) technology: PJM ItemTag for individual, fast-moving items or PJM StackTag for simultaneously identifying numerous labels. Operating at 13.56 MHz, the chips are said to reliably read and write up to 500 electronic labels in less than 1s and accommodate conveyor belt speeds up to 4m per second. Additionally, the PJM technology evaluates the radio signals of the identification labels and continually switches between eight different radio channels to increase read speeds and ensure positive identification. Volume quantities of the PJM chips will be available in 2004. For more information, call Christoph Liedtke at INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES, San Jose, CA. (408) 501-6790.