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Philips Releases New Hitag S RFID System

Ultra low power HITAG S chips enable advanced long range RFID track and trace systems

Philips Electronics (now part of NXP) has launched the Hitag S - an ultra-low power Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Integrated Circuit (IC) designed to fit the needs of system integrators looking to develop low cost track and trace solutions within the 100 and 140 kHz frequency range. Suitable for use in applications as diverse as Livestock Identification, Casino Gaming, Laundry Logistics and Waste Management, Hitag S chips are available across three different memory options (32-bit, 256-bit and 2048-bit) and in silicon dimensions of less than 1mm.

Hitag S chips offer long range read/write capabilities and encryption authentication techniques for fraud protection and provide the logistics industry with a flexible, low-cost, standardised solution capable of multiple item detection. Incorporating anti-collision algorithms, Hitag S-based systems can distinguish up to 200 tagged items present in the reader field simultaneously. The scanning of a single tag takes approximately 6 milliseconds.

Hitag S operates in full accordance with a range of industry standards including the international animal identification standards ISO11784/85 and ISO14223/1. Suitable to be embedded into ear tags and / or injectable glass tubes it provides a low cost solution for tagging large or small animals.

The livestock industry has experienced a number of problems in recent years with disease outbreaks including foot and mouth and BSE. As such the farming industry has begun to invest heavily in resources for tracking animals throughout their lifetime. Hitag S - with its substantial read range distances and high transmission speed - is a robust RFID technology that enables accurate automated livestock tracking and provides the basis for secured food supply chains to the end consumer. For example, a cow fitted with a Hitag S-enabled ear tag can be identified from the rest of its herd as it passes by an antenna-fitted gate. Information pertaining to that animal, including vaccination records, can be stored on the chip and downloaded by vets, farmers and officials alike enabling the maintenance of transparent and verifiable stock records.

The latest addition to Philips’ established Hitag family works in the same reader infrastructure as other chips in the Hitag product portfolio. The 32-bit version of Hitag S is a read-only chip that offers a unique factory programmed identification code. The 256-bit and 2048 bit versions are read / write capable and offer encrypted authentication for added data security. All members of the HITAG S family offer the anticollision algorithm.

The company's Web site address is www.nxp.com
[Reprinted with kind permission from NXP]

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