Jean-Pierre Emond

Evaluation of RFID Performance for a Pharmaceutical Distribution Chain: HF vs. UHF

In this paper, we investigate and compare the use of passive HF and UHF RFID systems for the item level identification of pharmaceutical products throughout their supply chains. We compare the overall identification performances of both types of RFID systems on individual products and on totes filled with tagged products. Scenarios representative of all aspects of the pharmaceutical distribution chain from the manufacturer to the retailer are considered. We conclude that the tested passive UHF RFID system provides significantly superior identification performance than do passive HF RFID systems.

Shelf Life Prediction by Intelligent RFID – Technical Limits of Model Accuracy

Information about current quality state enables large improvements in the dynamic planning for the logistics of fresh products. The main reason for quality losses are temperature deviations. This article investigates how a prediction system that delivers a shelf life prediction at each transhipment point could be integrated into a semi-passive RFID label. Limiting factors for the possible predictions accuracy like model tolerances and the bound processing resources of low-power microcontrollers will be evaluated.

Non-thermal effects of radio frequency exposure on biologic pharmaceuticals for RFID applications

Radio frequency identification (RFID) has been an emerging technology over the past decade with applications ranging from simple supply chain utilizations to sensory monitoring of heat and humidity sensitive products during transportation. RFID has direct implications for the area of pharmaceutical distribution especially for temperature sensitive products where they are tagged and tracked in their shipping environment. Per FDA CPG Sec.400.210, Drugs, Radiofrequency Identification, the FDA has not allowed RFID technology to be used for drugs covered under a Biologics License Application or protein drugs covered by a New Drug Application since the potential impact of radio frequency (RF) radiation on biologics and proteins is not well documented. The intent of this study is to determine the non-thermal effects on the protein structures of biopharmaceuticals by constant exposure to radio frequency energy at different wavelengths using twice the equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP) allowed by FCC in the United States. As a contribution of this study, the test setup and protocol provide a fundamental and universally applicable methodology which combine the hardware to generate and radiate high power RF signals at different frequencies and a temperature controlled dark anechoic chamber where the temperature and light sensitive products can be exposed to RF radiation. Five different frequencies are used which account for the majority of commercially available RFID systems adopting high frequency (13.56 MHz) or ultra-high frequency (433 MHz, 868 MHz, 915 MHz, and 2.4 GHz) radio waves as well as active or passive tags for communication. Multiple products from different pharmaceutical companies falling under three major protein groups and their integrity after exposure to 8 Watts EIRP RF radiation for a full 24 hours are investigated. The results show that even at twice the EIRP as regulated by FCC, the effects of RF energy on the purity of all the tested biopharmaceutical proteins remain undetectable after purity and potency stability-indicating assays.

Tag testing methodology for RFID enabled temperature tracking and shelf life estimation

Recent advances in sensory devices using radio frequency identification (RFID) led to applications such as monitoring the temperature during the transportation of heat sensitive products where recorded data can be used to detect refrigeration equipment failure along the supply chain or estimate remaining shelf life of the product. For the project discussed in this paper, a handheld based portable RFID system is used to track the storage and transportation temperatures of perishable products using battery assisted passive temperature tags. The information from the tags is used in shelf life prediction models to estimate the remaining shelf life based on the recorded temperature data to provide a dynamic expiration date. Instead of the full application development effort, this paper focuses on the unique project requirements and challenges which led to the introduction of three novel concepts related to RFID enabled temperature tracking systems. First, due to absence of a common standard for testing RFID temperature tags, we develop a requirement driven, comprehensive testing protocol combining statistical tools and common industry standards with the help of a uniquely designed test setup to realistically simulate and evaluate the real life performances of different temperature tags. Next, a novel context based accuracy metric is derived for objective and application (such as shelf life prediction) specific comparison of different technologies. Finally, a pallet temperature estimation algorithm is developed to overcome some of the physical difficulties encountered in reading ultra-high frequency tags near the presence of metals and liquids.

MATHEMATICAL MODELING OF GAS CONCENTRATION PROFILES IN MODIFIED ATMOSPHERE BULK PACKAGES

A three-dimensional mathematical model was developed to predict gas distribution as a function of time inside a perforation-generated modified atmosphere bulk package using the principle of diffusion in a ternary gas mixture. Product and air space layers in the package were considered. The model incorporates simultaneous oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide generation and porosity in the product layer. An implicit-explicit finite difference numerical technique was used to solve the transient three-dimensional equations. The mathematical model closely predicted measured gas concentrations in different types of packages. The results show package CO2 concentration increased; whereas, O2 concentration decreased with increasing distance from the perforation. Higher gas concentration gradients were obtained in packages with thin air space thickness. Thus the effective distance from the perforation is an important parameter for gas concentrations in perforation-generated modified atmosphere bulk package.

Radio Frequency Interactions with Air Cargo Container Materials for Real-Time Cold Chain Monitoring

Transportation is an important part of the supply chain as goods are being transported over thousands of kilometers from their production sites to consumers thanks to increasing globalization. Many perishable items, most of which are temperature sensitive, need to be transported by air due to their short shelf life. Todays regulations do not allow RFID (radio frequency identification) to be utilized inside aircrafts during flight, but the need for real time cold chain management is pushing the air cargo industry to investigate the capabilities of this technology. Since, environmental conditions highly influence the RFID systems outcome, it is mandatory to understand the RF behavior around air cargo materials.

RFID Behavior Study in Enclosed Trailer/Container for Real Time Temperature Tracking

The performance of radio waves in open environments has been studied for years. In contrast, the behavior of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) inside metal enclosed areas is not yet thoroughly understood. The first part of this research project focuses on the 3-D mapping of RFID signal strength inside a 12m (40’) refrigerated marine container. The container was instrumented with 3 different types of radio frequency emitter: 2.4 GHz reader; 915 MHz reader and 433 MHz RF transmitter. The main goal is to find a frequency/configuration that would allow real time reading of the temperature in a shipment of perishable products using RFID.

Effects of Antenna Position on Readability of RFID Tags in a Refrigerated Sea Container of Frozen Bread at 433 and 915 MHz

Perishable foods are frequently exposed to temperature abuse during transportation and distribution. The use of traditional data loggers do not permit the instantaneous data transmission that radio frequency technology offers. Temperature has a major impact on food quality and safety, particularly when long transit times are imposed by sea transportation. Consequently, using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) to track perishable shipments and monitor their temperature will bring significant benefits to the cold chain, and will evidently result in healthier and safer goods.