Fenotag and UBI launch small textile labels with a reading range of up to 5 meters

Recently, two French technology companies have developed a small, high-power textile UHF RFID tag for textiles and uniforms. The label is small, unobtrusive and cannot be folded. The label is produced by Fenotag, which UBI sells as part of a European customer's laundry and hotel solution.

This passive UHF UbiTEX 1358 textile label has a reading range of up to 5 meters and a size of 13mm*58mm*0.5mm. The tag contains the Impinj Monza R6-P chip.

Renaud Munier, director of business development at UBI Solutions, said: “The industry has been looking for small labels.” Most textile UHF RFID tags can be stitched or bonded to linen products such as towels and tablecloths. But they are difficult to attach to very small items such as clothes, pillow cases and napkins. In addition, when clothes or other linens are washed and folded, large labels are often folded, which may make the labels difficult to read.

Recently, UBI began working with Fenotag to develop a small enough tag to use on items that were difficult to mark in the past. Muner said that Fenotag has a label production location, which makes production more flexible.

Fenotag president Didier Elbaz said that most manufacturers produce textile labels between 60 and 80 mm in size, and UBI requires a reduction in width and length to reduce the risk of the label being folded. But the company also needs better read performance. Elbaz said: "They asked us to improve the read performance while reducing the size, which is a big challenge. Their demand is to increase the reading distance to 5 meters in the European and American frequency bands."

The laundry environment also presents unique challenges to label performance as 400 to 1000 sheets are usually stacked on the cart for reading. Elbaz says such high densities can cause label mismatch. He said: "With our tags, built-in Impinj Monza 6RP chip and hardware, UBI's system, we can achieve 99% to 100% read rate and high reliability."

The company claims that the R6-P chip can perform some functions. Its auto-tuning feature ensures that the label can be effectively read in the presence of liquid, such as wet towels or dirty clothing. This effect varies from material to material. Carl Brasek, senior director of silicon product management at Impinj, says wipes are harder to read than labels on cardboard. The chip's AutoTune feature automatically recalibrates the tag chip to compensate for the effects of antenna tuning.

The tag also provides a metal pad, Enduro, which provides a durable connection between the chip and the antenna, allowing the tag to be used in harsh environments. According to Brasek, the Enduro pad provides a more uniform surface, which is stronger than the traditional bump connection method, and the chip is less prone to breakage. The system's built-in Integra data diagnostics allow for memory checks to ensure that the tags are written correctly, ensuring that the tags are not damaged in the laundry environment.

The label can be easily sewn on the edge of the item to withstand the heat seal process and can also be pasted with adhesive. In addition, the user can laser print the serial number to the label for more intuitive identification.

Munier said that several hotel and medical industry companies are currently testing new labels. Usually the label will adhere to the hem of a linen or towel, but this is often difficult to detect. The used towels are then sent to the laundry service store. These tags are typically read using a stationary or handheld RFID reader that receives the entrance or receiving area.

UBI Cloud's UBI Cloud software captures and manages tag data to provide useful information to users. This information can help hotels or hospitals understand inventory, billing or replenishment. For laundry service providers, this technology can help them manage the flow of goods through their own facilities, and they can also share data with customers and remind them of the delivery time.

Elbaz said: "This RFID tag is an important step in the textile industry of the future, we will introduce other innovative products."