wilamowski-b-m-irwin-j-d-industrial-communication-systems-2011

8-24 Industrial Communication Systems
FIGURE 8.14
HF RFID tag for libraries.
FIGURE 8.15
Multibook self-check out machine for the library of the City University of Hong Kong.
available for collection in less than 24.h. Instead of getting it from a library assistant, a student has to
browse through the Web again and then fetch it from one of the smart bookshelves. Moreover, better
book utilization could be obtained by converting the cards for temporarily holding books put back
by students after reading it in the library. Usually, it takes days before these books are returned to the
designated locations by a library assistant. With smart cards (Figure 8.17), these books could be located
electronically during the blackout period. For better cost effectiveness, it is not advisable to convert all
bookshelves in a library into smart ones because an occasional inventory could be conducted by operators
using handheld readers.
Since many tags could be read at the same time, the RFID is ideal for cases where simultaneous tag
matching is preferred. Today, the issue of most concern is the dispensing of medicine. In fact, the process
could be made automatic provided that pills in standard sizes are delivered in tapes as if they were
electronic components. Similar to the placement of electronic components onto a PCB board, different
pills for a given patient are orderly transferred into another tape in accordance with the pattern of
© 2011 by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC