Abstract

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a contactless identification technology that has proven to work well in conjunction with reusable plastic containers (RPCs). The impact of this technology on returnable containers has been explored by several past studies. This study evaluates an innovative system for improving readability of passive UHF RFID tags in conjunction with RPCs. The system involves an energy transfer device (ETD), which when attached to the RPCs, passively transfers radio frequency signals to interior regions of a unitized load thereby improving the readability of all RFID tags attached to the RPCs. This study included an evaluation of the improvement in readability of tagged RPCs in a unitized load with forklift truck speed, product type and pallet pattern as the variables and with readability as the main control variable. It was observed that ETDs vastly improve the readability rates by nearly 97%. Results are also included in this paper describing the effects of the product type, pallet patterns and forklift truck speeds on the readability of tagged RPCs in a unitized load.

Disciplines

Industrial Technology

Publisher statement

This is the pre-peer reviewed version of an article published in Packaging Technology and Science.

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URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/it_fac/62