For years, radio frequency identification (RAIN RFID) has been the de facto solution for systems that identify and track items. But as the world further embraces digitalization, it's often no longer enough to simply identify items. Today's smart applications demand richer, more impactful item-level data to power automation, traceability and smarter workflows.
For applications that require more than a serial number, RAIN RFID tags with extended memory are an ideal solution. With on-chip memory that travels with each product and read performance that holds up in harsh radio frequency (RF) environments, tags containing extra memory are unlocking new levels of automation, provenance and consumer engagement.
With the UCODE memory family, NXP is delivering a flexible way for solution designers to match memory capacity to application needs, from the factory floor to a digital product passport.
Discover how UCODE Nxm helps products carry more data, enabling smarter traceability, automation and consumer engagement.
For designers, using extended memory RAIN RFID tags is a trusted solution because it's already established as a proven, field-deployed technology.
A single RAIN RFID reader can capture hundreds of thousands of tagged items per hour, compared to hundreds with manual optical scanning. Offering greater performance, RFID has opened new pathways for high-speed inventory, real-time asset tracking and hands-free automation. Because extended memory technology keeps data directly on the chip, systems can update as the item moves and even stay readable when the network is down.
With unmatched performance and features, NXP's UCODE products containing extra memory found a home in real-world applications, including:
Identification might tell you what an item is, but with additional memory space on each tag, RAIN RFID lets each product carry its own record and share it at any life cycle stage. For that reason, the technology supports richer product information, such as:
With a rich, traceable product history, manufacturers and supply chain partners gain greater transparency into their products' life cycles. This equips teams to trace components back to their origin, verify authenticity and manage recalls with fewer errors and less guesswork.
There is already a huge influx of applications that require item-level data storage enabled by expanded memory on RFID tags. For example, regulators in the European Union are moving to require a Digital Product Passport (DPP) for many product categories. These passports will likely require products to carry life cycle and sustainability data that buyers, recyclers and authorities can access directly from the product.
Similarly, brands are increasingly turning everyday products into interactive touchpoints to engage consumers. Future shoppers will want to simply tap their phone on a product to see its story, verify its authenticity and sustainability or follow a web link for further information.
Each of these use cases asks more of the tag than a serial number ever did. This valuable data must live somewhere the product can carry and on-tag memory gives it a natural home. At the same time, designers need different memory bank capacities for different use cases, whether it be a compact identifier or a data-rich record.
That growing demand for flexible memory is exactly why NXP built UCODE Nxm—to give designers a single chip that can support any application now or in the future.
NXP is excited to introduce UCODE Nxm—the newest member of our UCODE memory family, designed to support both established and emerging data-rich applications.
As a flexible, high-capacity RAIN RFID chip for data-rich applications, UCODE Nxm carries 880 bits of memory that designers can divide between Electronic Product Code (EPC) and user banks. Three configurations—chosen at encoding—give up to 496 bits of EPC or up to 752 bits of user memory. This allows one part number to cover many jobs with no extra SKUs to manage.
NXP also offers UCODE Nxm to keep data trustworthy. Specifically, we've included Memory Safeguard, which uses an Error Correction Code (ECC) to catch and fix potentially critical bit errors in the rare event they occur, while standards-based Untraceable privacy lets a tag hide sensitive fields on demand. Additionally, with a read sensitivity of -24 dBm combined with NXP's Self-Adjust feature, UCODE Nxm reads reliably in the toughest RF environments.
NXP's extended-memory one chip RAIN RFID solution offers enhanced support for today's factories and tomorrow's product passports. Explore UCODE Nxm and start designing for a data-rich future.
Through close cooperation with company partners, he looks beyond the IC to facilitate full solution development and implementation. James has over 15 years of experience working with RFID technology on behalf of companies serving the entire value chain - including hardware manufacturers, systems integrators and end users. He has led RFID implementations for brand owners and end users across a variety of industries and markets.