OMRON Corporation has announced that it achieved compatibility between its V750 series UHF RFID reader/writer and Secure RFID Protocol in cooperation with Hitachi (News - Alert) starting July 2008, more security functions provided by the protocol will be available.

Compared with HF band (13.56MHz) systems, RFID in the UHF band (860MHz to 960MHz) gives longer communication ranges among passive-type tags and conducts faster and more diverse data processing. Increasingly, the companies in various fields such as manufacturing, distribution and logistics to stores, offices, public services and amusement/sports facilities are realizing the advantages of UHF RFID systems and these are being prompted by major retailers in U.S.

But when multiple companies share the open systems, one company’s unique data (embedded on a tag (News - Alert)) could easily be passed on to other companies along with shared data. As all companies in an open system can read and alter all the data on tags, companies are fast discovering this is fast becoming an obstacle to the utilization of RFID systems.

From August 2006 to March 2007, secure RFID Protocol was developed through the Secure Electronic Tag Project led by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), with Hitachi as a core partner. With the help of protocol, one can get improved security functions including communication distance control, which restricts the communication range of tags. It also improves reading prohibition, which limits access to tags through password authentication and maintains compatibility with the UHF RFID international standard ISO/IEC (News - Alert) 18000-6 Type C. Hitachi has already developed a Secure RFID Protocol-ready IC, called “mu-chip Hibiki,” in the market.

Yo Nakajima, General Manager of Hitachi’s Security Smart ID Solutions Division, offered the following remarks on the V750 reader/writer: “Hitachi welcomes the start of sales of interrogators that support the Secure RFID Protocol. The protocol has been developed with partners aiming to realize functions that fulfill needs for UHF IC tags in Japanese industry. We believe this protocol will expand worldwide and become the optimal UHF IC tag air protocol in the distribution and logistics area. We are expecting full-scale diffusion and market expansion of secured IC tags, triggered by sales of OMRON’s V750 reader/writer. Hitachi will also keep making efforts to promote the protocol, and by so doing contribute to realizing a securer, safer and more comfortable society with all of our partners.”

Focusing mainly on the HF and UHF bands, OMRON has developed a number of RFID reader/writers, inlays and tags. The products of the company are designed to easily incorporate new functions and advanced technologies developed in response to market needs.

Raju Shanbhag is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To see more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.