Trimble Adds RFID Capabilities to its AllTrak Asset and Tool Management System

james

Guest
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Aug. 13, 2012?Trimble (NASDAQ:TRMB) introduced today a new version of its Trimble® AllTrak? Asset and Tool Management System that includes an RFID scanner for its Trimble Nomad® outdoor rugged handheld computer running the Microsoft® Windows Mobile operating system. With RFID capabilities, the AllTrak System allows building construction contractors to more easily track and manage their jobsite assets and tools. In addition, the system increases return on investment by improving asset utilization and monitoring equipment to avoid losses.

Using the Trimble Nomad with the new RFID scanner, contractors can perform a variety of functions such as asset check-in, check-out, transfers and inventory validation much faster than traditional bar code scanning by interfacing with small passive RFID tags fixed to the assets. With an effective range of 3 to 4 feet, RFID technology does not require line of sight for the tag to be read, making it an ideal technology for reading the tags of multiple assets that are in a pickup, service truck or tool crib. Users can also attach the ThingMagic® USB RFID Reader to a desktop or laptop when a portable solution is not required.

Utilizing the popular RFID tag protocols "UHF EPC Gen2" or "ISO18000-6C", the new Trimble AllTrak System is specifically designed for general contractors, as well as concrete, steel, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and site prep subcontractors who use tools with embedded or attached RFID tags that support these protocols. Trimble AllTrak distributors can also provide RFID tags that can be attached to assets.

"With the acquisition of ThingMagic, we were able to bring their experience in RFID technology to existing platforms within the Trimble Building Construction portfolio of hardware and software solutions," said Pat Bohle, general manager of Trimble's Building Construction Division. "We chose the Trimble AllTrak System as the first product in the portfolio due to the logical affinity of delivering increased productivity to the process of tracking the physical whereabouts of tools and jobsite assets."

Trimble AllTrak with RFID support is available now through Trimble's Authorized Distributors of layout solutions for MEP and Structures contractors.

Read more at http://www.trimble.com/news/release.aspx?id=081312a
 

allaboutprecision

Guest
Trimble Expands Functionality of ThingMagic RFID Readers

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Aug. 14, 2012?Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) announced today the availability of a number of new capabilities for its ThingMagic® Mercury®6e (M6e) embedded UHF RFID module and Mercury®6 (M6) finished UHF RFID reader. Available through a firmware upgrade, the added functionality helps users develop and deploy reliable, high-performance RFID-enabled solutions for a broad range of traditional and innovative applications. Trimble also introduced a redesign of its Universal Reader Assistant, a graphical user interface developed to simplify the use and deployment of ThingMagic RFID readers.

Building on the leading performance and reliability customers have come to expect with ThingMagic products, this upgrade delivers significant enhancements including an increase in tag read rate of up to 75 percent and greater data acquisition rates with every tag read. Several application-specific features designed to read RFID tags in diverse and challenging conditions have also been introduced, including:

A new 'fast search' tag reading mode
The ability to obtain up to 128 bytes of data with every tag read
ISO 18000-6B performance enhancements
Support for IDS Micro SL900A Gen2 Class 3 Sensor Tags

Innovation Across Industries

Driven by increased demand for RFID-enabled solutions in the transportation, supply chain, retail and healthcare markets, these new features offer several application specific improvements:

The ThingMagic M6e embedded module now includes a 'fast search' algorithm which forces tags to respond rapidly and repeatedly for optimal read performance across diverse use cases. This feature supports applications such as tolling, vehicle management and race timing where fast moving tags need to be distinguished from each other with a high degree of accuracy. Operational up to 200 kilometers per hour, 'fast search' supports both Gen2 and ISO 18000-6B tags.

Superior receive sensitivity, higher tag read rates, and better adaptation to changing tag populations enhance the ability of the ThingMagic M6e and M6 readers to read RFID tags in varied environments and on more items. For example, in a retail supply chain, manufacturers can track high volumes of items on densely packed pallets across multiple distribution points and retailers can inventory tagged items rapidly and with predictable accuracy. In addition, the ability to read more data from every tag supports emerging retail uses such as anti-counterfeiting, brand protection and other security-sensitive applications, without impacting the performance of tag inventory or tag encoding activities.

This upgrade also adds support for the full cool-Log? command set for IDS SL900A sensor tags, addressing increased demand for temperature and state monitoring within utilities, food/cold-chain, healthcare and other markets. The IDS 900A is an EPC global Class 3 tag IC which can be operated in either semi-passive or passive mode.

"This release represents a significant step in optimizing our portfolio of high-performance embedded RFID modules and finished RFID readers for use across industries," said Tom Grant, general manager of Trimble's ThingMagic Division. "Superior performance and versatility continue to be primary differentiators for our products. Equally important are advancements in ease of use which are fundamental to the growth of RFID-enabled solutions and driving better business results across a growing number of connected enterprise applications."

A Commitment to Ease of Use

With a key goal of driving the barriers for deploying RFID technology as low as possible, this update improves the out-of-the-box experience for solution developers and end users of ThingMagic M6 readers. An improved Web interface includes a reorganization of configuration and management screens, new performance tuning settings, and enhanced tag data access and displays. Enhancements also include zero configuration support for automating network connectivity, Web-based device discovery and management and advanced testing capabilities.

A redesign of the ThingMagic Universal Reader Assistant is also available. Supported by all ThingMagic readers, this utility is used to initialize readers and perform common tasks, including selecting application specific performance settings. With a focus on ease-of-use, this redesign meets the needs of an expanding customer base by reducing complexity for novice users while permitting low-level control for advanced users.

Pricing and Availability at http://www.trimble.com/news/release.aspx?id=081412c
 
 
Top