Automatic Identification Devices - AutoID

Develop specifications for identificaton devices executing a scan, read or write process. Comprises barcode, OCR, 2D code, RFID, NFC, RTLS, sensors and mobile computing.

Overview

Within the last ten years OPC Foundation and AIM-D e.V. created the AIM OPCF AutoID companion specification in the AIM working group “System Integration” with the aim to integrate AutoID devices into the OPC UA world. A first version of the paper was presented at the Hanover Industrial Fair 2015. At the Hanover Industrial Fair 2016 the updated Version 1.0 was presented – including the description of first prototypes and applications as well as incorporating the cloud-capacity of AutoID systems and sensor networks which become more and more important for the concept of industry 4.0, IoT and IIoT. Further updates in this continuous process became presented at SPS 2019.

Technical content

RFID, but also other AutoID processes, are key technologies for the implementation of the philosophy of industry 4.0, IoT and IIot as well as for automated and autonomous process in industry and logistics. The more important it becomes to integrate these technologies as simple as possible into total solutions. Therefore AIM-D e.V. (Association for Automatic Data Capture, Identification and Mobility), responsible for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, defined standards on the basis of an OPC UA.
This Companion Specification lists the contribution AutoID technologies back to a common communication interface or a common data model. It includes the essential functionality including data type descriptions of individual variables, transfer and return parameters. The advantage of such a Companion Specification: the more manufacturers follow this recommendation and implement their communication interfaces accordingly, the faster different AutoID devices can become connected into new applications, even from different manufacturers. This saves time and increases investment protection of customers. The specifications can be expand, due to the object-oriented approach of OPC UA, so that producers retain their features, but can still benefit from a wide communication base. For example, all AutoID technologies include a scanning method which, for example, identifies new bar codes (optical) or RFID transponders (electronical). How this data then will become interpreted in detail, varies depending on the technology, but can be technically still describe universally.
For system integrators or end users, this means they can significantly integrate outpacing different AutoID devices and different technologies from different vendors into a particular infrastructure. At the same time other important aspects of OPC UA such as increased safety or the possibility to combine servers and clients functionality in a single unit will become integrated.