Teijin Fibers Ltd., the core company of the Teijin Group’s polyester fibers business, has announced that it is commencing full-scale sales of a digital smart shelf-management system incorporating Cell Form, Teijin’s two-dimensional data-communication sheet, UHF radio frequency identification (RFID) reader and compatible tags.

Cell Form enables a secure connection to read the RFID identification tag via electromagnetic waves on an ultra-thin, flat smart sheet that is placed on top of shelves. The system uses the UHF band because of its superior characteristics for long-range signal detection between the sheet and the RFID tags. As a result, the system’s two wireless technologies ensure stable communication over both short- and long-read ranges.

RFID is a technology for transmitting data via radio signals to and from a contactless IC chip. Applications include the identification and management of merchandise fitted with RFID tags, which send signals via the UHF band. Cell Form smart sheets placed on each shelf detect the signal of each identification tag on the merchandise item and transmit information about the items from the smart sheet, making Cell Form ideal for a variety of real-time inventory-management and security applications, including library books, medicines in retail stores, business documents and more.

Teijin’s shelf-management system comprises up to eight antenna-equipped Cell Form smart sheets; a read/write module supplied by Convergence Systems Limited (CSL), of Hong Kong; software; and 400 RFID IC tags.

The system is already used in a university library and an educational resource information center in Japan. Teijin Fibers is now developing a global market for the system together with CSL, as an overseas partner, and local system integrators.

Source: Teijin Group