Real Time Asset Management TAG System (RAMTAG)

The Real Time Asset Management TAG System (RAMTAG) addresses the need for exception based reporting and tag initiated communication by RFID tags used to track cargo containers and supplies. RAMTAG provides a flexible and efficient means of reporting tag status or external sensor input without the need to wake-up all tags within range of the interrogator. RAMTAG will extend the DoD standard RFID system through an advanced multiple-access protocol balancing the need to retain backward compatibility with the existing RFID equipment against the needs for low power consumption (long battery lifetime), low equipment cost, and interference resistance. This new protocol will permit real time monitoring of an area for addition or removal of tags, as in a portal monitoring situation. It will also permit power-efficient monitoring of external sensor inputs. The RAMTAG system also includes an extension from the local coverage of the DoD standard system to global coverage through the integration of a Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite data link with the Interrogators and high level system protocol. The Phase I effort will establish the feasibility of economic tag-initiated communications through a combination of overall system design, protocol design, preliminary design of the RAMTAG and advanced Interrogator, and performance evaluation.