A Simulation Platform for RFID Application Deployment Supporting Multiple Scenarios

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) poses multiple advantages over traditional barcodes, such as hands-off detection, longer read range and more data storage. In addition, the declining cost of RFID systems along with improved sensitivity and durability nowadays has increased its usage potential in a variety of domains such as logistical, planning and supply chain process. However, the deployment of RFID facilities in real-world scenario always takes time and money. Once some significant design weaknesses appear, the facilities must be deployed all over again. In this paper, we present an RFID simulation platform, RFIDSim, which supports users to build their own virtual scenario and deploy RFID facilities in it instead. This simulation platform, which relies on a discrete event simulator, is designed to implement part of ISO 18000-6C communication protocol and support path loss, backscatter, capture and tag mobility models. Besides, the reader models are programable by using a special language so that users can adjust the readers into different applications. All the data collected during the simulation would be stored in the database for users to judge if a certain deployment is fairly appropriate.