RFID has always delivered the twin conveniences of hands-free scanning with little or no human intervention. Now, Honeywell has taken that to the next level by adding the convenience of mobility with the new IV7 Vehicle Mount RFID reader. The IV7 joins an award winning family of readers that include several handheld and fixed mount form factors.
As Honeywell’s first packaged forklift-mounted RFID reader system, the IV7 is designed for serial attachment to the Honeywell® CV60 vehicle mount computer. Both are built to withstand the rigors of harsh, industrial environments and are sealed to IP65 ratings. The CV60, acting as the local host for the IV7, provides network management and security. The built-in DC-DC converter handles the noisy input power environment.
RFID standards are continuing to evolve, which requires manufacturers and retailers to have multi-protocol reading capability if they are implementing RFID in an open supply chain. When fully equipped, the IV7 can read multiple air interface protocols, even in mixed populations of tags, including EPC UHF Generation 2 (Gen 2), ISO 18000 6-b and EPC Class 1.
While portal mounted readers are capable of capturing pallet data and some carton data, the tagged items must be brought to the reader. Enterprises often need the flexibility to read RFID tags in certain and not-so-certain locations which may not be near the location of a fixed reader. The IV7 not only delivers the flexibility of “read where you need,” but also a cost advantage over portal reader systems wherever the number of dock doors is significantly larger than the number of fork trucks.
Commercial and government supply chains will find the IV7 ideal for pick and put away applications. The CV60 can command the IV7, equipped with a location tag-sensing antenna, to scan for RFID tags when a pallet is picked up. The IV7 captures not only the location of the pallet pick up, but also through what doorway it passed, the path the forklift traveled and where the pallet will be placed
The wireless capability of the CV60 combined with the snappy reads of the IV7 mean that warehouse management systems are automatically updated with location status as the truck moves through tag-equipped zones, as well as with shelf location data when the pallet is dropped off or retrieved.
The IV7’s cast aluminum housing has built-in cable strain relief features, and with pre-drilled holes in the base plate, is designed for either U-bolt or flexible strap attachment to many makes of fork trucks. The IV7 can be mounted in any position on the vehicle within 3.5 m (10 ft.) of the vehicle battery or power source such as a terminal strip. The communication to the CV60 is via RS232 cable and connection.
