Impinj Introduces the Indy RS500 Reader SiP

Impinj, Inc. launched the fully integrated Indy RS500 reader SiP, which greatly simplifies embedding RFID functionality in virtually any device. A complete reader system in a small surface-mount package, Impinj’s Indy RS500 SiP delivers value to product designers in three important ways:

• RS500’s high level of integration dramatically reduces time to market.
• Its small footprint enhances design flexibility.
• The Indy RS500 is part of Impinj’s GrandPrix platform, which enables broader RFID-based solutions and improves the performance of systems based on the Gen 2 protocol.

As a turnkey solution that’s fully tested and meets regional regulatory requirements, the Indy RS500 is the perfect solution for embedded applications that require reading small tag populations with moderate range.

The Indy RS500’s small form factor supports diverse applications that require a low-cost, embedded UHF Gen 2 RFID reader, such as consumables authentication, access control, process control, appliances, printers and low-cost handhelds. Unlike typical embedded RFID reader solutions that require greater investment due to complexity in RF design, manufacturing and certification, the Indy RS500 has no external components, making the SiP easier to design into products than any alternative.

“We’re seeing an explosion in the number of companies that are adding RFID to ordinary things to make them work better,” said Scot Stelter, director of product marketing at Impinj. “By offering a complete reader in a tiny, easy-to-use package, we’re helping design teams capture RFID’s benefits faster and at lower cost.”

Based on Impinj’s market-leading Indy reader chip family, the RS500 device is the first Indy product to implement the new, easy-to-use Impinj Radio Interface (IRI). To make RFID product development fast and hassle-free, IRI provides an asynchronous, message-based interface that is extensible from basic to advanced operation and leverages Google protocol buffers.

The Indy RS500 is fully Gen2 compliant and interoperates with all compliant tags, regardless of chip or tag vendor. In addition, the RS500 provides enhanced capability when interoperating with other products from Impinj’s GrandPrix platform. In particular, this enhanced functionality exploits unique features of Impinj’s Monza chips to deliver the lowest applied tag cost for source tagging and improved RFID system performance for end users.