On object identification reliability using RFID

Radio frequency identification (RFID) provides a more convenient and automatic approach for object identification than traditional universal product code-based barcode technology. However radio communications are naturally unreliable and inevitably lead to unreliable object identification, which in turn encumber some special applications demanding large-scale deployment of RFID, even though many RFID applications have been emerging recent years. This paper discusses object identification reliability. We first list factors that could cause false readings and lead to unreliable object identification. Then we provide five definitions that directly and formally define object identification reliability. Based on these reliability-related definitions, a general framework for guaranteeing object identification reliability is proposed in this paper. Existing schemes for reliability improved are briefly compared within this framework.