Zebra Releases New Reader ATR7000

Zebra Technologies, a tracking and printing solutions company, has released a new reader, the ATR7000, which provides real-time location data on tagged items or people for businesses such as warehouses and stores.

Zebra reports that the Real-Time Location System (RTLS) solution can be implemented with this reader, which provides more accurate location data and cheaper label prices than traditional RTLS solutions, so maintenance costs are also low. Lower.

Zebra's ATR7000 Reader

The ATR7000 reader automatically captures tagged assets and people wearing RFID badges, and other companies can use Zebra's software to identify, locate and track tags or badges in real time and receive alerts based on this data.

According to Altaf Mulla, director of RFID product management at Zebra, handheld and fixed readers can only track data while the tag is within a fixed reader, while the ATR7000 reader allows “every inch of space from the dock door to the warehouse” New continuous autonomous visibility.

The ATR7000 captures tag readings with a wide-angle integrated antenna array reader, and the built-in parallel, multi-transmission and reception architecture provides a wide coverage and positional accuracy for each reader, enabling the collection of assets or personnel moving through the facility. Real-time data.

Mulla said that each time the ATR7000 reads a tag, it uses a few hundred beams pointing in a 360° azimuth direction to create a heat map to estimate the position of the tag. This architecture and related RTLS software (called CLAS, For configuration and location analysis software, Zebra's RTLS solution enables higher performance.

Mulla said the company's label is also designed specifically for the ATR7000 solution. “The right label is the key to improving the performance and efficiency of your RFID system.” Although the label is directional, in fact, the company has developed high-performance labels to provide greater read range and faster read speed. "The expanded read range, combined with the high sensitivity of the ATR7000, ensures that even labels on the edge of the coverage area are easily captured."

The RTLS reader solution can cover all areas from a single dock door to the entire warehouse or production site, and the system displays the location of the label and the direction of movement. For example, the distribution center and warehouse can use the reader to check the loading and unloading status of the marked package, or the direction of the tools, equipment and other assets entering and leaving the facility and the area; the company can view the movement of the personnel to collect data based on security or management.

While analyzing the collected data, the software analyzes historical data, provides alerts based on the results of the analysis, and helps the company increase productivity and efficiency. CLAS software configures, aggregates, and triangulates the location of assets, and then sends this data to business applications such as warehouse management systems, reducing development time. In addition, the software can be used with other third-party application software or Zebra's enterprise location software.

In addition, Mike Petersen, director of global product and solutions marketing at Zebra, said the company is combining RFID technology with other technologies to design solutions to address the challenges of intelligent load planning for containers or trailers. When it comes to new product development, he said, “We have an engineering strategy based on a platform model. Therefore, the company has developed a platform to use the core architecture in many products, enabling these products to enter the market faster and improve. quality."

In January 2019, Zebra released its MC3300R and MC3390R handheld readers, which offer more features than the company's previous generation handheld readers, models MC3190Z and MC9190Z. This means that the new model offers faster reading speeds and double the reading range of approximately 60 feet.

Petersen said that these readers can be used for long-distance and short-distance readings. "We believe that the smaller form factor MC3330R and MC3390R are ideal solutions for RFID users." These handheld devices are based on Android with 64-bit processors. And 4 GB RAM.