基于回溯方法的RFID防碰撞算法研究

基于二进制搜索算法在搜索N个电子标签的时间复杂度为o（Nlog2N）,由于算法在同时对大量标签操作时效率较低．因此,提出了一种基于二叉树中序遍历的回溯算法,在标签识别过程中,阅读器不回复到顶级初始状态处理,而是按下行处理集合构成的1棵二叉树进行逐级上行回溯处理．这样,搜索N个电子标签的时间复杂度为o（N）．与前者相比,可以大大提高RFID防碰撞处理的效率．     

RFID-enabled track and traceability in job-shop scheduling environment

This study presents an RFID-based traceability approach to improve production scheduling. An in-depth study for a manufacturer is conducted to explore scheduling options enabled by an RFID-based traceability system. We propose a novel information visibility-based scheduling (VBS) rule that utilizes information generated from the real-time traceability systems for tracking work in processes (WIPs), parts and components, and raw materials to adjust production schedules. We then evaluate the performance of this information visibility-based schedule against the classical scheduling rules. The results of the simulation suggest that an RFID-based scheduling rule generates better performance compared to traditional scheduling rules with regard to cycle time, machine utilizations, backlogs, and penalty costs. We also observe that the value of this information visibility is more relevant when the demand varies widely and/or operational disruptions occur.     

Evaluation of cycle-count policies for supply chains with inventory inaccuracy and implications on RFID investments

Inventory record inaccuracy leads to ineffective replenishment decisions and deteriorates supply chain performance. Conducting cycle counts (i.e., periodic inventory auditing) is a common approach to correcting inventory records. It is not clear, however, how inaccuracy at different locations affects supply chain performance and how an effective cycle-count program for a multi-stage supply chain should be designed. This paper aims to answer these questions by considering a serial supply chain that has inventory record inaccuracy and operates under local base-stock policies. A random error, representing a stock loss, such as shrinkage or spoilage, reduces the physical inventory at each location in each period. The errors are cumulative and are not observed until a location performs a cycle count. We provide a simple recursion to evaluate the system cost and propose a heuristic to obtain effective base-stock levels. For a two-stage system with identical error distributions and counting costs, we prove that it is more effective to conduct more frequent cycle counts at the downstream stage. In a numerical study for more general systems, we find that location (proximity to the customer), error rates, and counting costs are primary factors that determine which stages should get a higher priority when allocating cycle counts. However, it is in general not effective to allocate all cycle counts to the priority stages only. One should balance cycle counts between priority stages and non-priority stages by considering secondary factors such as lead times, holding costs, and the supply chain length. In particular, more cycle counts should be allocated to a stage when the ratio of its lead time to the total system lead time is small and the ratio of its holding cost to the total system holding cost is large. In addition, more cycle counts should be allocated to downstream stages when the number of stages in the supply chain is large. The analysis and insights generated from our study can be used to design guidelines or scorecard systems that help managers design better cycle-count policies. Finally, we discuss implications of our study on RFID investments in a supply chain.     

基于智能手机和RFID的内河航运动态监管与信息服务系统研究

近年来,我国的内河航运得到了长足发展,其运能大、占地少、能耗低、污染小的独特优势和带动经济社会发展的作用逐步凸显。然而,由于航道分布广泛、错综复杂且通行船舶大小各异,我国的内河航运很难实现对船舶的全面动态监管,不能提供优质的信息服务。随着计算机技术和电子技术的不断发展,GPS、AIS、RFID等技术在内河航运监管与服务系统也逐渐出现,此类技术的应用在一定程度上实现了船舶的动态监管或信息服务。针对现有技术因为岸基建设成本或终端成本高而无法实现推广的状况,将充分利用智能手机定位功能和RFID的身份识别功能,同时结合手机通信网络,提出一种基于智能手机和RFID的内河航运管理与服务系统。该系统借助于现有网络运营商的手机通信网络,只需要增加一个RFID标签和在智能手机上安装一个第三方软件便可实现对船舶的全面动态监管,并能提供丰富的信息服务。极大降低了内河航运监管与服务系统的建设成本,具有较强地实际推广意义。     

Preparation of stable aqueous conductive ink with silver nanoflakes and its application on paper‐based flexible electronics

A new kind of stable aqueous conductive ink with silver nanoflakes was developed, which was also used to fabricate conductive patterns on weighing paper for flexible electronics by direct writing. Silver nanoflakes of different sizes were characterized by transmission electron microscopy. The physical properties of the conductive ink were investigated by a dynamic contact angle system, Ubbelohde viscometer, and a surface tension instrument. Conductive properties of paper‐based conductive patterns were also investigated by 4‐point probe, scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction and Uscan explorer with a 3D profilometer system. It is demonstrated how the formulation of conductive ink affects the surface morphology, microstructure conductivity, and line width of conductive patterns. It can be obtained that the paper‐based conductive patterns have low resistivity. Especially, when the sintering condition is 200 °C for 20 min, the resistivity can be down to 9.4 μΩ?cm. The application of the ink on an antenna for radio frequency identification was also studied. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparing improvement strategies for inventory inaccuracy in a two-echelon supply chain

Classical inventory theory often assumes no discrepancies between recorded inventory and actual inventory. However, inventory records are usually inaccurate due to many reasons in practice. For example, inventory shrinkage refers to the difference between booked inventory that a company should have as a result of its sales, purchasing, and manufacturing processes and actual inventory that it has on hand. This paper concerns the impact of inventory shrinkage to a supply chain and investigates different strategies to deal with inventory shrinkage. We consider a single-period two-echelon supply chain consisting of a Stackelberg manufacturer and a retailer whose inventory is subject to shrinkage errors. Our analysis is based on a single-period newsvendor model and considers the following cases of order decisions: (a) the retailer ignores the inventory errors; (b) the retailer estimates the errors; (c) the retailer shares the inventory error information with the manufacturer; and (d) RFID technology is used to reduce or eliminate the errors. The first case is the base strategy and a common practice for many supply chains, the other two represent certain non-technological strategies of the retailer when dealing with inventory inaccuracy, and the last one represents a technology improvement strategy by the manufacturer to reduce or eliminate inventory shrinkage errors. We compare these improvement strategies and derive critical tag price for RFID implementation as a technological remedy for the inventory inaccuracy problem. Conditions for the profitability of RFID adoption are discussed.     

RFID and item-level information visibility

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is emerging as the hottest information tracing technology in supply chain management with its inherent ability to reveal item-level product information. Although the beneficial aspects for retailers have been studied in greater detail, RFID tags can be beneficially utilized in a manufacturing context. Unlike a majority of case study-based literature in this area, this paper takes a different perspective by modeling item-level information visibility in general. Specifically, this is accomplished through reduced randomness, as a function of the scale of the information system, the distribution of the sample space, the control variables and the production functions. In order to discover the optimal procedure that utilizes item-level information, we extend the basic model to cover multiple periods. Appropriate example scenarios are simulated accordingly to verify the results and to show evidence supporting the generality and robustness of the model.