Newly developed fish box tag and RFID gate

For years, hi-tec companies have tried to find a solution but none achieved complete success. The difficult environmental parameters of water, salt and extremely low temperatures, exacerbated the problem.

The development of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), a few years ago, triggered several pilot projects but they usually ended up in a process of ‘trial and error’.

As the technical requirements became clearer, the environmental parameters were thoroughly identified. In 2008 Aucxis decided that RFID technology had evolved sufficiently for it to set up a detailed in house trial of a box tracing system. The company opted to employ UHF, (Ultra High Frequency), because its anti-collision capability enables several boxes to be serviced simultaneously. At the same time, the company commenced a project to develop a new gate to access UHF technology. Aucxis says that the challenge was enormous as the combination of low temperatures, ice and fish are not the most compatible for RFID. Furthermore, the company immediately recognised the financial implications of the use of electronic tags and hardware. After all, a price-quality sound system is an absolute priority in an industry that is, financially speaking, under great pressure.

After a thorough check of previous pilots and the accompanying results, Aucxis concluded that the lay-out and especially the housing of the electronic tag are crucial. In co-operation with the TAG Factory, a new tag, the ACT (Auxcis Crate Tag), was successfully developed, based on the GEN2 class1 monza 3 Tag generation. After a detailed trial in the Aucxis R & D department, during which the extreme environmental parameters were simulated, Aucxis says that it is satisfied that the ACT can now be used successfully throughout the returnable packaging industry. Furthermore, the orientation of the fish box is no longer crucial. As only1 tag per box is needed, the cost remains competitive. The system was successfully tested using several box stacking possibilities, including during transport in-house by fork-lift trucks, especially as they can vary per auction and/or region.

The new UHF gate, developed by Aucxis, exceeds the specified industrial standard reading requirements. The gate is modularly built and can be used for numerous applications. For example, a small basic version can be used to identify the fish box onboard the vessel.

Using Aucxis software the fish species and weight can be easily linked to the tag on the box. On the arrival or delivery of the boxes at the auction and in the sorting department, the tag on the fish box is read automatically by the gate. Consequently, the boxes (even on a conveyor) can be followed throughout the entire landing and distribution process. Furthermore, the relevant information can be read at any time by a handheld scanner in order to control the quality or, to link a certification label to the tag. All this information can be read, processed and interpreted either by the Aucxis software or, in an administrative package (such as A-Fish, the Aucxis administrative package for the fishing industry).