RCID Technology

The RCID technology is based on the transmission of information by electrostatic fields. This is in contrast to RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) and radio technologies which are based on magnetic or electromagnetic fields, respectively.

By limiting the used frequency range to frequencies below 1 MHz (i.e. to quasi-static conditions) a guiding of the information signal is achieved which is interesting for many applications.

In typical environments the transmission capacity is interference limited. This is due to electrical and electronic devices emitting disturbances below 1 MHz.

Due to the use of electrostatic fields, the information transfer is via electrodes (not antennas). The transmit signal couples to the body of the user. As soon as the user touches the receiver electrode, one half of the loop is closed. The other half is closed via the environment.

Communications Technology

Based on the basics, which are known since considerable time, we have build a communications technology which is optimized for identification purposes.

The following goals have been reached:

Interferer resistant (through the use of direct sequence spread spectrum (DS-SS) and ultra wideband technology)
Reliable transmission (through strong error correction, correction or detection depths are selectable at the receiver)
Very small transmission power (less than 100'000 times smaller than cellular signals: in the range of microamperes)
Fast reception (optimized coding, signal design for fast synchronization and acquisition)
Adaptable to the application (through selectable tranmission speeds and extensions for bidirectional connections)
Interoperability with RFID (through optimized front-end and electrode design)