Combining active and passive RFID technology to track motorcycle parts assembly

Honda Italia is currently using tags that combine active and passive RFID technology to track the assembly of motorcycle parts. This may be the first active ultra-wideband (UWB) RFID application since the Italian government revised the relevant laws in early 2008. Italy had previously blocked the use of UWB RFID technology on the grounds that it would interfere with frequencies used by the Italian military.

Honda motorcycle

This RFID application is an expansion since Honda Italy piloted it in mid-2007. In that pilot, the company used 13.56 MHz passive HF tags on the motorcycle's chassis and certain components to track the entire assembly process.

The origin of UWB active RFID application

Honda of Italy project manager Angelo Coletta said that the company was very satisfied with the system designed for the first pilot, but workers were interfered with by antennas installed near the production line. In addition, employees have confirmed that tags have been successfully read during production, and the RFID application essentially adds an extra step to the existing work process.

In order to eliminate this extra step and move the antenna away from the production line, Honda Italia started using active tags in April 2008 and launched a project called "New Ariana", asking IBM to be the system integrator. Honda Italy temporarily installed UWB active tags provided by Ubisense and attached them to the chassis of each motorcycle. A total of 13 UWB RFID Readers formed a tag reading area around the production line.

“We found that active tags are easier to operate,” Coletta explains.

This system ensures that Honda Italia installs the right components in the correct motorcycle frame. For example, the company must ensure that bikes shipped to the UK have headlight designs that meet the country's requirements. Companies can also use RFID systems to track the production process of individual motorcycles, information that is critical when bikes are recalled for safe repairs.

System operation combining active and passive RFID technology

Currently, the automotive parts in containers use high-frequency passive tags and active UWB tags that comply with the ISO 15693 standard and provide 1024-bit memory. Active tags allow operators to easily locate specific containers within a production area, while passive tags can be used to Store important information such as supplier codes, part numbers, batch numbers and production dates. By labeling the containers, Honda Italia can ensure that parts are not mixed together and that the appropriate components are installed on the appropriate frames.

In the first step of the production process, workers attach an active RFID tag to the motorcycle chassis to be produced, and then use a handheld reader to scan the vehicle identification code into the RFID tag. The tag transmits the signal every 1 second to 13 antennas, which are arranged around the 80-meter-long production line, with a total of 38 stations running different production steps on the production line.

A corner of Honda motorcycle production workshop

During mass production, Italian Honda generally uses 60 units as a batch. For this reason, the company only affixes passive and active tags to the first and last containers of each batch of components. All individual containers containing the same parts are equipped with one active tag and one passive tag. These containers are labeled in Honda's factory warehouse in Italy. The passive electronic tags can be linked to the active tags in the database, and the labeled containers are transferred to the production plant as required.

When starting a new batch of production, workers move one of the tagged containers to the production area. There the active tags are automatically read, while the passive tags are used to store more information and connect the obtained data to the active tags through the database. Honda Italia tags containers with active tags that use continuous readings to help confirm that the correct components are being assembled into the correct vehicle. If a worker attempts to put the wrong tagged container onto the production line, an alarm is triggered.

As the motorcycle chassis passes through each production step, employees add components accordingly. If the transfer process changes, or managers suddenly choose to change the production mode, the system will make it easier and faster for employees to react and deal with it, because managers will know exactly where each motorcycle is in the production line and the specific details. How's it going.

Based on the reading data of the bicycle active tag, the system can automatically calculate the time required to complete a batch production. Before the company adopted RFID technology, managers had to physically go to the production line to estimate the time it would take.

After production is complete, the active tags are removed from the motorcycle for reuse, and production information about the vehicle is stored. Based on the data collected from active and passive RFID tags, Honda Italia will create a corresponding motorcycle assembly proFile.

Customers can look at these documents to see when the motorcycle was assembled and from what parts. In addition, the system also allows Honda to fulfill automated orders for parts because it can calculate the approximate time when mass production will be completed.

Honda Italia uses and reuses about 3,000 passive tags and 300 active tags every year. The company labels most of its containers with low-cost passive tags, but only purchases enough high-priced active tags for daily production. Therefore, active tags are quickly removed and reused after production.