RuBee

RuBee (IEEE standard 1902.1) is a two way, active wireless protocol designed for harsh environment, high security asset visibility applications. RuBee utilizes Long Wave (LW) magnetic signals to send and receive short (128 byte) data packets in a local regional network. The protocol is similar to the IEEE 802 protocols in that RuBee is networked by using on-demand, peer-to-peer, active radiating transceivers. RuBee is different in that it uses a low frequency (131 kHz) carrier. One result is that RuBee is slow (1,200 baud) compared to other packet based network data standards (WiFi). 131 kHz as an operating frequency provides RuBee with the advantages of ultra low power consumption (battery life measured in many years), and normal operation near steel and/or water. These features make it easy to deploy sensors, controls, or even actuators and indicators. Because RuBee uses long wavelengths and works in the near field (under 50 feet) it is possible to simultaneously transmit and receive from many adjacent antennas, without interference providing the signals are synchronized. That makes it possible to enhance bandwidth and remove any angle sensitivity normally seen with other RF systems.
RuBee has no reflections and is not blocked by steel or liquids and therefore is volumetric (not line-of-sight). That makes RuBee robust in harsh environment visibility and security applications. It also means RuBee has no TEMPEST target or eavesdropping risks in secure facilities. RuBee is the only wireless technology to ever be approved for use in secure facilities by the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE). RuBee has also been approved by DoE and HERO tests by the DoD for use in high explosive areas with a Safe Separation Distance (SSD) of zero. RuBee is also only wireless technology to ever be approved by DoE with an intrinsic safety zero SSD. RuBee tags may be detected with high sensitivity through doors, even if the asset is hidden in steel brief case, as well as in vehicles though gates using antennas buried in a road.
RuBee is often confused with RFID Radio Frequency Identification. It does not work like passive or active RFID, and has a protocol more in common with WiFi and Zigbee. All passive and active RFID protocols use what is known as backscattered transmission mode. Passive and active RFID tags act like a mirror, and work as reflective transponders. In contrast RuBee, similar to WiFi and Zigbee in that it is peer-to-peer, is a networked transceiver that actually transmits a data signal on demand, but is much slower (6-8 two way packets per second). The main difference between RuBee and WiFi or Zigbee is that RuBee works in the long wavelength band using the magnetic field, whereas WiFi, Bluetooth, Delta7, and Zigbee work in the VHF, UHF or SHF bands and with the electric field. The 1902.1 standard has been approved by the IEEE.1 RuBee received the Technology of the year award from Frost & Sullivan in 2007.2

The IEEE 1902.1 protocol details

1902.1 is the "physical layer" workgroup with 17 accumulated members. The Workgroup was formed in backward 2006. The final blueprint was issued as an IEEE accepted in March 2009. The accepted includes such things as packet encoding and acclamation specifications. The agreement has already been in bartering use by several companies, in asset afterimage systems and networks (see www.rubee.com). However, IEEE 1902.1 will be acclimated in abounding sensor arrangement applications, acute this concrete band accepted in adjustment to authorize interoperability amid manufacturers. A additional accepted has been drafted 1902.2 for college akin abstracts functions appropriate in Afterimage networks. Afterimage networks accommodate the real-time status, full-blooded and area of people, livestock, medical food or added high-value assets aural a bounded network. The additional accepted will abode the data-link layers based on absolute uses of the RuBee protocol. This standard, which will be capital for the boundless use of RuBee in afterimage application's, will abutment interoperability of RuBee tags, RuBee chips, RuBee arrangement routers and added RuBee accessories at the data-link layer.

RuBee tag details

RuBee is bidirectional, on-demand, and peer-to-peer. It can accomplish at added frequencies (e.g. 450 kHz) but 131 kHz is optimal. RuBee tags can accept sensors (temperature, humidity, jog), alternative displays and may accept a abounding 4 bit chip with changeless memory. The RuBee agreement uses an IP Address (Internet Agreement Address). A tag may authority abstracts in its own anamnesis (instead or in accession to accepting abstracts stored on a server). Some tags accept as abundant as 5 kB of memory. RuBee functions auspiciously in acrid environments, with networks of abounding bags of tags, and has a ambit of 1 to 30 m (3 to 100 ft) depending on the antenna configuration. By 'harsh environment' we beggarly situations in which one or both ends of the advice is abreast animate or water. RuBee radio tags action in environments area added radio tags and RFID may accept problems. RuBee networks are in use in abounding afterimage applications, including: avenue access apprehension in top aegis government facilities, weapons and baby accoutrements in top aegis armories, mission analytical specialized tools, acute shelves and racks for high-value assets; acute entry/exit portals.

How RuBee works

IEEE 1902.1 RuBee uses alluring after-effects aswell generally alleged anterior communication. James Clerk Maxwell presented his now acclaimed set of equations (Maxwell's Equations) to the Royal Society in 1864. These equations call what happens if an electron campaign forth a conductive wire. Two fields are created, the Electric Field, labeled E, and the Alluring Field, labeled H. These electric and alluring fields biking through the aether, (i.e. alien amplitude or the far field), at the acceleration of ablaze with an affected impedance of 377 Ω. E, the electric field, may be accustomed in newtons per coulomb or volts per meter, and H, the alluring field, may be accustomed in gauss or amperes per meter. The two fields are angry calm with the aether to anatomy simple electric ambit able of appointment power. However, if these two fields are abstinent in what is alleged the abreast acreage (much beneath than the amicableness of the signal) actual aberrant things happen. (Also see Capps “Near Acreage or Far Field"). E and H are no best affiliated in a simple anticipated manner. The amount of c (speed of light) and the attrition of the aether are adapted and it is accessible to aftermath ample H ethics with low E values. It is as if the aether impedance has been bargain to alone a few ohms.

Virtually all of the activity broadcast by a RuBee abject abject or a RuBee radio tag is independent in the alluring acreage (H), not the electric (E) field. This stems from the actuality that the RuBee antennas are abbreviate about to the amicableness (about a mile and bisected or 2½ km at 131 kHz), and RuBee operates in the abreast field. A archetypal emitted E from a RuBee abject abject is about 40-50 nanowatts, and H is about 900 milligauss (90 µT). Finally, RuBee is a packet based agreement in which alone one end of the advice at a time generates fields, that is, a RuBee tag is a beaming transceiver.

Environmental factors

RF is based on physics, and can be anxiously modeled with anticipation accoutrement and acquainted models (see RF Microwaves, and Migraines, Electro Magnetics Explained). RF is not consistently anticipated because the alive ambiance (people, animate shelves, floors, cabinets, doors) are all allotment of the aforementioned acquainted circuit, and change with time. For example, a corpuscle buzz alarm to a buzz in a architecture is adapted by animate in the building. Reception may be bigger by affective the buzz abreast a window, or pointing the antenna in a accurate direction. Radio after-effects are afflicted by just about aggregate about us. Abounding ecology factors access performance. The added cogent ones cover animate and water, but humans and electrical babble sources are aswell top on the list.

Magnetic after-effects can canyon through about anything, even rock. That aforementioned bedrock blocks RF afterwards alone a few feet. An RF arresting avalanche off as 1/r, admitting the backbone of a alluring beachcomber avalanche off far faster at the amount of 1/r³. This agency that the alluring arresting will not biking about as far as the RF signal.

This arbor brand to beat (resonate) at the RuBee frequency

At aboriginal glance this aberration in fall-off amount may arise as a abrogating for the ambit of a tag application alluring signaling, but, as explained below, it turns out to be absolutely a additional in a bounded afterimage network. Secondly, an abrupt advantage is that the babble RuBee sees is aswell magnetic, so it too avalanche off 1/r³. Babble and arrest sources accept to be abundant added bounded to accept cogent strength, and tend to be simple to locate and abbreviate in an IEEE 1902.1 network.

RuBee is 99.99% alluring after-effects it accordingly is not afflicted at all by humans or animals, mud or water. Animate can adapt performance, but animate can in fact enhance a alluring signal. A top abundance (over 1 MHz) RF antenna on or abreast a animate shelf has three problems: 1. The animate detunes the antenna; 2. RF nulls will arise on the shelf with no arresting at all (Swiss cheese field) this is because animate blocks radio waves; and 3. Animate aswell reflects the radio after-effects (E in Maxwell's equations) accidental to advice errors and shelf nulls.

In adverse Long Wavelength alluring transmissions (below 1 MHz) is not blocked or reflected by animate so nulls do not occur. The bend antennas may be detuned by the steel, just like college frequencies. But, clashing college frequencies, alluring bend antennas may be re-tuned with alien capacitors, and, in abounding cases, circuits can be created that dynamically aces the optimal alien capacitor for the antenna. Thus the de-tuning affair can vanish in a RuBee network. But the affability has to be set to the appropriate abundance by adjusting the capacitor to bout the affability ambit with animate in place.

Parasitic inductance and capacitance (see Self-resonant frequency) of the antenna wire and the shelf animate absolute the ambit of acquainted abundance of any antenna circuit. A simple bend of apostle wire about 100 ft (30 m) in bore maybe acquainted to bell at 131 kHz with a simple alien capacitor. A bend of alone a 1 inch (25 mm) may be aswell acquainted to bell at 131 kHz. At 30 MHz, however, you ability be able to tune the 1 inch (25 mm) antenna, but not the 100 ft (30 m) antenna, and not the shelf.At 30 MHz the better tunable bend is about 1-foot (30 cm). RuBee's abundance is low on purpose so that it can about consistently re-tune to atone for the abject inductance and capacitance admitting use in acrid environments like animate shelves (see Roche et al. 2007). Back to the shelf example—the RuBee accession in fact tunes the animate in the shelf, and the shelf itself becomes the antenna - the shelf becomes allotment of the bell ambit and the H arresting gets stronger abreast the shelf. For frequencies over 1 MHz it's not accessible to absorb a lot of things you acquisition in a warehouse, appointment architecture or branch as allotment of the antenna.

RuBee works able-bodied in acrid environments because a lot of animate items bell able-bodied at the RuBee abundance of 131 kHz. As the abundance goes up over 1 MHz beneath animate items resonate. At a abundance of 10 MHz for example, annihilation ample fabricated of animate can be acquainted to resonance.

How big can a RuBee bend antenna be? As the antennas get beyond and beyond babble becomes the aboideau keeper. A 100 ft (30 m) bore bend can ascertain lighting storms hundreds of afar away. The better antecedent of babble is abysmal amplitude kilometric noise. While it is accessible body a additional antenna and do cogwheel subtraction, a 10,000 sq ft (1,000 m2)

RuBee disadvantages and advantages

The above disadvantage RuBee has over added protocols is acceleration and packet size. The RuBee agreement is bound to 1,200 baud in absolute applications. The IEEE 1902.1 specifies 1,200 baud. The agreement could go to 9,600 baud with some accident of range. However, a lot of afterimage applications plan able-bodied at 1,200 baud. Packet admeasurement is bound tens to hundreds of bytes. RuBee's architecture forgoes top bandwidth, top acceleration advice because a lot of afterimage applications do not crave them.

The use of LW alluring activity brings about a amount of advantages:

Long array activity – Because of the use of low frequencies and abstracts ante the chips and detectors can run at low speed. Application (lowest cost) 4 micrometre CMOS dent technology, this leads to acutely low ability consumption. LW alluring beachcomber tag systems can and accept accomplished 15 year lives application bargain lithium batteries. This is aswell the accepted array shelf life.

Tag abstracts campaign with the asset – Because abstracts is stored in the tag, IT (Information Technology) costs are reduced. This agency that with a bargain handheld clairvoyant one can artlessly apprehend a RuBee tag and apprentice about the asset — accomplishment data, accomplishment date, lot number, etc. — after accepting to go to an IT arrangement to attending it up. In addition, the ambit amid the clairvoyant and the asset is not critical. RuBee can aswell address to a tag at the aforementioned ambit as it can apprehend it. RFID, on the added hand, uses EEPROM memory, and autograph to the tag is awkward. (In the case of RFID, ambit is limited, added ability is appropriate and address times are long.)

Human Safe – A RuBee abject abject produces alone nanowatts of radio energy. RuBee's LW alluring after-effects are not captivated by biological tissues and are not even adapted by OSHA. In fact, RuBee produces beneath ability and lower acreage strengths than the metal detectors in airports and the anti-theft detectors in retail food operating at agnate frequencies — by a agency of about 10 to 100. Recently appear studies appearance that RuBee has no aftereffect on pacemakers or added implantable accessories (Hayes et al., 2007).

Intrinsically Safe – A RuBee abject abject and tag produces low activity alluring activity artlessly not able of heating explosives or creating a spark. In absolute studies agitated out by the Department of Activity RuBee was accustomed a Safe Separation Ambit (SSD) of zero, and is the alone wireless technology to accept that rating. That agency tags and abject stations can be placed anon on top explosives with no accident of adventitious agitation or any heating.

High aegis and aloofness RuBee tags accept abounding different advantages in top aegis applications. The Eavesdropping ambit (the ambit at which a being with absolute funds can accept to tag conversations) is the aforementioned as tag range. That agency if anyone is listening, they accept to be abutting abundant for you to be able to see them. This is not accurate for RFID or 802 protocols (see Wall Street Journal May 4, 2007 Credit Agenda Data). That agency no one can secretly accept to tag/base abject conversations. In addition, back RuBee tags accept a battery, a clear and sRAM memory, they can use able encryption with about uncrackable one time keys, or absolutely uncrackable one time pads. RuBee is in use today in abounding top aegis applications for these reasons. RuBee is the alone wireless technology accustomed for use in defended US government sites.

Controlled volumetric ambit – RuBee has a best volumetric ambit of about 10,000 aboveboard anxiety (900 m²), application volumetric bend antennas — From even a baby volumetric antenna of 1 sq ft (900 cm²), RuBee can apprehend a tag aural an egg-shaped (ellipsoid) aggregate of about 10 x 10 x 15 ft (3 x 3 x 5 m). A appropriate affection of IEEE P1902.1 accepted as Clip makes it accessible to abode abounding adjoining bend antennas in an antenna farm, and apprehend from tens to hundreds of base-stations simultaneously.

Cost able - With RuBee, almost simple abject stations and routers can be employed, which agency receivers and agenda readers can be analytic priced as compared to college abundance transceivers. In addition, the tags generally cover a individual chip, a battery, a clear and an antenna, and can be priced competitively with account to alive RFID tags (those including a battery).

Less babble – Because ambient babble in a arena avalanche off as 1/r³, RuBee exhibits bargain susceptibility to accidental noise. The above absolute to antenna admeasurement is abysmal amplitude noise

Unique RuBee application example: mission critical asset availability and security

Because RuBee is defended and alluring it can accommodate real-time automatic visibility, and the accomplished accessible aegis of Mission Analytical Assets—Mission Analytical Assets (MCA) are assets that artlessly can not be absent or stolen, account far added on the artery or in easily of terrorists than the amount to replace. Visible Assets, Inc., Dasco Date, Inc., SMi Ltd, and Laser Device Inc. accommodate RuBee based automatic MCA afterimage and aegis application three important aegis layers:

Security Band 1: Real-Time, Accumulator Physical Inventory. Assets in accumulator in a barn on racks, shelves or weapons in arsenal racks or added defended ability accept RuBee wireless tags anchored or attached. RuBee enabled acute racks and acute shelves about-face the animate in these racks into an antenna, and Visible software applications do circadian or alternate analysis trails of anniversary account and address account and asset status.

Security Band 2: Issuance Analysis Out/In. When an asset is removed from inventory, we apperceive it has been removed from shelf, but buying has to be transferred from a “storekeeper” to a new owner, a soldier or bouncer or asset guardian. This is done application ruggedized Apple iPads accepted as gRaps® that accept a RuBee anchored reader. Tags are apprehend as the asset is anesthetized beyond the analysis out counter.

Seurity Band 3: Exit/Entry Detection. When the asset leaves the ability RuBee aperture platforms accommodate identification apprehension and alarms application DoorGuard® and GateGuard®. Both ascertain RuBee enabled assets and IDs as a being passes admitting a aperture or gate, on bottom or in a vehicle. These systems accept anesthetized abounding cold User Acceptance Tests (UAT) with 100% apprehension of assets even if hidden central a animate case or vehicle.

Three-Layer Aegis provides action chargeless aegis for mission analytical assets on racks with real-time inventiry, on analysis in/out, and with acute avenue access apprehension of humans and assets. Because RuBee is not blocked by humans or by animate tags are apprehend automatically after animal assistance

Security becomes far added codicillary on animal assurance with accident of any layer. RuBee reduces that animal assurance assurance with abounding “process free” automation in all three layers. For example, if something is removed from account off the racks, but does not get arrested out an anxiety is issued. If an asset exits ability but is not arrested out, an anxiety is issued etc. RFID and barcode systems are blocked by animate and the animal body. As a aftereffect aegis is based on new animal processes focused alone on Band 2. Both become animal assisted asset tracking systems, not real-time automatic aegis systems. Visible has again accurate that RuBee is the wireless technology that can accommodate absolutely integrated, afterimage with three aegis band automation.

Three-Layer RuBee Aegis compared to tracking technologies like bar codes and RFID. Bar codes and RFID become line-of-sight in acrid environments, blocked by humans and by steel, and accordingly crave animal assisted tag reads. In adverse RuBee afterimage is not line-of-sight in acrid environments and provides action chargeless aegis for mission analytical assets because it is not blocked by animate or water

RFID and barcode systems are blocked by animate and the animal body. As a aftereffect aegis is based on new animal processes focused alone on Aegis Band 2. Both become animal assisted asset tracking systems, not real-time automatic aegis systems. Abounding in-use defended sites provide, process-free, absolutely automated, RuBee afterimage with three-layer security.