Under the contract, the AFGET solution is an improvement to the agency's existing dedicated RFID RTLS solution located at its Air Force Sustainment Center and Air Force Materiel Command at Robins Air Force Base (AFB), Tinker AFB, Hill AFB and Davis-Monthan AFB. As part of the contract, CDO will evaluate existing systems, ensure full visualization of the required coverage area, and provide integration, system operations, and help desk and training services. In addition, CDO will help expand the use of technology at all four bases and enhance existing software and hardware.

According to Don Ertel, CDO's senior vice president of technology operations, the RTLS technology for aircraft parking and maintenance bases includes an RFID receiver infrastructure to capture tag transmissions as assets move around the facility, as well as sensors and active RFID tags. CDO provides technology-based business solutions for the commercial sector as well as military and government agencies.

Expanding on Existing RTLS Solutions

The AFGET project focused on tracking high-value assets, such as tools and equipment needed to repair and maintain Air Force aircraft, through automation. Thousands of active RFID tags are attached to the assets, and they also need to be tracked at four sites. These items may include light boxes to illuminate the area, tugboats to tow aircraft and generators, all of which can move around the flight line (the area around the hangar where aircraft are stored and maintained). By sending information to area receivers at each base, the system provides a real-time view of the location of large items in the Air Force maintenance hangar area.

Applying MotionWorks for More Functionality

Ertel reports that most of the existing tags are already in place on the assets, and CDO plans to add them to new equipment as it comes in or needs to be replaced. The project will include adding new assets to the solution to enable the Air Force to manage lower-value assets. In this case, CDO is applying passive UHF RFID tags to smaller tools and other items and deploying a combination of UHF RFID readers and fixed access doors to query the unique ID numbers encoded on these passive UHF RFID tags. With the UHF RFID tags on each item, the IDs can be linked to data about the corresponding assets in MotionWorks, as well as existing active RFID data stored for high-value assets that are tracked in real time.

Applying Passive UHF RFID to RTLS Technology

When RFID-tagged items exist to move, their locations are locked in real time and the software displays those locations along with a history of each item for those authorized to view that data. UHF RFID tags, on the other hand, can also be viewed in the AFGET solution. The status of each tagged item can be automatically updated each time the tag is read through a handheld reader or through an access door. In this way, for example, users can view data on the entry or exit of assets, including the time.

In addition, RFID readers are deployed in such a way that zones can be created within buildings. The hangars are large, some of which were built to accommodate Lockheed's 247-foot C-5 Galaxy aircraft, making it necessary to create zones to narrow the search for specific tagged items.

Ertel reports that the Air Force is expected to reap several benefits as this technology is deployed. the RTLS solution hopes to reduce labor costs by freeing up worker time that would otherwise be spent on search tools. The solution could also reduce inventory costs by eliminating the requirement to backlog goods that are often lost or hard to find.