After successful trials Opel, part of General Motors and one of the largest car manufacturers in Europe, is now rolling out an innovative radio frequency identification (RFID) system to control access to critical manufacturing systems and data at all of its manufacturing plants throughout Europe.
The Opel system uses RFID transponders and readers from Texas Instruments to ensure that only authorised personnel can access and change important parameters on production systems that affect manufacturing efficiency, safety and testing. The system uses the tags to identify each user, grant access and then logs every change to provide a complete history audit trail showing who modified what and when.
The central element of Opel's new access control and safety system is Texas Instruments' tiny smart RFID wireless transponder (TI-RFid) complete with microchip and antenna attached to a keyring. The device is programmed with a worldwide unique identification number and works without physical contact - it can be read and identified over a distance without line of sight and at any orientation - making it handsfree. The system was designed by the International Technical Development Centre (ITEZ) of Opel at its Rüsselsheim headquarters in conjunction with TI-RFid and its local systems integrators.
Each employee authorised to modify selected production parameters is issued with a low frequency transponder usually carried on a keyring. When the employee enters the detection range of the reader, the transponder transmits its unique frequency-modulated code and the employee is identified and allowed access depending on their authorisation level. Access to the control of the production machine is only granted if the transponder's code is verified. In this way the possibility of introducing errors due to unauthorised or inadvertent or accidental data entry is automatically eliminated. The employee completes the transaction and signs off by activating the transponder again.
The new safety system is now being integrated step-by-step into all European manufacturing locations and it is likely to be rolled out in the US plants of General Motors. In total, several thousand transponders and readers are being installed in the first phase.
The RFID system started as a pilot phase in the German Opel factory in Eisenach and the Corsa production facility in Zaragoza, Spain. There, it controls access to 1200 welders, 100 stud welding units and 80 welding computers, logs production data and documents all program changes. The system has already been extended to test beds, ultrasonic testing equipment, programming units, PCs, and inspection devices, eg for brakes and air bags and even the engines which are now programmed and quality tested using a PC.
Testing parameters and procedures are crucial not just for production but also for vehicle safety. Even slight modifications to the overall manufacturing process can influence efficiency, product quality, safety and cost.
With over more than 10 years in rough environments in the automotive industry, TI-RFid's transponders and readers have proven their ruggedness - they are used in most major vehicles for anti-theft immobilisation as well as tracking vehicles, through production and painting ovens, and for access control. They are immune to dust, dirt and moisture and not affected by impacts or extreme temperatures. Transponders offer significant advantages over systems protected by key-operated switches or passwords, because they may be used more flexibly and are more user-friendly.
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