Packaging
Teijin Develops Advanced System for Managing Library Books
Thursday 20. May 2010 - Teijin Fibers Limited, the core company of the Teijin Group's polyester fibers business, announced today a new book-management system comprising CELL FORM, Teijin's two-dimensional communication sheet, and UHF-band RFID tags. A field trial of the system is now being conducted at Chiba University Library.
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a technology for data to be transmitted via radio signals to and from a non-contact IC chip, for purposes such as the identification and management of merchandise. An RFID tag attached to each book sends a signal via the UHF band, which enables stable transmission of signals to a distance of roughly several meters. Special sensors at library entry/exit gates and CELL FORM sheets attached to each bookshelf detect the book’s RFID signal and then transmit the information for secure book-processing.
Conventional electronic book management in libraries uses barcodes or HF (13.56 MHz) RFID tags attached to books. Such systems, however, can be time-consuming since each barcode must be read separately, and errors can arise if barcodes are soiled. Furthermore, HF RFID systems have a short signal range, so gates are restricted to 90 cm in width, and HF tags are relatively expensive to produce.
One of the main advantages of Teijin Fibers’ new system is that it enables librarians to easily and efficiently check multiple books in the stacks at one time. In addition, the extended range of UHF signals allows electronic-detection gates, conventionally 90 cm wide, to be made much wider for easier access.
The system enables librarians to monitor how many times books are removed from the shelves, even when they are not actually checked out of the library, unlike conventional systems that typically are used only used for loan management at counters and book management at entrances and exits. Teijin Fibers’ system allows inventory to be managed shelf by shelf, including on metal shelves, thanks to the signal properties of the new system.
CELL FORM
CELL FORM employs an entirely new technology that confines electromagnetic waves to a cell within and around a special thin, flat sheet. The communication technology, called @CELL, was developed by CELLCROSS Co., Ltd., a spin-off venture company from the University of Tokyo in which Teijin Fibers owns approximately 8.4% share and has contributed specialized material and manufacturing know-how. CELL FORM was launched commercially as “LAN Sheet” by ITOKI Corporation, an office furniture manufacturer, in the summer of 2008.
As a microwave signal is transmitted through the sheet, a shorter-wavelength signal wave seeps from the surface into the vicinity of the sheet. Known as an evanescent wave because it is not dispersed widely, the highly localized signal helps to prevent signal theft sometimes associated with WLANs. The evanescent wave, the point of interface with external signals such as those from an RFID tag, enables a secure, high-speed, low-power connection between the tag, sheet and computer. What’s more, the sheets can be easily attached to existing shelves, tables, etc.
Field Trial
The field trial at Chiba University Library will provide valuable information for the development of systems suited to a variety of other applications, such as managing retail floor stock and warehouse inventories.
Chiba University Library has a Library Innovation Center, which conducts R&D on issues involving university libraries and academic data, and helps to enable high-level library services. Staff from the center will take part in the trial by evaluating system performance, including possible variations such as different sheet thicknesses. They also will recommend new kinds of library services enabled by Teijin Fibers’ system. The cost-effectiveness of introducing the system also will be examined through the trial.