Multispectral Solutions

May 17, 2005
Newly Patented Ultra Wideband RFID/Tracking System Now Available
Multispectral Solutions, Inc. (MSSI) announced May 10 that it has been awarded a patent which permits the rapid acquisition of RFID tag transmissions enabling the monitoring and precise (centimeter) localization of large numbers of tags, even in severe multipath environments. This newly patented technology has been incorporated into MSSI's ultra wideband (UWB) Precision Asset Location System products, including its latest "Sapphire" line of RFID/tracking solutions."This latest patent issued to MSSI further validates our technology vision and innovation," said Dr. Robert J. Fontana, MSSI president and CEO. "MSSI will continue to address the challenges of providing affordable, high accuracy, high reliability, RFID and precision tracking solutions to our customers."The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted the patent, entitled "Object Location System and Method," to MSSI for its unique technology advancements in UWB-based precision localization. The patent, filed back in October 2001, is based upon low-power, transmit-only UWB tag technology and compliments previous MSSI patents for precision localization utilizing dual function transmit/receive tags.SapphireJust one day earlier (May 9), MSSI announced the release of its Sapphire product line, which provides end users with a fully scalable RFID and high precision tracking solution for large scale industrial and commercial applications. The first product in the series, Sapphire DART (Digital Active Real-Time Tracking), has an extensible architecture which permits area coverage from tens to hundreds of thousands of square feet, while providing RFID and precision localization to 10 cm (4 inch) resolution.Sapphire UWB tags are certified and compliant with the latest FCC UWB regulations for indoor and outdoor use. With tag read ranges in excess of 650 feet outdoors, Sapphire can address a wide range of RFID/tracking market opportunities. Sapphire has a built-in graphical user interface, but is also compatible with third-party middleware packages."Over the past two years, we have installed over 30 PAL650-based pilot systems and have validated the system's reliability and localization precision in extremely difficult and challenging industrial environments," stated Robert Mulloy, MSSI vice president and COO. "PAL650's 'lessons learned' have resulted in our Sapphire product line, which has the horsepower to address the needs of full scale industrial and commercial deployments. We strongly believe that the immediate availability of a cost-effective active RFID solution will revolutionize the RFID industry."