“Printed BLE labels utilize a printed battery on a paper/polyester label and an SoC (System-on-Chip) to offer real-time tracking of tagged objects.”
BLE Beacons are best known for how they have simplified real-time tracking with an active beaconing system, using Bluetooth low energy signals at 2.43 GHz frequency. Developed in 2010 officially, BLE beacon technology is highly used in Real-Time Location Services, indoor navigation smart packaging, and real-time tracking of these packages.
Printed BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) Labels, developed to minimize the BLE beacon costs, are a cutting-edge technology that combines the power of Bluetooth connectivity with printed labels, creating a versatile and efficient solution for various industries. These labels are embedded with BLE beacons, sensors, and other technologies to enable real-time location tracking, data sensing, and monitoring of environmental factors such as temperature. When integrated with Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) and smart packaging, Printed BLE Labels offer a myriad of benefits, revolutionizing supply chain management, inventory tracking, and product monitoring.
What is a printed BLE Label? And how it works?
Printed BLE Labels are designed to be compact and unobtrusive, making them ideal for integration into packaging, products, or assets. These labels utilize Bluetooth Low Energy technology, which allows for seamless communication with smartphones, tablets, and other BLE-enabled devices.
These printed BLE labels are designed with a printed zinc-manganese coating process which creates a printed battery on the inlay circuit itself, and this battery powers the active beaconing SoC (System-on-Chip). The printed battery and the small label size with a lightweight chip reduce the cost of the BLE Beaconing system to a great extent. With this thin-film printed battery on the label and the SoC, these BLE beacon labels can communicate with any BLE-enabled device whether it is a smartphone, tablet, or smartwatch/wristband. These printed BLE labels can communicate to a BLE gateways installed at 110m, offering long-range coverage, and are proven to be a great alternative to passive UHF RFID labels as they can transmit beacon signals periodically, say every 10 sec, and offer real-time tracking.
Advantages of Printed BLE Labels
Besides being cost-effective, printed BLE labels offer several advantages in real-time tracking and smart packaging as follows:
1. The incorporation of beacons within these labels enables precise location tracking, offering real-time visibility into the movement and whereabouts of tagged items. This capability is particularly advantageous for industries dealing with high-value assets, perishable goods, or complex supply chains.
2. BLE beacon technology, unlike passive UHF RFID systems, doesn’t require elaborate and expensive Reader infrastructure. Most smartphones and tablets today support BLE technology and work as a BLE reader. Therefore, people can scan the BLE tag on an item using their smartphone and retrieve the data on the tag hassle-free.
3. Printed BLE Labels are equipped with various sensors that can capture and transmit crucial data regarding the tagged items. These BLE Beacon Sensors can monitor parameters such as temperature, humidity, light exposure, and motion.
For instance, in the context of perishable goods, the temperature sensor within the label can continuously monitor the temperature of the product throughout its journey, ensuring compliance with storage requirements and providing real-time alerts in the event of temperature deviations. Thus, proactive monitoring with BLE beacon sensors helps in maintaining the quality and safety of the products, thereby reducing the risk of spoilage or damage.
4. The integration of Printed BLE Labels with RTLS and smart packaging systems unlocks a host of benefits for businesses across different sectors. In the world of RTLS, these labels facilitate accurate asset tracking and management within facilities, warehouses, and manufacturing environments.
Businesses can optimize their operational workflows, minimize search times, and prevent loss or misplacement of valuable assets simply by leveraging the precise location data provided by these BLE beacons.
The high level of visibility also enhances security measures, enabling swift identification of unauthorized movements or theft.
5. Smart packaging, when enhanced with Printed BLE Labels, becomes an intelligent and interactive tool for both businesses and consumers. These labels can empower smart packaging to provide real-time status updates on the condition and location of the packaged products.
For example, in the pharmaceutical industry, smart packaging integrated with Printed BLE Labels can offer visibility into the temperature history of sensitive medications, ensuring compliance with storage regulations and bolstering consumer confidence in product quality.
The use of Printed BLE Labels also aligns with the growing emphasis on sustainability and traceability in supply chains. By enabling real-time monitoring of environmental conditions and movement, these labels contribute to improved transparency and accountability throughout the supply chain. Businesses in retail, healthcare, fertilizers, and FMCG can utilize the data collected from the labels to analyze and optimize their logistics processes, reduce waste, and enhance the overall efficiency of their operations.
Battery Free BLE Labels
Apart from printed BLE labels with printed batteries, some firms are also developing battery-free Bluetooth stickers. These battery-free BLE sensor tags are designed with a microchip glued to a paper/polyester label and a simple antenna printed on the same. These battery-free BLE sensors utilize ambient radio frequencies to power up the microchip and send the sensing data to nearby BLE-enabled devices such as smartphones and tablets.
The low-cost, disposable, battery-free electronics, such as these BLE tags are the foundation for future IoT systems. These BLE stickers are not only used in retail and healthcare but in supply chain and logistics as well. Consumers can also use these tags for home automation, indoor navigation, and smart home security through smart access control systems as well.
To conclude, Printed BLE Labels represent a transformative innovation in the realm of asset tracking, sensing, and smart packaging. BLE labels seamlessly integrate with RTLS and smart packaging systems and open up new avenues for businesses to enhance operational efficiency, ensure product integrity, and deliver superior customer experiences.
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