ISO/IEC 18000-7:2008

INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC
STANDARD 18000-7
Second edition
2008-01-15
Information technology — Radio
frequency identification for item
management —
Part 7:
Parameters for active air interface
communications at 433 MHz
Technologies de l'information — Identification par radiofréquence
(RFID) pour la gestion d'objets —
Partie 7: Paramètres de communications actives d'une interface d'air à
433 MHz
Reference number
©
ISO/IEC 2008
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ii © ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword. iv
Introduction . v
1 Scope. 1
2 Conformance. 1
3 Normative references. 1
4 Terms and definitions. 2
5 Symbols and abbreviated terms . 2
6 433,92 MHz active narrowband specification .2
6.1 Physical layer. 2
6.2 Data link layer. 3
6.2.1 General. 3
6.2.2 Preamble. 3
6.2.3 Data byte format. 3
6.2.4 CRC bytes. 3
6.2.5 Packet end period. 3
6.2.6 Interrogator-to-tag message format. 3
6.2.7 Tag-to-interrogator message format. 7
6.3 Tag commands. 13
6.3.1 Collection with Universal Data Block (UDB) . 13
6.3.2 Sleep. 13
6.3.3 Sleep all but. 13
6.3.4 Security commands. 14
6.3.5 Transit information commands . 16
6.3.6 Manufacturing Information Commands (Optional) . 18
6.3.7 Memory commands . 19
6.3.8 Delete Writeable Data . 21
6.3.9 Read Universal Data Block (UDB). 21
6.3.10 Database table commands (Optional) . 22
6.3.11 Beep ON/OFF (Optional). 33
6.4 Tag collection and collision arbitration. 33
6.5 Multi-packet UDB collection with mandatory Routing Code and application data (User ID). 38
6.6 Physical and Media Access Control (MAC) parameters. 41
6.6.1 Interrogator to tag link. 41
6.6.2 Tag to interrogator link. 42
6.6.3 Protocol parameters. 44
6.6.4 Anti-collision parameters. 44
Annex A (normative) Co-existence of different application standards based on ISO/IEC 18000-7 . 45
Bibliography . 47

© ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved iii

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are members of
ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical committees
established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical activity. ISO and IEC
technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international organizations, governmental
and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the work. In the field of information
technology, ISO and IEC have established a joint technical committee, ISO/IEC JTC 1.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of the joint technical committee is to prepare International Standards. Draft International
Standards adopted by the joint technical committee are circulated to national bodies for voting. Publication as
an International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the national bodies casting a vote.
ISO/IEC 18000-7 was prepared by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology,
Subcommittee SC 31, Automatic identification and data capture techniques.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO/IEC 18000-7:2004), which has been technically
revised.
ISO/IEC 18000 consists of the following parts, under the general title Information technology — Radio frequency
identification for item management:
⎯ Part 1: Reference architecture and definition of parameters to be standardized
⎯ Part 2: Parameters for air interface communications below 135 kHz
⎯ Part 3: Parameters for air interface communications at 13,56 MHz
⎯ Part 4: Parameters for air interface communications at 2,45 GHz
⎯ Part 6: Parameters for air interface communications at 860 MHz to 960 MHz
⎯ Part 7: Parameters for active air interface communications at 433 MHz

iv © ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved

Introduction
This part of ISO/IEC 18000 is intended to address RFID devices operating in the 433 MHz frequency band,
providing an air interface implementation for wireless, non-contact information system equipment for Item
Management applications. Typical applications operate at ranges greater than one meter.
The RFID system includes a host system and RFID equipment (interrogator and tags). The host system runs
an application program, which controls interfaces with the RFID equipment. The RFID equipment is composed
of two principal components: tags and interrogators. The tag is intended for attachment to an item, which a
user wishes to manage. It is capable of storing a tag serial number and other data regarding the tag or item
and of communicating this information to the interrogator. The interrogator is a device, which communicates to
tags in its RF communication range. The interrogator controls the protocol, reads information from the tag,
directs the tag to store data in some cases, and ensures message delivery and validity. This system uses an
active tag.
RFID systems defined by this part of ISO/IEC 18000 provide the following minimum features:
• identify tag in range;
• read data;
• write data or handle read only systems gracefully;
• selection by group or address;
• graceful handling of multiple tags in the field of view;
• error detection.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
draw attention to the fact that it is claimed that compliance with this document may involve the use of a patent
concerning radio frequency identification technology given in 6.2. ISO and IEC take no position concerning the
evidence, validity and scope of this patent right.
The holder of this patent right has assured ISO and IEC that he is willing to negotiate licenses under
reasonable and non-discriminatory terms and conditions with applicants throughout the world. In this respect,
the statement of the holder of this patent right is registered with ISO and IEC. Information may be obtained
from the following.
Patent number Patent title Patent holder Contact Affected
subclause
US 5640151 Communication System Savi Ravi Rajapaksi, Chief Technology Officer,
for Communicating with Technology Savi Technology, Inc., 615 Tasman Dr., 6.2.6
Tags Sunnyvale, CA 94089, USA
US 5686902 Communication System Savi Ravi Rajapaksi, Chief Technology Officer,
for Communicating with Technology Savi Technology, Inc., 615 Tasman Dr., 6.2.6
Tags Sunnyvale, CA 94089, USA
EP 0467036 Method and Apparatus for Savi Ravi Rajapaksi, Chief Technology Officer,
Radio Identification and Technology Savi Technology, Inc., 615 Tasman Dr., 6.2.6
Tracking Sunnyvale, CA 94089, USA
US 6002344 System and method for Symbol Aaron B. Bernstein, VP, Deputy General
electronic inventory Technologies Counsel Intellectual Property, 1 Motorola 6.2
Plaza, MS A6, Holtsville, NY 11561
CA 2,310,623 System and method for Symbol Aaron B. Bernstein, VP, Deputy General
electronic inventory Technologies Counsel Intellectual Property, 1 Motorola 6.2
Plaza, MS A6, Holtsville, NY 11561
© ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved v

CN 98812462.9 System and method for Symbol Aaron B. Bernstein, VP, Deputy General
electronic inventory Technologies Counsel Intellectual Property, 1 Motorola 6.2
Plaza, MS A6, Holtsville, NY 11561
DE 98960332.9 System and method for Symbol Aaron B. Bernstein, VP, Deputy General
electronic inventory Technologies Counsel Intellectual Property, 1 Motorola 6.2
Plaza, MS A6, Holtsville, NY 11561
EP 98960332.9 System and method for Symbol Aaron B. Bernstein, VP, Deputy General
electronic inventory Technologies Counsel Intellectual Property, 1 Motorola 6.2
Plaza, MS A6, Holtsville, NY 11561
FR 98960332.9 System and method for Symbol Aaron B. Bernstein, VP, Deputy General
electronic inventory Technologies Counsel Intellectual Property, 1 Motorola 6.2
Plaza, MS A6, Holtsville, NY 11561
GB 98960332.9 System and method for Symbol Aaron B. Bernstein, VP, Deputy General
electronic inventory Technologies Counsel Intellectual Property, 1 Motorola 6.2
Plaza, MS A6, Holtsville, NY 11561
HK 01101416.3 System and method for Symbol Aaron B. Bernstein, VP, Deputy General
electronic inventory Technologies Counsel Intellectual Property, 1 Motorola 6.2
Plaza, MS A6, Holtsville, NY 11561
IL 136.220 System and method for Symbol Aaron B. Bernstein, VP, Deputy General
electronic inventory Technologies Counsel Intellectual Property, 1 Motorola 6.2
Plaza, MS A6, Holtsville, NY 11561
IT 98960332.9 System and method for Symbol Aaron B. Bernstein, VP, Deputy General
electronic inventory Technologies Counsel Intellectual Property, 1 Motorola 6.2
Plaza, MS A6, Holtsville, NY 11561
JP 2000-521687 System and method for Symbol Aaron B. Bernstein, VP, Deputy General
electronic inventory Technologies Counsel Intellectual Property, 1 Motorola 6.2
Plaza, MS A6, Holtsville, NY 11561
US 7,035,818 System and method for Symbol Aaron B. Bernstein, VP, Deputy General
electronic inventory Technologies Counsel Intellectual Property, 1 Motorola 6.2
Plaza, MS A6, Holtsville, NY 11561
US 10/725,010 System and method for Symbol Aaron B. Bernstein, VP, Deputy General
electronic inventory Technologies Counsel Intellectual Property, 1 Motorola 6.2
Plaza, MS A6, Holtsville, NY 11561
US 10,932,279 System and method for Symbol Aaron B. Bernstein, VP, Deputy General
electronic inventory Technologies Counsel Intellectual Property, 1 Motorola 6.2
Plaza, MS A6, Holtsville, NY 11561
US 6,470.045 Communication protocol EM G. Meusburger, IP Manager, Rue des
between a transceiver unit Microelectronics Sors, CH-2074, Marin, Switzerland
and transponders or Marin SA
transceiver with said unit /
V.Fuentes
JP 10-256493 Communication protocol EM G. Meusburger, IP Manager, Rue des
between a transceiver unit Microelectronics Sors, CH-2074, Marin, Switzerland
and transponders or Marin SA
transceiver with said unit /
V.Fuentes
EP 0 902 546 Communication protocol EM G. Meusburger, IP Manager, Rue des
Appl. No. between a transceiver unit Microelectronics Sors, CH-2074, Marin, Switzerland
97115772.2 and transponders or Marin SA
transceiver with said unit /
V.Fuentes
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights other than those identified above. ISO or IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such
patent rights.
vi © ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/IEC 18000-7:2008(E)

Information technology — Radio frequency identification
for item management —
Part 7:
Parameters for active air interface communications at 433 MHz
1 Scope
This part of ISO/IEC 18000 defines the air interface for radio frequency identification (RFID) devices operating
as an active RF tag in the 433 MHz band used in item management applications. The purpose of this part of
ISO/IEC 18000 is to provide a common technical specification for RFID devices that may be used by ISO
committees developing RFID application standards. This part of ISO/IEC 18000 is intended to allow for
compatibility and to encourage interoperability of products for the growing RFID market in the international
marketplace. This part of ISO/IEC 18000 defines the forward and return link parameters for technical
attributes including, but not limited to, operating frequency, operating channel accuracy, occupied channel
bandwidth, maximum power, spurious emissions, modulation, duty cycle, data coding, bit rate, bit rate
accuracy, bit transmission order and, where appropriate, operating channels, frequency hop rate, hop
sequence, spreading sequence and chip rate. This part of ISO/IEC 18000 further defines the communications
protocol used in the air interface.
2 Conformance
The rules for RFID device conformity evaluation are defined in ISO/IEC TR 18047-7.
3 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO/IEC 15459 (all parts), Information technology — Unique identifiers
ISO/IEC 15963, Information technology — Radio frequency identification for item management — Unique
identification for RF tags
ISO 17363, Supply chain applications of RFID — Freight containers
ISO/IEC TR 18047-7, Information technology — Radio frequency identification device conformance test

methods — Part 7: Test methods for active air interface communications at 433 MHz
ISO/IEC 19762-1, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) techniques —
Harmonized vocabulary — Part 1: General terms relating to AIDC
ISO/IEC 19762-3, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) techniques —
Harmonized vocabulary — Part 3: Radio frequency identification (RFID)
ITU-T Recommendation V.41, Code-independent error-control system
© ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved 1

4 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO/IEC 19762-1 and ISO/IEC 19762-3
apply.
5 Symbols and abbreviated terms
For the purposes of this document, the symbols and abbreviated terms given in ISO/IEC 19762-1 and
ISO/IEC 19762-3 apply.
6 433,92 MHz active narrowband specification
6.1 Physical layer
The RF communication link between interrogator and tag shall utilize a narrow band UHF frequency with the
following characteristics:
Carrier Frequency 433,92 MHz +/-20ppm
Modulation Type FSK
Frequency deviation +/- 50 kHz
Symbol LOW fc +50 kHz
Symbol HIGH fc -50 kHz
Modulation rate 27,7 kHz
Wake up Signal 31,25 kHz sub-carrier tone
followed by 10 kHz tone
The Wake up signal shall be transmitted by the interrogator for a minimum of 2,4 seconds to wake up all tags
within communication range. The wake up signal shall consist of a 2,4- to 4,8-second 31,25 kHz sub-carrier
tone followed by a 0,1-second 10 kHz sub-carrier tone. Upon detection of the Wake-up signal all tags shall
enter into the Ready state awaiting a command from the interrogator. See Figure 1. Once woken up, the tag
shall stay awake for 30 seconds after the last command received, unless the interrogator otherwise
commands the tag.
Minimum 2,4 s    Maximum 4,8 s 0,1 s
Wake Up Header CoHe
16 us 16 us
50 us 50 us
Figure 1 — Wake-up header
The communication between interrogator and tag shall be of the Master-Slave type, where the interrogator
shall initiate communications and then listen for a response from a tag. Multiple response transmissions from
tags shall be controlled by the collection algorithm described in section 6.4.
2 © ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved

6.2 Data link layer
6.2.1 General
Data between interrogator and tag shall be transmitted in packet format. A packet shall be comprised of a
preamble, data bytes and a final logic low period. The last two pulses of the preamble shall indicate the end of
the preamble and beginning of the first data byte. The same two pulses of the preamble also indicate the
originator of the data packet. Data bytes shall be sent in Manchester code format. Transmission order shall be
most significant byte first; within a byte, the order shall be least significant bit first. Figure 2 illustrates the data
communication timing of the preamble and the first byte of a packet.

Note: Data byte transmitted order is most significant byte first; with a byte the order is least significant bit first. Byte shown
is code 0x64.
Figure 2 — Data communication timing
6.2.2 Preamble
The preamble shall be comprised of twenty pulses of 60 µs period, 30 µs high and 30 µs low, followed by a
final sync pulse which identifies the communication direction: 42 µs high, 54 µs low (tag to interrogator); or
54 µs high, 54 µs low (interrogator to tag).
6.2.3 Data byte format
Data bytes shall be in Manchester code format, comprised of 8 data bits and one stop bit. The bit period shall
be 36 µs, the total byte period shall be 324 µs. A falling edge in the centre of the bit-time indicates a 0 bit, a
rising edge indicates a 1 bit. The stop bit is coded as a zero bit.
6.2.4 CRC bytes
A CRC checksum shall be calculated as a 16-bit value, initialized with all zeroes (0x0000), over all data bytes
16 12 5
(excluding preamble) according to the CCITT polynomial (x + x + x +1). The CRC shall be appended to
the data as two bytes. Reference: ITU-T Recommendation V.41 (Extract from the Blue Book), Code-
independent error-control system, Appendix I - Encoding and decoding realization for cyclic code system.
6.2.5 Packet end period
A final period of 36 µs of continuous logic low shall be transmitted after the last Manchester encoded bit within
the packet.
6.2.6 Interrogator-to-tag message format
Tags shall recognize the interrogator-to-tag message format described in Tables 1 and 2.
© ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved 3

Table 1 — Interrogator-to-tag command format (broadcast)
Protocol Packet Packet Interrogator Command Command CRC
ID Options ID Arguments
Length Code
0x40 1 byte 1 byte 2 bytes 1 byte N bytes 2 bytes
Table 2 — Interrogator-to-tag command format (point-to-point)
Protocol Packet Packet Tag Tag Interrogator Command Command CRC
ID Options Serial ID Arguments
Length Manufacturer Code
Number
ID
0x40 1 byte 1 byte 2 bytes 4 bytes 2 Bytes 1 byte N bytes 2 bytes

6.2.6.1 Packet options
Table 3 — Packet options field
Bit
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Reserved Reserved Reserved Reserved Reserved 1 0= Broadcast (Tag serial number and Reserved
Tag manufacturer ID not present)
1= Point to Point (Tag serial number
and tag manufacturer ID present)
The Packet Options field, described in Table 3, shall be is used to indicate the presence of the Tag serial
number and Tag manufacturer fields within the current data packet. If the interrogator wishes to address a
single tag by specifying its Tag serial number, Bit 1 of the Packet Options field shall be set, indicating point-to-
point communication. In the case in which the interrogator wants to address all tags within its RF
communication range, Bit 1 of the Packet Options field shall be cleared to indicate a broadcast message. A
broadcast message shall not use the Tag serial number field, which is omitted from the data packet. Reserved
bits are for future use. The default value shall be “0”.
6.2.6.2 Protocol ID
The protocol ID field allows different application standards based on ISO/IEC 18000-7 (“derived application
standards”) to be developed. All derived application standards shall share the same physical layer protocols,
but their command/response structure/field and command sets may vary depending on the application. The
two basic commands “collection” (i.e., collection with Universal Data Block)” and “sleep and sleep all but”
defined in this standard shall be supported by all derived application standards. All other commands required
by this standard shall be supported by 18000-7 compliant products, but not necessary by products compliant
with derived application standards.
When the interrogator sends out a wake up signal, all tags based on the ISO/IEC 18000-7 air interface and
derived standards shall wake up.
The interrogator may send out various commands as specified by the application. In the event that the
interrogator wants to inventory all the active tags within its range, it shall send out a Collection command as
defined in this standard. All tags adhering to ISO/IEC 18000-7 or derived application standards shall respond
to this basic Collection command. A tag shall respond with the collection response defined by the tag's own
application data link layer standard (ISO/IEC 18000-7 or derived standard). The tags shall also accept the
Sleep commands defined in this standard. The co-existence of ISO/IEC 18000-7 and derived standards is
illustrated in Annex A.
In this standard, the collection command is Collection with Universal Data Block. In the following section,
collection command and Collection with Universal Data Block are used interchangeably.
4 © ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved

6.2.6.3 Tag Manufacturer ID
The Tag Manufacturer ID is a unique identifier that is issued to each tag manufacturer. The Tag Manufacturer
ID is a 16-bit code assigned by the Registration Authority as called out in ISO/IEC 15963. This 16 bit code is a
combination of the 15963 Allocation Class “0001 0001” and the 8-bit Issuer UID “xxxxxxxx”.
6.2.6.4 Tag Serial Number
The Tag Serial Number is a 32-bit integer that is uniquely assigned to each individual tag during
manufacturing. This number cannot be changed and is read only. The Tag Serial Number has no structure
and does not contain any information besides uniquely identifying a tag. The Tag Serial Number cannot be
reused. Issuance of Tag Serial Numbers may be managed and administered by each manufacturer. The Tag
Manufacturer ID and Tag Serial Number together uniquely identify a tag as defined in ISO/IEC 15963. The
Tag Serial Number for each manufacturer is four bytes in length. An example of the combined data structure
for Tag Manufacturer ID and Tag Serial Number is:
00000001 00010001 xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx
6.2.6.5 Interrogator ID
The Interrogator ID is a 16-bit integer programmed into the interrogator's non-volatile memory. The
Interrogator ID, which can be changed without restriction, is used to route tag responses efficiently through an
interrogator network. At the moment the Interrogator ID is changed in an interrogator, any ongoing
communication between that interrogator and any tag shall be terminated. An interrogator that receives a tag
message containing an Interrogator ID not equal to the Interrogator ID of that interrogator shall not pass the
message to the system.
6.2.6.6 Command codes
The Command codes and their function as a Read and/or Write command shall be as listed in Table 4, below.
The least significant 7 bits of a command identify its base function; the eighth (MS) bit is set to “0” for a Read
function and “1” for a Write function. Codes not identified are reserved. All commands are mandatory unless
otherwise specified.
© ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved 5

Table 4 — Command codes
Command Command name Command Mandatory/Optional Description
code type
Interrogator Tag
(R / W)
0x1F / NA Collection with Broadcast Mandatory Mandatory Collects all Tag IDs and Universal Data
Universal Data Block Block
NA / 0x15 Sleep Point to Point Mandatory Mandatory Puts tag to sleep
NA / 0x16 Sleep All But Broadcast Mandatory Mandatory Puts all tags but one to sleep
0x13 / 0x93 User ID Point to Point Mandatory Optional Sets user assigned ID (1 – 60 bytes)
0x09 / 0x89 Routing Code Point to point Mandatory Mandatory Reads and writes routing code
0x0C / NA Firmware Revision Point to Point Mandatory Optional Retrieves manufacturer-defined tag
firmware revision number
0x0E / NA Model Number Point to Point Mandatory Optional Retrieves manufacturer-defined tag
model number
0x60 / 0xE0 Read/Write Memory Point to Point Mandatory Optional Reads and writes user memory
NA / 0x95 Set Password Point to Point Mandatory Optional Sets tag password (4 bytes long)
0x17 / 0x97 Set Password protect Point to Point Mandatory Optional Engages/disengages password
protection (see section 6.3.4)
NA/ 0x96 Unlock Point to Point Mandatory Optional Unlocks password protected tag
0x70 / NA Read Universal Data Point to Point Mandatory Mandatory Reads the Universal Data Block
Block
0x26 Table Create Point to Point Mandatory Optional Creates a database table
0x26 Table Add Records Point to Point Mandatory Optional Prepares to add new records to the
specified database table
0x26 Table Update Point to Point Mandatory Optional Prepares to modify the specified table
Records records
0x26 Table Update Fields Point to Point Mandatory Optional Prepares to update the specified fields
of a table record
0x26 Table Delete Record Point to Point Mandatory Optional Deletes existing record from the existing
database table
0x26 Table Get Data Point to Point Mandatory Optional Prepares to retrieve the specified table
records
0x26 Table Get Properties Point to Point Mandatory Optional Gets total number of records and size of
each field
0x26 Table Read Fragment Point to Point Mandatory Optional Retrieves a block of data from a table as
initiated by the Table Get Data
command
0x26 Table Write Fragment Point to Point Mandatory Optional Writes a block of data into a table as
initiated by the Table Add Records,
Table Update Records, or Table Update
fields command
0x26 Table Query Point to Point Mandatory Optional Initiates table search based on the
specified criteria
0x11 / NA Collection Query Broadcast Mandatory Optional Requests results from Table Query
0xE1 / NA Beep ON/OFF Point to Point Mandatory Optional Turns tag's beeper ON or OFF
0x8E Delete Writeable Data Point to Point Mandatory Optional Deletes all allocated writeable data on a
tag
6 © ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved

The Command Type column indicates whether the command is broadcast (does not include Tag Manufacturer
ID and Tag serial number in the message) or point-to-point (includes Tag Manufacturer ID and Tag Serial
Number in the message).
6.2.6.7 Command arguments
Some commands require additional argument. For those commands where argument is defined, additional
data must be supplied with the command. The value of N, which may be zero, and the nature of the data are
specific to each command. See section 6.3 for details.
6.2.7 Tag-to-interrogator message format
The tag-to-interrogator message shall use one of two formats depending on the type of message being
transmitted to the Interrogator. The tag shall always respond to a command using one of the response formats
described below except in the following situations, for which the tag shall not respond:
• the command is explicitly specified in this standard as requiring no response;
• the CRC bytes received in the command do not match the CRC checksum that the tag has calculated
for the received command packet.
There are two possible response formats:
• the Broadcast response message format;
• the Point-to-Point response message format.
6.2.7.1 Broadcast response message format
The message format shown in Table 5 shall be used in response to Interrogator broadcast commands
received by tags within the Interrogator's communication range.
The broadcast command shall be used to collect Tag Manufacturer IDs, Tag Serial Numbers, Routing Codes
and optionally application data from the selected group of tags using the batch collection algorithm. See 6.3.1
for more details.
Table 5 — Broadcast response message format
Protocol Tag Packet Interrogator Tag Manufacturer Tag Serial Command Data CRC
ID Status Length ID ID Number Code
0x40 2 bytes 1 byte 2 bytes 2 bytes 4 bytes 1 byte N bytes 2 bytes

Tag Status: Indicates various conditions such as response format, tag type, and alert flag.
See section 6.2.7.4, Tag Status, for more details.
Packet Length: Message length in bytes including CRC byte codes
Interrogator ID: ID of Interrogator: Integer value from 1 to 65535
Tag Manufacturer ID: Unique ID assigned to manufacturer
Tag Serial Number: Unique tag serial number preset during manufacturing
Command Code: Command code (see Table 4) received from the Interrogator
© ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved 7

Data: Contains the Universal Data Block that includes the mandatory Routing Code
and optionally application data (see Table 6). N is the size, in bytes, of the
Universal Data Block.
CRC: CCITT code check bytes
Table 6 — Type ID values
Type ID
Note
(1 byte)
0x00 - 0x0A Reserved
0x10 Routing code The routing code is specified in ISO 17363
0x11 User ID User ID as specified within this document
0x12 – 0x7F Reserved These types are reserved for future tag data elements
0x7F – 0xFF Future extension Also reserved
6.2.7.2 Point-to-point response message format
This message format, shown in Table 7, shall be returned to the Interrogator as a response to all point-to-point
commands, which require the Tag Serial Number in order to access a particular tag. (The point-to-point
commands include all commands except Collection commands).
Table 7 — Tag–to-interrogator response format (point-to-point)
Protocol ID Tag Packet Interrogator Tag Tag Command Response CRC
Status Length ID Serial Code Data*
Manufacturer
Number
ID
0x40 2 bytes 1 byte 2 bytes 2 bytes 4 bytes 1 byte N bytes 2 bytes
* This field is command dependent; some commands may or may not need this field
Tag Status: Indicates various conditions such as response format, tag type, and alert flag.
See section 6.2.7.4, Tag Status, for more details.
Packet Length: Message length in bytes including CRC byte codes.
Interrogator ID: ID of Interrogator, an Integer value from 1 to 65535.
Tag Manufacturer ID: Unique ID assigned to manufacturer.
Tag Serial Number: Unique tag serial number preset during manufacturing.
Command Code: Command code received from the Interrogator.
Response Data: Data returned by the tag as a response to an Interrogator's valid command
request. The value of N, the length of the data in bytes, is specific to the
command. In the event that the tag receives an invalid command, a NACK
flag within the Tag Status word will be set and the Response Data will contain
an error code of one or more bytes, as described in Table 8.
CRC: CCITT code check bytes.
8 © ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved

6.2.7.3 Error codes
In response to a point-to-point command a tag may reply with one of the errors listed in Table 8. Errors
generated resulting from broadcast commands do not generate responses.
Table 8 — Error code
Error Code Description
0x01 Invalid Command Code
0x02 Invalid Command Parameter
0x04 Not Found
0x06 Can't Create Object
0x08 Authorization Failure
0x09 Object is Read-Only
0x3f Implementation Dependent
0x40 Sequence ID Mismatch
0x41 Boundary Exceeded
An error shall consist of a one-byte error code; possibly a one-byte sub-code, depending on the kind of error;
possibly one or more bytes of parameter data, also depending on the error; and an optional, manufacturer-
defined number of additional data bytes, as shown in Table 9. In the following error definition sections, the
optional, manufacturer-defined data bytes are not shown.
Table 9 — General error format
Error Code Sub-code Error Data Manufacturer
Data
1 byte 1 byte N bytes M bytes
Error Code: a value from Table 8 identifying the kind of error
Sub-code: an optional value that further refines the nature of the error and is specific to
the kind error, as defined in the following subsections
Error Data: N bytes of data, where N is zero or greater, whose existence, length, and
content depend on the nature of the error, as defined in the following
subsections
Manufacturer Data: M bytes of data, where M is zero or greater, whose existence, length, and
content are at the discretion of the tag manufacturer
6.2.7.3.1 Invalid command code error
Table 10 shows the structure of this error code.
Table 10 — Invalid command code error
Error Code
0x01
This error as defined in Table 10 shall be generated when the tag receives a packet with a command code or
class code that is not defined in this standard.
© ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved 9

6.2.7.3.2 Invalid command parameter error
Table 11 shows the structure of this error code.
Table 11 — Invalid command parameter error
Error Code Sub-code Parameter Offset
0x02 1 byte 1 byte
Sub-code: a code as shown in Table 12 that describes the error more specifically. Following values are
defined:
Table 12 — Invalid command parameter error sub-codes
Sub-code Sub-error Name Meaning
0x01 Parameter Out of Range The value of a parameter is not legal
0x02 Too Few Parameters There are fewer bytes in the Command Arguments field than expected
0x03 Too Many Parameters There are more bytes in the Command Arguments field than expected
Parameter offset: the offset in bytes from the beginning of the Command Arguments field where
the error was detected.
6.2.7.3.3 Not found error
Table 13 shows the structure of this error code.
Table 13 — Not found error
Error Code Sub-code
0x04 1 byte
Sub-code: a code as shown in Table 14 that describes the error more specifically. Following values are
defined:
Table 14 — Not found error sub-codes
Sub-code Sub-error Name Meaning
0x01 Table Does Not Exist There is no existing table for the table ID given
0x02 Record Does Not Exist There are fewer records than the record number given
0x03 Field Does Not Exist There are fewer fields than the field number given
6.2.7.3.4 Can't create object error
Table 15 shows the structure of this error code.
Table 15 — Can't create object error
Error Code Sub-code
0x06 1 byte
This error as shown in Table 15 shall be generated upon an unsuccessful attempt to create a database table.
The Sub-code field in the Table 16 below shall indicate the reasons why the attempt failed.
10 © ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved

Table 16 — Can't create object error sub-codes
Sub-code Sub-error Name Meaning
0x02 Table Already Exists The requested table ID is already in use
0x03 Out of Memory There is insufficient memory in the tag to create the requested table
0x04 Table ID Reserved The tag restricts usage of the table ID to a particular purpose.
6.2.7.3.5 Authorization failure error
Table 17 shows the structure of this error code.
Table 17 — Authorization failure error
Error Code
0x08
This error as shown in Table 17 shall be generated upon an invalid attempt to access a tag feature protected
by a password.
6.2.7.3.6 Object is read-only error
Table 18 shows the structure of this error code.
Table 18 — Object is read-only error
Error Code
0x09
This error as shown in Table 18 shall be generated upon an attempt to modify some tag data entity for which
the tag does not allow modifying operations.
6.2.7.3.7 Implementation dependent error
Table 19 shows the structure of this error code.
Table 19 — Implementation dependent error
Error Code Sub-code
0x43 1 byte
This error code as shown in Table 19 shall be reserved for tag manufacturers to define for general tag
behaviour errors not covered by this standard. At a minimum, the tag implementation must include a
Sub-code field. Additional fields of the error are left to the tag manufacturer to specify.
6.2.7.3.8 Sequence ID mismatch error
Table 20 shows the structure of this error code.
Table 20 — Sequence ID mismatch error
Error Code
0x40
© ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved 11

This error as shown in Table 20 shall be generated upon an attempt to delete a record in a database table,
passing to the command a sequence Table Full sequence ID of the most recent successful invocation of the
Table Delete Record command. (See the Table Delete Record command in section 6.3.10.5.)
6.2.7.3.9 Boundary exceeded error
This error as shown in Table 21 and sub-code shown in Table 22 shall be generated upon an attempt to
access a record outside of a valid boundary.
Table 21 — Boundary exceeded error
Error Code Sub-code
0x41 1 byte
Table 22 — Boundary exceeded error sub-codes
Sub-code Sub-error Name Meaning
0x01 Table Full The table has been filled to the create-time allotment
0x02 Record Does Not Exist The record has not been added yet
0x03 Fragment Overrun The write operation completed with still more to write
6.2.7.4 Tag status
The Tag Status field shown in Table 23, included in all tag–to-interrogator messages, shall consist of the
following information:
Table 23 — Tag status field format
Bit
15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8
Acknowledgement
Mode field Reserved Reserved Reserved 1 = NACK
0 = ACK
Bit
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Reserved Tag type Reserved Reserved Service bit
Note: Reserved fields are set to a value of “0”.
Mode field indicates the format (response to Broadcast command or response to Point-to-Point
command) of the response data from the tag. The list of possible values is shown in Table 24.
Table 24 — Tag status field format
Mode field Mode format code (bit 15 - 12)
Broadcast Command 0000
Point to Point Command 0010
Acknowledgment, when clear (“0”), indicates that the tag has received a valid command (CRC ok and all
fields valid) from the Interrogator and processed the command successfully. If set (“1”), the command was
invalid or the tag encountered an error during the processing of the command. Note that as described in
section 6.2.7, the tag issues no response in the case of a CRC error.
12 © ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved

Tag type is a value assigned by, and meaningful only to, the tag manufacturer. The manufacturer can use
this value to indicate manufacturer-defined special features.
Service bit when set (“1”) indicates that tag battery is low. Manufacturers or the application standards will
define battery-low parameters. The exception to this rule is when the Interrogator performs Collection
Query. In this case, a tag will indicate through this bit whether search criteria have been met. When this
bit is set (“1”) upon response to the Collection Query command, it indicates that a match was found. In all
other cases the Service bit indicates the low-battery condition.
6.3 Tag commands
6.3.1 Collection with Universal Data Block (UDB)
The fo
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