Glossary · Automation fundamentals, platforms and components
Automatic identification (Auto-ID)
Also known as: AIDC, Automatic identification and data capture
German: Automatische Identifikation (Auto-ID)
In industrial automation and logistics, automatic identification (Auto-ID) is the group of technologies that identify objects and capture their data without manual entry, such as barcodes, 2D codes, RFID and machine vision.
- Automation components
In one sentence
Automatic identification (Auto-ID) covers barcodes, 2D codes, RFID and vision systems that identify objects and capture data without manual entry.
Example
An RFID reader at each station of an assembly line reads the carrier tag and loads the variant-specific work instructions for the part on it.
How it applies
- Engineering: The choice between barcode, 2D code and RFID depends on reading distance, line of sight, environment and the amount of data. Readers are connected to the PLC, MES or warehouse system.
- Operation: Auto-ID links physical items to their digital records, which supports Traceability, material tracking and error-proofing.
- Documentation: Document which identifier is on which object, its format and where it is read. When product identifiers also serve a Digital product passport (DPP), align the documentation with the requirements for the DPP data carrier.
Auto-ID vs. unique product identifier
Auto-ID describes the capture technology. A Unique product identifier is the data that identifies the item. The same identifier can be carried by a printed code and an RFID tag at the same time.