Abstract
An autonomous and continuously operating Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) temperature sensor is designed, manufactured, and tested. This sensor is battery-free and can detect temperature threshold crossings for multiple (room-to-cold and cold-to-room) temperature cycles, respectively. The proposed sensor conveys temperature threshold crossings through the controlled switching of its operating frequency within the 902-928 MHz Ultra High Frequency (UHF) RFID band. For the first time, shape morphing cold-temperature reactive Liquid Crystal Elastomers (LCEs), which provide reversible actuation, are utilized. The proposed sensor design consists of a patch antenna with a customized slot. A passive mechanical switch is connected across this slot and provides the frequency switching as it is activated and deactivated. The integration of this switch with the antenna is achieved using a co-simulation method. Furthermore, the cold-temperature reactive LCE triggers the switch when a temperature violation has occurred, thereby switching the operating frequency of the sensor based on temperature changes. Additionally, a high-dielectric constant substrate and a single matching network that operates at two discrete frequencies are used to design our compact frequency-domain temperature sensor. Moreover, based on the RFID platform, this sensor operates effectively in close-proximity to other sensors. Also, is provides identification and temperature information through an autonomous, continuous, and cost-effective design. Therefore, the proposed sensor has the potential for operation in the Internet of Things (IoTs) applications, where large amounts of data is collected from numerous sensors to extract valuable information for the benefit of users, manufacturers, and delivery companies in the virtual domain of the internet. Finally, ANSYS HFSS and Circuit Designer are used for the simulation modeling. The performance of our sensor is validated using measurements and simulations that agree very well.
Highlights
The Cold-Supply-Chain (CSC) deals with the delivery of perishable foods and pharmaceutical products that must be kept in an uninterrupted and controlled temperature environment from the manufacturer to the end-user [1]
SENSING METHODOLOGY WITH Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) TECHNOLOGY Our sensor is designed to reversibly operate at different frequencies depending on the temperature
According to [6] and [28], the nominal input impedance is taken as ZIC = 18 – 164j across the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) RFID band
Summary
The Cold-Supply-Chain (CSC) deals with the delivery of perishable foods and pharmaceutical products that must be kept in an uninterrupted and controlled temperature environment from the manufacturer to the end-user [1]. A passive RFID tag for heat sensing applications was developed by researchers in [20] This sensor consists of a customized designed antenna that is placed on a substrate of paraffin wax. (c) provide continuous temperature monitoring even for reversible fluctuations (e.g., able to detect multiple cycles of room-to-cold and cold-to-room variations), (d) operate autonomously and without requiring any form of resetting, and (e) fit in a small package (i.e., compact) so that it can be conveniently attached to various CSC items. Our work develops for the first time an autonomous and continuously operating RFID temperature sensor that is battery-free using new shape morphing cold-temperature reactive Liquid Crystal Elastomers (LCEs), which provide reversible actuation.
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