Handheld Radio Frequency Identification Reader Research Articles

Design and analysis of broadband circularly polarized compact planar antennas for 2.45 GHz RFID handheld reader applications

AbstractIn this article, an innovative design of a broadband circularly polarized compact planar antenna for RFID (radio frequency identification) receivers is presented. The suggested structure used the concept of slots loaded parasitic element printed underneath a coplanar waveguide-fed radiator to achieve the circularly polarized (CP) radiation and size reduction. A parasitic element loaded with F-slot and L-slot, and a window-type slotted ground plane was used to achieve resonance at 2.45 GHz with right-handed circularly polarized radiation for RFID handheld reader application. Experimental results confirmed that the designed antenna of size 16.5 × 14.8 × 1.6 mm3 attained a −10 dB impedance bandwidth of 15.8% (from 2.330 to 2.716 GHz) and 3 dB AR bandwidth of 3.43% (from 2.410 to 2.494 GHz). An axial ratio of 0.43 dB was achieved in the boresight of the antenna at the 2.45 GHz RFID band. The concept of electric field distribution on the antenna was used to elaborate the excitation of CP radiation in the antenna.

RFID Technology Study for Traffic Signage Inventory Management Application

This paper presents the design and analysis of an automated traffic signage inventory management system employing the radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology. Traffic signage inventory management faces the operational challenge of recognizing a large number of traffic signs spread in a large area without obvious identifications on them. Thanks to the remote sensing ability of RFID, the operational efficiency can be significantly improved by scanning traffic signs remotely in motion. The system consists of an in-vehicle RFID reader and a handheld RFID reader, both of which connect to mobile applications with user-friendly interfaces. Additionally, user-friendly control software and a database are developed. In this paper, the adequacy of the RFID technology for the task is assessed. On the theoretical side, this paper investigates the radio-wave propagation model and the antenna radiation range. Additionally, the influences of the vehicle speed and the sign-to-reader distance on the reading performance are studied and empirical tests of the tag positioning are conducted. Finally, a system protocol is validated by a field test.

An integrated RFID–UWB method for indoor localization of materials in construction

A considerable body of literature exists on automated object localization and tracking of construction operations. While GPS-based solutions have been widely investigated in many studies for outdoor tracking of these operations, indoor tracking proved to be more challenging. This paper focuses on indoor material localization and investigates the use of two remote sensing technologies—ultra-wideband and radio frequency identification—and the integrated use of these technologies to leverage the benefits of each for a cost-effective and practical solution for location identification of materials on site. The developed method is based on an experimental study conducted in two phases. In the first phase, experiments are designed and performed to evaluate the accuracy of ultra-wideband for localization, as well as to determine the optimal output power for a hand-held radio frequency identification reader. The optimal power is identified by evaluating the range measurement accuracy and maximum reading range of the hand-held radio frequency identification reader. In the second phase, the integrated use of radio frequency identification device and ultra-wideband for object localization is studied, and an improved trilateration technique is developed. The results of the experiments show an absolute error of 0.52 m and 1.15 m for 2D and 3D localization, respectively. Accordingly, the integration of these two technologies eliminates the need for using a large number of radio frequency identification reference tags on site for indoor material localization. The method is expected to enhance automated material tracking on construction sites by improving the localization accuracy and providing a straightforward data acquisition protocol. The analysis of experimental data captured in a lab setting is also presented, demonstrating the advantages of the proposed method.

ClothFace: A Passive RFID-Based Human-Technology Interface on a Shirtsleeve

This paper introduces ClothFace, a shirtsleeve-integrated human-technology interface platform, which comprises two wrist antennas and three radio frequency identification (RFID) integrated circuits (ICs), each with a unique ID. The platform prototype, which is created on a shirtsleeve by cutting the antennas and antenna-IC interconnections from copper tape, can be used for push button and swipe controlling. Each IC can be activated, i.e., electrically connected to the two antennas, by touching the IC. These ICs can act as wireless input buttons to the technology around us. Due to the used passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID technology, there is no need for clothing-integrated energy sources, but the interface platform gets all the needed energy from an external RFID reader. The platform prototype was found to be readable with an external RFID reader from all directions at distances of 70–80 cm. Further, seven people giving altogether 1400 inputs tested the prototype sleeves on a table and on body. In these first tests, 96–100% (table) and 92–100% (on-body) success rates were achieved in a gamelike testing setup. Further, the platform was proved to be readable with an off-the-shelf handheld RFID reader from a distance of 40 cm. Based on these initial results, this implementation holds the potential to be used as a touch interface blended into daily clothing, as well as a modular touch-based interaction platform that can be integrated into the surfaces of electronic devices, such as home appliances.

A compact planar Moxon‐Yagi composite antenna with end‐fire radiation for dual‐band applications

AbstractA compact planar composite antenna with dual‐band performance and good unidirectional radiation is proposed for handheld radio frequency identification reader application. The novelty of the proposed antenna is that it adopts the combination of planar Moxon and quasi‐Yagi interleaved structures. The Moxon structure due to its compact size is designed to operate in the lower band, while the quasi‐Yagi structure with the shared area is designed for the higher band. The lower and higher frequency bands of the antenna can be designed independently. Detailed design ideas and experimental results are presented. Measured results show that the fabricated antenna has a moderate gain of better than 5 dB and a large front‐to‐back ratio of more than 15 dB in both ultrahigh frequency 902‐928 MHz and industrial scientific and medical 2.4‐2.4835 GHz bands with low cross‐polarization levels. The antenna has the advantages of simple structure, easy processing, and excellent performance in terms of impedance matching and radiation patterns. It can be easily adjusted for other wireless applications, where both end‐fire radiation and dual‐band operation are required.

Compact dual‐polarized meandered dipole antenna with LC‐balun integrated CPW‐G feeding lines for UHF RFID applications

AbstractThis article presents a compact dual‐polarized meandered dipole antenna with an LC‐balun integrated coplanar waveguide with ground (CPW‐G) feeding lines for ultrahigh frequency radio frequency identification handheld readers. It consists of printed ±45° dipole antennas on an upper substrate with parasitic elements on a lower substrate, which is made by a fan‐shaped meandered line. The feeders for the radiators are independently made up of a CPW‐G line in supports and it is connected to the radiator by LC‐balun. The proposed antenna has vertical and horizontal linear polarization, and it is fabricated on an RF‐35 substrate and the size is 0.21 λ0× 0.21 λ0 × 0.08 λ0 at 915 MHz. The peak gain and 10‐dB impedance bandwidth are approximately 3.3 dBi and 12%, respectively. In addition, measured isolation between two radiators is approximately 32 dB at 915 MHz.

Compact Crossed Dipole Antenna With Meandered Series Power Divider for UHF RFID Tag and Handheld Reader Devices

A low-profile and meandered crossed dipole antenna design for ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) radio-frequency identification (RFID) circularly polarized (CP) tag or handheld reader application is described in this communication. The crossed dipole CP condition is obtained by employing a series power divider meandered at the center of the dielectric substrate, and a surrounding ring which acts as a T-match network guarantees impedance matching. The series power divider alleviates the problem of using a balun when the crossed dipole is fed with a 50 $\Omega $ coaxial cable. A prototype has been manufactured on a $56\times 56\times0.4\,\,\text {mm}^{3}$ FR4 dielectric substrate, and the measurement results show a $S_{11}\le -10$ dB bandwidth of more than 14.4% (865.6–1000 MHz), an axial ratio (AR) ≤ 3 dB bandwidth of 2.8% (906–932 MHz) which can essentially cover the Federal communications commission (FCC) UHF RFID band, and a broadside RHCP peak gain of 1.4 dBic at 919 MHz. When the antenna is connected to an RFID tag chip, excellent read range performance within the whole 902–928 MHz bandwidth has been demonstrated (with maximum values of 7 and 9.9 m when interrogated with a linearly polarized and a CP reader antenna, respectively).

A Novel Compact CP Antenna with Wide Axial Ratio Bandwidth for Worldwide UHF RFID Handheld Reader

This study presents a novel compact circularly polarized antenna for universal ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) radio-frequency identification (RFID) handheld reader applications. The antenna is composed of a coplanar waveguide (CPW) L-shaped feedline mounted at the right edge of the square slot at the bottom of the ground plane to realize a circular polarization; a horizontal stub protruded from the right side of the square slot towards the slot centre, and a vertical stub is mounted at the lower left of the square slot. The designed antenna printed on one ground plane layer of a low-cost FR4 substrate with an overall size of 120×120×1.6 mm3. The measurement results show indicate that the fabricated antenna achieves a wide axial ratio (AR) bandwidth of 460 MHz (818–1278 MHz), wide impedance bandwidth of 54.6% (630–1103 MHz), and a measured peak gain of 4.0 dBi. The proposed antenna is a good candidate for compact universal UHF RFID handheld reader applications (840–960 MHz).

Compact broadband dual‐band circularly polarised antenna for universal UHF RFID handheld reader and GPS applications

This study introduces a simple, compact broadband dual-band circularly polarised slot antenna suitable for the use in the compact universal ultra-high frequency (UHF) radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader devices and Global Positioning System (GPS) applications. The proposed antenna is fed using an open-end coplanar waveguide with an inverted `L' structure. To realise a broadband circular polarisation and good impedance matching, an inverted L-shaped strip line is inserted adequately into a square slot at the right centre of the slot toward the slot centre. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed antenna exhibits a 10 dB return loss bandwidth of 552 MHz (716-1268 MHz) and 3-dB axial ratio (AR) bandwidth of 564 MHz (824-1388 MHz). Additionally, the antenna gains are 3.8 and 4.29 dBi throughout UHF RFID band and GPS band, respectively. The proposed antenna has a wide AR bandwidth, a compact size, and a simple structure. Furthermore, the proposed antenna is printed on one substrate layer with an overall size of 112 × 112 × 1.6 mm 3 , which makes it more practical for universal UHF RFID handheld readers and GPS applications.

Design of Dual Mode RFID Antenna for Inventory Management and IV Fluid Level Warning System

Radio frequency identification (RFID) readers are powered RF devices that communicate with an RFID tag to read necessary information. Using this capability, a dual use system for short distance inventory management and moderate distance automatic warning system for low intravenous (IV) fluid levels is designed. The RFID is affixed on the IV drip bag; the fluid in bag affects the antenna transmission distance by fluid dielectric conditions. This allows for two different operational modes (moderate and short distance). For pharmaceutical management, a handheld RFID reader can be used for short distance application. Another stationary RFID system can serve as a warning system for long distance application such as hospital care.

RFID applied to the cataloguing of a collection of historical plaster moulds

Abstract This research work arises from the issue of the total absence of a catalogue of the historical moulds belonging to the Richard-Ginori porcelain factory located in Sesto Fiorentino (Italy). A methodology for the cataloguing of the moulds was developed and a system to support such a process was designed. This system exploits radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies for the identification of the historical moulds stored on shelves of a huge warehouse at the factory. These moulds, made of plaster, are frail and need to be handled with care: therefore, the identification of their content has to be carried out without moving or opening them. The use of passive RFID transponders (RFID tags) has allowed to solve the problem in a simple and low cost way through a hand-held RFID reader, which is able to communicate with a data system where the information about each mould is stored. Besides that, since the shelves where the historical moulds are stored are difficult to reach, the system is able to find where the moulds are situated.

RFID-Based Book Finder [Education Corner

Locating items rapidly and accurately has become a crucial part of our modern society and industry. Accurate locating not only saves time and money but also reduces waste, as products do not get lost along supply chains. One promising indoor tracking method is provided by radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology. The main benefit of RFID technology is the ability to inventory items simultaneously and rapidly without the requirement of line of sight to the target. Because RFID tags are attached to various objects and are used in different environments, RFID engineers are required to design RFID tags that operate reliably within varying environments and medium materials. In this article, an RFID system is introduced to locate library books at the Aalto University School of Electrical Engineering. In the suggested approach, the books placed outside the main library are equipped with an ultrahigh frequency (UHF) RFID tag and can be located using a hand-held RFID reader device (Figure 1). In addition to locating the books, the system keeps the book inventory up to date.

Employing Ultrahigh-Frequency RFID Technology on Deer Farm Managment

This project uses ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) ear tags and readers with a readable range of 3 to 5 m. Forty stags were tagged with radio-frequency identification (RFID) ear tags and allocated into 20 pens. When deer with RFID ear tags walked through the aisle, handheld RFID readers, used as personal digital assistants (PDAs), and stationary RFID readers in frequency range received signals from the tags, and individual deer tag data were transmitted immediately and completely through wireless PDAs to a computer. The inputted data were sent to the deer-farm management system to be collated and organized. Farmers obtained individual deer data without approaching the deer, which decreased the risk of the deer attacking. Employing UHF-RFID technology integrated with software contributes to enhancing the efficiency of deer identification and farm management.

Compact 0.92/2.45-GH Dual-Band Directional Circularly Polarized Microstrip Antenna for Handheld RFID Reader Applications

This paper presents a compact 0.92/2.45-GHz dual-band directional circularly polarized (CP) microstrip antenna for handheld radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader applications. The proposed antenna comprises a wideband dual-feed network and two stacked concentric patches assembled by two orthogonally placed vertical probes. The dual-feed network feeds quadrature signals across the RFID bands between 0.92 and 2.45 GHz. The two stacked concentric patches provide resonance frequencies in fundamental mode for lower band and higher band, respectively. Additionally, the antenna features only one connection port and same sense CP radiation at two bands, beneficial to cost and complexity reductions of the dual-band front end of RFID readers. The measurement results show the performances of return loss (RL) ${>} {10}\;{\text{dB}}$ , 3-dB gain variation, and axial ratio (AR) ${ are achieved on the bands 0.911–0.933 GHz and 2.40–2.57 GHz. The measured peak gains are 3.8 dBic at 0.926 GHz and 8.9 dBic at 2.48 GHz. In addition, the antenna provides symmetrical patterns with wide-angle half-power beamwidths and wide-angle 3-dB AR beamwidths. The size of the antenna ${\text{110}} \times {\text{110}} \times {\text{6}}.{6}\;{\text{m}}{{\text{m}}^{\text{3}}}$ is much smaller than reported dual-band one port RFID directional CP reader antennas. The antenna appropriates to both ultra-high frequency (UHF) and industrial scientific and medical (ISM) bands in handheld RFID reader applications.

Design of a novel dual ports antenna to enhance sensitivity of handheld RFID reader

A compact dual ports antenna with high isolation is proposed for handheld radio frequency identification (RFID) reader which is rarely reported in open literatures. Different with conventional handheld RFID reader antennas with single port, the proposed antenna transmits and receives signal separately. The proposed antenna operating with full duplex mode can enhance effectively sensitivity of reader, since the strong transmitting signal of reader with single port is usually highly coupled with weak receiving backscatter signal of tag. The antenna utilizes E-shaped aperture-coupled patch structure that occupies less volume and provides further space-saving efficiency. The height of the proposed antenna is only 6.8 mm and the volume of that is 80 mm × 80 mm × 6.8 mm, which is easy to integrate in handheld RFID readers. The antenna uses two E-shaped coupling apertures to excite two orthogonal modes for dual-polarized operation. High isolation of around −30 dB is obtained by proper arrangement of the length of coupling apertures and the position of the stubs. The measured results show −10 dB matching band and −25 dB isolation band from 2.32 to 2.6 GHz and from 2.3 to 2.55 GHz, respectively. The antenna is suitable for applications in handheld RFID readers.

Compact dual ports handheld RFID reader antenna with high isolation

A compact dual ports antenna with high isolation is proposed for handheld radio frequency identification (RFID) reader, which is rarely reported in open literatures. Different with conventional handheld RFID reader antenna with single port, the proposed antenna transmits and receives signal separately. The proposed antenna operating with full duplex mode can enhance effectively sensitivity of reader, as the strong transmitting signal of reader with single port is usually highly coupled with weak receiving backscatter signal of tag. The antenna utilizes aperture coupled patch structure that occupies less volume and provides further space-saving efficiency. The height of the proposed antenna is only 5.1 mm and the volume of that is 80 ×80 × 5.1 mm3, which is easy to integrate in handheld RFID readers. The antenna uses four symmetric coupling apertures to excite two orthogonal modes for dual polarized operation. High isolation of around −35 dB is obtained by proper arrangement of the length and position of the coupling apertures. The maximum measured return loss is −39 dB at 2.4 GHz and isolation is −47 dB at 2.4 GHz. The antenna is suitable for applications in handheld RFID readers. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE 25:548–555, 2015.

Compact printed two dipole array antenna with a high front‐back ratio for ultra‐high‐frequency radio‐frequency identification handheld reader applications

A printed two-dipole array antenna with a high front-back ratio is proposed for ultra-high-frequency (UHF) radio-frequency identification handheld readers. The proposed antenna is a parasitic dual-element array with the ends of both elements folded back towards each other for additional coupling. The antenna features a compact size of 89 mm × 87 mm and works properly with satisfactory gain and total efficiency in the wide UHF band of 860–960 MHz. Furthermore, the front-to-back ratio of 15–26.8 dB, the peak gain of 3.7–4.4 dBi and the total efficiency of more than 80% in the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) band make the proposed antenna attain high performance in the FCC band.

A 1 <formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">$\times$</tex> </formula> 2 Dual-Band Antenna Array for Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) Handheld Reader Applications

In this paper, an aperture-coupled dual-band antenna array for ultra-high-frequency (UHF) and microwave band radio-frequency identification (RFID) handheld reader application is presented. The proposed two-element antenna array is composed of a feeding network, a ground plane with coupling apertures, patch radiators, and parasitic elements serving as directors. The spacing between the radiators is optimized to achieve the desired radiation patterns. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed antenna features good impedance bandwidth, moderate gain, and good radiation efficiency from 840 to 960 MHz (covering a universal UHF band) and 2.38-2.48 GHz (microwave band). The antenna is well suited for applications in RFID handheld readers.

Energy-Efficient Identification in Large-Scale RFID Systems with Handheld Reader

Efficient identification of tags has been an essential operation for Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) systems. In this paper, we consider the crucial problem of collecting all tags in a large-scale system through a handheld RFID reader. The reader has to move around due to the limited communication range of tags. We focus on the minimization of power consumption of the reader given the constraint on its movement distance. Two challenges must be addressed. First, the communication range of a tag is dependent on the reader. There is an intrinsic tradeoff between power saving and movement distance. Second, the number of sites at which the reader can collect tags can be numerous and the problem complexity is extremely high. We theoretically prove that the problem of minimizing the energy consumption of the reader is NP Complete (NPC). To solve the problem, we first analytically reveal that the time needed for reading a given number of tags is linearly proportional to the number of tags only. With this insight, we next propose an approach called ePath by constructing an energy-efficient candidate path and then incrementally pruning the path when the tag locations are given. We further relax the assumption on tag locations by extending ePath to exploit the tag distribution density knowledge only. Extensive simulations have been performed, and results show that our approach significantly reduces the power consumption of the reader comparing to an existing approach.

Testing of Radio Frequency Identification and Parameter Analysis Based on DOE

The maximum read range of a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system depends on a number of factors. In this paper, the maximum read ranges of an RFID system with a handheld RFID reader and another RFID system with a fixed RFID reader were tested when a tag was attached to different materials. Distinguishing factors that influence the maximum read range is important. A design of experiments (DOE) method was used to understand and quantify the relative influence of three factors (the antenna number, the tagged material, and the RF interference) on the maximum read range of the RFID system with a fixed RFID reader. The influences of the three factors and their interaction effects were classified by an order of importance. The methods in this paper also apply to the study of other RFID systems and determining the relative influences of other selected factors or parameters as well as other materials. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/ijece.v4i1.5103