Ultra High Frequency Radio Frequency Identification Research Articles

Contactless human activity and sport action identification based on UHF RFID tag wall and AI

The existing approaches to activity assisted living(AAL) are complex, expensive, and intrusive, which reduce theirpracticality and end-user acceptance. However, advancements inconcomitant technology, such as artificial intelligence and wirelesscommunications, can be leveraged to improvise advanced AALsystems that can reduce healthcare costs and hospitalisations. Such systems can identify, monitor, and localize hazardousactivities to respond swiftly to unforeseen events. To addressthese issues, we present a Transparent RFID Tag Wall (TRTWall) that utilizes a passive ultra-high frequency (UHF) arrayof radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and deep learningbasedpredictive analytics for contactless human physical activitymonitoring. Specifically, we consider five different activities thatinclude sitting, standing, walking (in both directions), and noactivity. Our experimental results demonstrate that TRT-Wallcan accurately differentiate among five distinct activities withan average accuracy is 95.6%. This suggests that our proposedcontactless AAL system possesses the significant potential toenhance elderly patient-assisted living.

Effect of Beverage Composition on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Performance Using Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Bottles for Smart Food Packaging Applications.

Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is crucial in revolutionizing the food supply chain and combating global food waste. However, this technology faces challenges in full integration due to disruptive effects on tags caused by the dielectric properties of food and beverage ingredients, chemical constituents, and their packaging. This paper aims to demonstrate the effect of packaging and beverage contents on RFID tag performance. Three commercially available ultra-high frequency (UHF) RFID tags with different designs were tested on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, measuring tag performance through sensitivity, backscatter, and read range in the presence of various water-based solutions and commercially available beverages. The results highlight the substantial impact of the beverage type and tag design on RFID performance. The results of this study showed that tag 3 was the most consistent and readable tag amongst those tested in the presence of different beverage contents. Tag 3 resulted in a sensitivity ranging from -0.49 to -2.01 dBm, backscatter from -38.16 to 43.59 dBm, and read range from 1.58 to 1.88 m, while tag 1 performed the best in the presence of an empty PET bottle resulting in a sensitivity of -20.78 dBm, backscatter of -23.65 dBm, and read range of 16.34 m. The results of this study can be used for further investigations to develop a mathematical model that predicts the RFID tag performance based on the food composition. This model will be helpful for the design of the tags while facilitating the adoption of smart packaging for food traceability.

Polycaprolactone‐Based Zinc Ink for High Conductivity Transient Printed Electronics and Antennas

AbstractDistributed sensors and electronics can be used in agriculture to optimize crop management and improve environmental outcomes. Electronic devices in these outdoor spaces require medium to long range (>1m) wireless communication of data over several weeks or months, which in turn requires high conductivity (1 × 105 Sm−1) antennas. Printed bioinert or ecoresorbable conductors, comprising carbon, magnesium, or zinc fillers, typically exhibit conductivity on the order of 10–1000 Sm−1 and lifetimes from a few hours to a few days. A print‐based fabrication process for chemically treated zinc traces, which achieves conductivity of up to 6 × 105 Sm−1 is reported here. The ink formulation uses a non‐water‐soluble soil biodegradable polycaprolactone binder. The ink and printing processes reported here led to stable conductive traces that are used in ultra high frequency radio frequency identification (UHF‐RFID) folded dipole antennas operating at 915 MHz. The conductivity of the printed traces is maintained for over 70 days in ambient environments when traces are protected by a biodegradable beeswax encapsulation layer.

Ultra-high Frequency RFID Tag Based on Functional Nanomaterials and Its Application in Smart Library

Ultra-high Frequency RFID Tag Based on Functional Nanomaterials and Its Application in Smart Library

Exploring the correlation between drug formulation and radio frequency performance in RFID-enabled pharmaceutical products

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a burgeoning technology pivotal for optimizing intricate supply chains. Although its potential benefits in healthcare and pharmaceuticals are substantial, RFID implementation in these sectors has been slow-moving. Surprisingly, limited research has probed RFID performance on pharmaceutical products and their packaging. This study aims to explore the influence of diverse liquid drug formulations on RFID performance, utilizing a pre-optimized Ultra High Frequency (UHF) RFID tag. Five distinct drug formulations, encompassing water, saline, and lipids, were studied, alongside deionized (DI) water and empty vials as control subjects. The products were transferred to separate vials, each affixed with a pre-optimized UHF RFID tag. Performance evaluations, including Threshold Sweep, Orientation Sweep, and Population Analysis, were conducted to assess tag readability, focusing on sensitivity, backscatter, and theoretical read range. The results underscore how the composition of different pharmaceutical drug formulations significantly impact RFID tag readability in a controlled, reflection-free environment. These findings provide valuable insights for designing intelligent packaging to enhance the readability of RFID-tagged pharmaceutical products.

Life cycle assessment of plastic and paper-based ultra high frequency RFID tags

The aim of the work is to assess the environmental impacts of Ultra High Frequency RFID tags. Through a Life Cycle Assessment approach, two case studies have been investigated, namely a standard plastic and a paper-based tags. Primary data on tags’ components, manufacturing and transportation were collected, while secondary data for the raw materials processing and tags’ end of life were retrieved. The Recipe Midpoint method was used to evaluate the impacts. Results show that, for both tags, the greatest contributions to global warming, terrestrial acidification, mineral and fossil resource scarcity are due to raw material extraction (more than 50%) and manufacturing phase (30–50%), which resulted impactful also on the ionizing radiation (70%). Interestingly, the paper tag allows to save up to 23% of the greenhouse gas emissions and decreases the impact on the above-mentioned categories, resulting the eco-friendly option. The conclusion of the work contributes to update the scientific literature, still poor in RFID environmental evaluations, and are useful for researchers interested in comparing the traditional handling systems’ impacts to the RFID scenario. Furthermore, the outcomes will be used as input for subsequent research, aimed at developing a tool to measure the return on the environment of RFID deployments.

Nature-inspired spider web shaped UHF RFID reader antenna for IoT and healthcare applications

This paper proposes a nature-inspired spider web-shaped ultra-high frequency (UHF) radio frequency identification (RFID) reader antenna and battery-free sensor-based system for healthcare applications. This antenna design consists of eight concentric decagons of various sizes and five straight microstrip lines.These lines are connected to the ground using 50 Omega resistors from both ends, except for one microstrip line that is reserved for connecting a feeding port. The reader antenna design features fairly strong and uniform electric and magnetic field characteristics. It also exhibits wideband characteristics, covering whole UHF RFID band (860–960 MHz) and providing a tag reading volume of 200 times 200 times 20 mm{^3}. Additionally, it has low gain characteristics, which are necessary for the majority of nearfield applications to prevent the misreading of other tags. Moreover, the current distribution in this design is symmetric throughout the structure, effectively resolving orientation sensitivity issues commonly encountered in low-cost linearly polarized tag antennas. The measurement results show that the reader antenna can read medicine pills tagged using low-cost passive/battery-free RFID tags, tagged expensive jewelry, intervenes solution, and blood bags positioned in various orientations. As a result, the proposed reader antenna-based system is a strong contender for near-field RFID, healthcare, and IoT applications.

Read Range Investigation of RFID Tag on Human Chest

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for automatic identification, tracking, and monitoring of human is in great demand by the healthcare industry. The existence of passive tag with proximity to human body in general, represents an intrinsic challenge because of the high losses of body tissues A commercial passive ultra-high frequency (UHF) RFID tag with 860 MHz-960 MHz operating frequency range is modelled to study and analyze the effect on the read range parameter by placing the RFID tag in proximity to human body model (the chest) with respect to the placement of pocket position of any shirt The body model of the chest is consisting of three layers which are skin, fat and muscle. The commercial RFID tag that has been used for this study was INLAY-9662. The measurement is done on the commercial tag prior to modelling and simulation in the CST. Furthermore, the simulation was carried on two conditions: (1) in free-space, and (2) in proximity to human body. In addition, 1 mm, 3 mm and 10 mm have been set as the gap between the modelled tag and the chest model to examine the impacted read range at different distances. The results obtained have shown some variations when the distances are varied from the human chest. The read range were achieved at 0.5 m, 1.3 m and 2.4 m for 1 mm, 3 mm and 10 mm respectively. This study has shown the capabilities of human body to reduce the efficiency of the read range whenever RFID tags are placed in proximity to human body.

Evaluation of landfill leachate biodegradability using IOT through geotracking sensor based drone surveying

In specific this work focuses on designing and developing a trial model first of its kind which is chemically non reactive using Urea Formaldehyde (UF) and a value added flat board that is to be prepared from solid waste. The display setup is to be monitored by Arduino Controller which incorporates the assessment of numerical factors and measurable compositions in the board. The compilation of manufactured goods from organic waste is a course of development network that is centrally operated by Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tools. Preservation of database from the organic fraction is managed through software guidelines, the fifth generation radio technology with lower economic can cover communication over a larger radio spectrum with the support of ultra high frequency RFID Tags and systems, which assure the most favourable management of valuable products from the storage unit. Sensors attached with board and cloud platform supports collection of data from the huge solid waste yard. The current leachate management has a desire to suggest a strong resolution in handling solid waste that is elaborated with a novel methodology, where we suggest the radiofrequency identification of leachate monitoring by the use of modern versions of unmanned aerial vehicle the drones. At some stage in neutralizing the toxic waste the risk of life may be eliminated and accumulated waste were identified and with the support of advanced techniques and instruments like drones are used in managing wastes.

Review of Wireless RFID Strain Sensing Technology in Structural Health Monitoring.

Strain-based condition evaluation has garnered as a crucial method for the structural health monitoring (SHM) of large-scale engineering structures. The use of traditional wired strain sensors becomes tedious and time-consuming due to their complex wiring operation, more workload, and instrumentation cost to collect sufficient data for condition state evaluation, especially for large-scale engineering structures. The advent of wireless and passive RFID technologies with high efficiency and inexpensive hardware equipment has brought a new era of next-generation intelligent strain monitoring systems for engineering structures. Thus, this study systematically summarizes the recent research progress of cutting-edge RFID strain sensing technologies. Firstly, this study introduces the importance of structural health monitoring and strain sensing. Then, RFID technology is demonstrated including RFID technology's basic working principle and system component composition. Further, the design and application of various kinds of RFID strain sensors in SHM are presented including passive RFID strain sensing technology, active RFID strain sensing technology, semi-passive RFID strain sensing technology, Ultra High-frequency RFID strain sensing technology, chipless RFID strain sensing technology, and wireless strain sensing based on multi-sensory RFID system, etc., expounding their advantages, disadvantages, and application status. To the authors' knowledge, the study initially provides a systematic comprehensive review of a suite of RFID strain sensing technology that has been developed in recent years within the context of structural health monitoring.

Mechano- and solvato-fluorochromic chalcone and its water-based flexo-ink for anticounterfeit applications

Pigments with unique optical features are always sought after in realizing superior security features to protect authentic documents/products against forgery. The present study reports the synthesis of triphenylamine-naphthalene chalcone (TPA-NC) with fascinating optical features: solvato-fluorochromism, mechano-fluorochromism, and aggregation-induced emission. The flexo print obtained on UV dull paper using water-based eco-friendly UV fluorescent ink with TPA-NC as pigment displayed good adhesion, resistance to abrasion, light fastness, and favourable electrical parameter values, which could be well utilized in security documents and developing OTFTs in banknotes to prevent them from being forged. Moreover, the printed paper samples could impart superior features including solvent fugitiveness, penetrating fluorescence, and mechanical stimuli responsive variations in emission color for achieving multilevel security. The security ink prepared using the thermally stable and biocompatible TPA derivative could generate a robust platform for tamper-detection, validation of genuine documents/products and in marking technology. Moreover, an ultra-high radio frequency identification (RFID) antenna is designed to resonate at 2.35 GHz. The hybrid arrangement has steady radiation characteristics for electronic anticounterfeiting applications.

Secure UHF RFID Authentication With Smart Devices

Commodity ultra-high-frequency (UHF) RFID authentication systems only provide weak user authentication, as RFID tags can be easily stolen, lost, or cloned by attackers. This paper presents the design and evaluation of SmartRFID, a novel UHF RFID authentication system to promote commodity crypto-less UHF RFID tags for security-sensitive applications. SmartRFID explores extremely popular smart devices and requires a legitimate user to enroll his smart device along with his RFID tag. Besides authenticating the RFID tag as usual, SmartRFID verifies whether the user simultaneously possesses the associated smart device with both feature-based machine learning and deep learning techniques. The user is considered authentic if and only if passing the dual verifications. Comprehensive user experiments on commodity smartwatches and RFID devices confirmed the high security and usability of SmartRFID. In particular, SmartRFID achieves a true acceptance rate of above 97.5% and a false acceptance rate of less than 0.7% based on deep learning. In addition, SmartRFID can achieve an average authentication latency of less than 2.21 s, which is comparable to inputting a PIN on a door keypad or smartphone.

Circular Polarized Antenna with Rotationally Positioned Microstrip Structures For UHF RFID Applications

With the use of wireless communication and the industry 4.0 revolution, RFID technology integration in production has increased. The large-scale preference of RFID systems is both cost-effective and significantly increasing production. It is an innovation that provides convenience for large production facilities such as product control, in-plant tracking, storage, inventory operations. In this paper, a compact circularly polarized (CP) reader antenna is presented for ultra-high frequency (UHF) radio frequency identification (RFID) applications. The proposed antenna consists of a circularly slotted ground plane and folded plus-shaped structures with vertical and horizontal positions. Microstrip line feeding technique is used in the vertically folded plus-shaped structure positioned on the front surface. The antenna has a 10 dB return loss bandwidth of 80 MHz (840-920) and a 3 dB axial ratio bandwidth of 20 MHz (855-875). Theproposed antenna has dimensions of 75 × 75 × 1.6 mm3 . The size advantage of the single-layer and singlefed structure enables its applicability in portable systems.

Design of Meat Product Safety Information Chain Traceability System Based on UHF RFID.

As a result of the current imperfection of the meat traceability system, there have been numerous food safety events with serious consequences. In this paper, a meat product information traceability system is designed to efficiently prevent such problems. This system develops an identification tag information reader based on ultra-high frequency (UHF) Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). It is compatible with LoRa wireless, USB serial port, RS485, and RJ45 Ethernet connection. Among them, the efficiency analysis of the Q-value algorithm finds that the recognition rate of the system reaches a maximum of about 0.367 when the number of tags n is about the frame length. The multi-tag anti-collision algorithm design based on the algorithm improves the efficiency of information collection in production and distribution links. The traceability code identification scheme is designed to effectively match various links, and the platform of system is built using LabVIEW2014 software, which has five sub-modules including user management, farm management, slaughter management, logistics management, and sales management. The system uses MySQL databases to store traceability information so that users can complete their queries by entering the traceability code on the system platform. The system not only has a low cost and a broad range of applications, but it also realizes the tracking record of meat product traceability information from breeding to selling, completes the function from information collection to information inquiry, and solves the problem of the incomplete traceability information chain. In addition, the system not only enhances the informational transparency of meat products in the product supply chain but also provides information for the regulatory authorities to effectively monitor safety.

ESPAR array design for the UHF RFID wireless sensor communication system

SummaryIn this paper, in order to improve the received signal strength (RSS) and signal quality, three arrays of electronically steerable parasitic array radiator (ESPAR) antennas are suggested for the ultra‐high frequency (UHF) radio frequency identification (RFID) communication and sensing system applications. Instead of the single antenna, the array antennas have recently been widely used in many communication systems because of their peak gains, better radiation patterns, and higher radiation efficiency. Also, there are some important issues to use the antenna array like high data rates in wireless communication systems and to better understand the many targets or sensors. In this article, a wireless sensor network (WSN) is being investigated to overcome multipath fading and interference by antenna nulling technology that can be achieved through beam control ESPAR array antennas. The proposed ESPAR array antennas exhibit higher gains like 9.63, 10.2, and 12 dBi and proper radiation patterns from one array to another. Moreover, we investigate the mutual coupling effect on the performance of array antennas with different spacing (0.5λ, 0.75λ, λ) and configurations. It is found that the worst mutual coupling reduced by −28 to −34 dB for 2 × 2 array, −3 to −43 dB for 2 × 3 array, and finally −42 dB to −51 dB due to the antenna spacing from 0.5λ to λ. Thus, these suggested antennas could effectively be applied in the WSN communication systems, internet of things (IoT) networks, and massive wireless and backscatter communication systems.

A Damped Double Dipole Antenna for UHF RFID Sensing in the Frequency Domain

Ultrahigh frequency (UHF) radio frequency identification (RFID) tags provide an inexpensive framework for distributed sensing, yet for the most cost-effective implementation, it is necessary to consider antenna design in concert with the capabilities of responsive materials that can be coupled to the tag response. Materials, such as functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs), have been engineered to change in resistance when exposed to a variety of analytes and have been incorporated in RFID tags to create low-cost sensors that work at a fixed reader–tag separation distance. This article presents a damped double dipole antenna design enabling UHF RFID tags that are able to sense changes in resistance of a sensing element (with a conductivity similar to that of printed CNT networks) regardless of reader–tag distance within the far-field read range. Simulations of the proposed design show two methods of operation, either by comparing the damping between two resonant peaks or by shifting the resonant frequency of the RFID tag. The first method is validated experimentally with surface mount resistors, showing a relative change in the effective antenna transmission coefficient, <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\tau _{e}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> , of 0.2 for a 35% change in resistance of the sensing element.

High Gain Passive UHF RFID Reader Antenna Using Novel FSS for Longer Read Range

Frequency Selective Surface (FSS) is widely used to enhance the gain of antenna & reduces Electromagnetic Interference (EMI). In this work, a novel Frequency Selective Surface (FSS) is designed, analyzed, and fabricated along with passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader antenna operating at global Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) for wireless RFID applications. The antenna & FSS sheet is fabricated on less costly FR4 substrate with resonant bandwidth of 860–960 MHz. The Fabry–Perot arrangement of FSS sheet with antenna increases the gain & directivity without modifying the antenna profile or increasing radiation patch size. The maximum measured gain is 9.8 dB & 7.2 dB with the Reflection coefficient (S11) of −35 dB & −15 dB at 910 MHz & 950 MHz respectively. The proposed antenna of dimension 40 mm by 40 mm is fabricated & tested for further experimental validation with measured read range longer than 8 m. The novelty in proposed work is integration of FSS with passive UHF RFID technology which can be effectively used in wireless RFID applications for improved read range, higher gain, lower power consumption & better immunity within the resonating band. The proposed antenna effectively isolates out-of-band frequencies from in-band frequencies over a required bandwidth reducing Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) for UHF RFID applications.

Dielectric Waveguide Filled With Particulate Media for Ultrahigh Frequency (UHF) Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Applications

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a wireless communication technique that has a wide variety of applications in many fields. In some cases, the read range of the RFID transponder is a limiting factor to the application; thus, it is desired that the read range of a given RFID system be maximized. This paper presents a method to extend the read range of UHF RFID signal (860-960 MHz) by using cost-effective dielectric particulate materials (e.g., dry sand) as filler in dielectric waveguides, which is useful for applications that employ UHF RFID as a sensing or communication tool that need long read ranges, e.g., underground pipeline corrosion monitoring or leak detection. Reading tests conducted in both laboratory (air) and underground showed that the transmission of the UHF RFID signal through dielectric particulate media can considerably extend the read range of passive RFID transponders, which makes it a good material choice for the manufacturing of wireless monitoring systems for underground infrastructures. Classic waveguide theories developed by Marcatili and Emslie et al. were modified to analyze the transmission of the UHF RFID signal in the waveguide filled with dielectric particulate media. Reasonably good agreement was observed between the measured and calculated power values.

Inkjet-Printed UHF RFID Sticker for Traceability and Spoilage Sensing of Fruits

This article presents an ink-jet printed ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) radio frequency identification (RFID) label for tagging fruits. The proposed tag antenna is based on a hybrid configuration, which consists of a loop, dipole-like strips (DLSs), and eye-shaped rectangular nested slots. The loop fulfills impedance matching proposes, while the eye-shaped slots assist to maintain high imaginary impedance to mitigate capacitive effects of high permittivity surfaces of fruits. Moreover, the dipole strips help to reduce the loss resistance caused by the high permittivity of the surface of the fruit. Therefore, the overall tag configuration provides a good impedance match with the Alien H3 RFID chip in the whole U.S. UHF RFID band. Furthermore, the fabricated prototype of the proposed tag antenna achieved a read range of 3 m after mounting on apple. Moreover, an automatic weighing and billing experiment is performed by placing the tagged apples inside a refrigerator. Overall, the performance of the proposed tag antenna is tested after mounting on apple fruits of different shapes and sizes, which indicates the robustness of this tag. Moreover, the tag antenna is also tested for sensing spoilage of apple fruits. The read range of the proposed tag antenna reduces up to 42% on spoiled apples. Therefore, this tag can be suitable for automatic sorting, weighting, and billing of fruits in smart cities, vending machines, and departmental stores.

A Zeroth-Order Slot-Loaded Cap-Shaped Patch Antenna With Omnidirectional Radiation Characteristic for UHF RFID Tag Design

The zeroth-order resonance of a compact patch structure is explored for designing a metal-mountable tag antenna in the United States (US) ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) radio frequency identification (RFID) passband. This zeroth-order resonator (ZOR) structure comprises a cap-shaped patch loaded with two L-shaped slots. Also, the patch is coupled to the ground through two inductive stubs which provide enough parasitic reactance to support the zeroth-order resonance. The proposed single-element ZOR can generate sufficient antenna impedance for achieving a conjugate match with the RFID chip impedance. Good omnidirectional radiation characteristic with vertically polarized fields can be attained in the azimuth plane when the tag antenna is placed on a metallic surface. The proposed tag antenna’s realized gain at 915 MHz is −1.382 dB [effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) 4 W]. A stable read distance of ~15 m is obtainable with even spatial coverage in the entire azimuth plane. The resonance frequency of the proposed tag does not vary much with the object being tagged.