RFID system promises error-free wireless detection
1 min read
Cambridge University researchers have developed a long range, wireless tag detection system that can pinpoint items with much greater accuracy and over a wider range than current technology.
The system is said to improve the accuracy of passive RFID tag detection from 50% to nearly 100%, and increase the reliable detection range from 2m to approximately 20m.
"Conventional passive UHF RFID systems typically offer a lower useful read range than this new solution, as well as lower detection reliability," explained Dr Sithamparanathan Sabesan, of the Centre for Photonic Systems. "Tag detection accuracy usually degrades at a distance of about 2 to 3m, and interrogating signals can be cancelled due to reflections, leading to dead spots within the radio environment."
While several other methods for improving passive RFID coverage have been developed, Dr Sabesan says they do not address the issue of dead spots.
By using a distributed antenna system (DAS) of the type commonly used to improve wireless communications within a building, the researchers were able to achieve a huge increase in RFID range and accuracy.
Specifically, they found that multicasting the RFID signals over four transmitting and receiving antenna pairs reduced the number of dead spots from nearly 50% to 0%.
In addition, the new system requires fewer antennas than current technologies.
The team is currently working to add location functionality to the RFID DAS system, which would allow users to see not only which zone a tagged item is located in, but also where it is within that space.
The device is expected to find use in a range of monitoring applications, in industries including healthcare, environmental protection and goods tracking.
