UHF rfid reader/writer module enables 'significant reductions'

The Magicstrap tag requires no external antenna and is designed to allow manufacturers to effectively reduce the size of a close-coupled uhf rfid tag to 3.2 x 1.6mm. Magicstrap is Murata's multilayer ceramic rfid module which includes the ic alongside antenna matching circuitry sufficiently wideband for worldwide uhf use. It can be used with an external antenna such as a metallic antenna pattern on a tag inlay, or using the ground plane of a pcb or the foil layer of a pharmaceutical blister pack as an antenna, and now, without any booster antenna at all in close-coupled applications. Magicstrap conforms to EPC Global C1G2 and its overall dimensions are 3.2 x 1.6 x 0.55mm. According to Murata this means any uhf reader in the world complying to this standard can be used to communicate with Magicstrap in the near field. A simple loop antenna needs to be connected to the R/W-device in order to use this function. Read ranges for Magicstrap in close coupling are said to exceed 10mm when mounted on non-metallic surfaces and reach more than 5mm on metallic surfaces, depending on the output power of the reader device.