Comprehensive Measurement of Complex-valued Delta Radar Cross-section

While the magnitude of the delta radar cross-section (DRCS) is sufficient to characterize narrowband UHF radio frequency identification systems, new broadband localization approaches require knowledge of the frequency dependent complex-valued DRCS. In this paper, a calibrated measurement method of the complex-valued DRCS in an anechoic chamber is introduced. Furthermore, a practical implementation based on a vector signal analyzer and standard lab components is shown. This comprehensive setup is capable of determining the complex-valued DRCS in different frequency bands, for different power levels, and for different incident angles of the electromagnetic waves. To demonstrate this new method, measurement results of an off-the-shelf UHF EPC Class-1 Gen2 tag are shown and discussed.

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