A Novel Metal-Mountable Electrically Small Antenna for RFID Tag Applications With Practical Guidelines for the Antenna Design

A novel dual-layer electrically small radio-frequency-identification (RFID) tag antenna is proposed for metallic object applications. With a proximity-coupled feed method, two rotationally symmetric loaded via-patches are fed through an embedded dual-element planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA) array. With this configuration, the antenna volume is reduced to 0.08 λ×0.04 λ×0.007 λ while the measured antenna gain is 0.08 dBi at the frequency of 923 MHz. Studies demonstrate that the proposed antenna is a good candidate for ultra-high-frequency RFID tags to be mounted on metallic surfaces, especially in size-constrained scenarios. Meanwhile, a figure of merit, namely, NBG, is presented, with which a comparison among electrically small tag antennas is carried out. Finally, several guidelines are given out to facilitate the miniaturization of RFID tag antennas for metallic object applications.

[1]  Rahul Bhattacharyya,et al.  Low-Cost, Ubiquitous RFID-Tag-Antenna-Based Sensing , 2010, Proceedings of the IEEE.

[2]  Jong-Suk Chae,et al.  RFID Tag Antenna Coupled by Shorted Microstrip Line for Metallic Surfaces , 2008 .

[3]  S. Best,et al.  Impedance, bandwidth, and Q of antennas , 2005 .

[4]  Jerzy Krupka,et al.  Dielectric characterization of low-loss materials a comparison of techniques , 1998 .

[5]  Chang-Fa Yang,et al.  A 3D RFID Static Test System Using a Spherical Near-Field Antenna Measurement Chamber , 2013, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[6]  Ken-Huang Lin,et al.  A Slim RFID Tag Antenna Design for Metallic Object Applications , 2008 .

[7]  Xianming Qing,et al.  Impedance Characterization of RFID Tag Antennas and Application in Tag Co-Design , 2009, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques.

[8]  Gaetano Marrocco,et al.  Modeling and Applications of a Chemical-Loaded UHF RFID Sensing Antenna With Tuning Capability , 2014, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[9]  G. A. E. Vandenbosch,et al.  Miniaturized RFID/UWB Antenna Structure that Can be Optimized for Arbitrary Input Impedance , 2012, IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine.

[10]  Horng-Dean Chen,et al.  Low-Profile PIFA Array Antennas for UHF Band RFID Tags Mountable on Metallic Objects , 2010, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[11]  Richard W. Ziolkowski,et al.  Metamaterial-based efficient electrically small antennas , 2006 .

[12]  Chi Hou Chan,et al.  A Tunable Via-Patch Loaded PIFA With Size Reduction , 2007, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[13]  Wen-Shan Chen,et al.  A compact UHF RFID tag antenna design for metallic objects , 2010, 2010 IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium.

[14]  J. Laskar,et al.  Development and analysis of a folded shorted-patch antenna with reduced size , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[15]  Sanghoon Kim,et al.  Experimental Validation of Performance Limits and Design Guidelines for Small Antennas , 2012, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[16]  S..  A Re-Examination of the Fundamental Limits on the Radiation Q of Electrically Small Antennas , 2008 .

[17]  L. J. Chu,et al.  Physical limitations of omnidirectional antennas , 1948 .

[18]  M. Mahdi,et al.  Miniaturized metal mount Minkowski fractal RFID tag antenna with complementary split ring resonator , 2013 .

[19]  R. Fante.  Quality factor of general ideal antennas , 1969 .

[20]  B. Kippelen,et al.  RF Tag Antenna Performance on Various Materials Using Radio Link Budgets , 2006, IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters.

[21]  L. J. Chu.  Physical Limitations of Omni‐Directional Antennas , 1948 .

[22]  Cheol-Sig Pyo,et al.  Shorted Microstrip Patch Antenna Using Inductively Coupled Feed for UHF RFID Tag , 2008 .

[23]  R. Harrington,et al.  Theory of characteristic modes for conducting bodies , 1971 .

[24]  D. Thiel,et al.  Design Methods for 3D RFID Antennas Located on a Conducting Ground Plane , 2009, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[25]  Wen Geyi,et al.  Optimization of the Ratio of Gain to $Q$ , 2013 .

[26]  D. E. Anagnostou,et al.  Evaluation of the Quality Factor, Q, of Electrically Small Microstrip-Patch Antennas [Wireless Corner] , 2011, IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine.

[27]  Sung-Lin Chen,et al.  A Slim RFID Tag Antenna Design for Metallic Object Applications , 2008, IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters.

[28]  Rahul Bhattacharyya.  Low-Cost, Passive UHF RFID Tag Antenna-Based Sensors for Pervasive Sensing Applications , 2012 .

[29]  Y. Konishi,et al.  Extended S-Parameter Method Including Radiation Pattern Measurements of an Antenna , 2012, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[30]  R. Adams,et al.  The Minimum Q for Spheroidally Shaped Objects: Extension to Cylindrically Shaped Objects and Comparison to Practical Antennas , 2011, IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine.

[31]  Cheol Sig Pyo,et al.  Open-Ended Two-Strip Meander-Line Antenna for RFID Tags , 2006 .

[32]  Keith Duncan Palmer,et al.  Simple broadband measurements of balanced loads using a network analyzer , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement.

[33]  Jong-Myung Woo,et al.  Miniaturised dual-band s-shaped RFID tag antenna mountable on metallic surface , 2008 .

[34]  L. Ukkonen,et al.  Low-Profile Conformal UHF RFID Tag Antenna for Integration With Water Bottles , 2011, IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters.

[35]  T Deleruyelle,et al.  An RFID Tag Antenna Tolerant to Mounting on Materials , 2010, IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine.

[36]  S. Narayanankutty,et al.  Dielectric Behavior of Polyaniline/Polyvinyl Chloride/Nylon Fiber Composites at Microwave Frequencies , 2008 .

[37]  P. Nikitin,et al.  Antenna design for UHF RFID tags: a review and a practical application , 2005, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[38]  H. Son,et al.  Wideband RFID Tag Antenna for Metallic Surfaces Using Proximity-Coupled Feed , 2011, IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters.

[39]  Cyrus Shafai,et al.  Gain and efficiency enhancement of compact and miniaturised microstrip antennas using multi-layered laminated conductors , 2011 .

[40]  Pekka Pursula,et al.  Planar inverted-F antenna for radio frequency identification , 2004 .

[41]  G. Marrocco,et al.  The art of UHF RFID antenna design: impedance-matching and size-reduction techniques , 2008, IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine.

[42]  G. Marrocco.  RFID Antennas for the UHF Remote Monitoring of Human Subjects , 2007, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[43]  J. Mclean.  A re-examination of the fundamental limits on the radiation Q of electrically small antennas , 1996 .

[44]  R. Abhari,et al.  Design and Experimental Evaluation of Miniaturized Monopole UHF RFID Tag Antennas , 2012, IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters.

[45]  Terry Tao Ye,et al.  Compact Metallic RFID Tag Antennas With a Loop-Fed Method , 2011, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[46]  Ji-Hoon Bae,et al.  A small RFID tag antenna using proximity‐coupling to identify metallic objects , 2008 .

[47]  V. Varadan,et al.  A free-space method for measurement of dielectric constants and loss tangents at microwave frequencies , 1989 .

[48]  Yang Wang,et al.  Passive wireless antenna sensor for strain and crack sensing—electromagnetic modeling, simulation, and testing , 2013 .

[49]  H.A. Wheeler,et al.  Fundamental Limitations of Small Antennas , 1947, Proceedings of the IRE.

[50]  Roger F. Harrington,et al.  Effect of antenna size on gain, bandwidth, and efficiency , 1960 .

[51]  Raj Mittra,et al.  A Looped-Bowtie RFID Tag Antenna Design for Metallic Objects , 2013, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[52]  Safieddin Safavi-Naeini,et al.  Maximum Gain of a Lossy Antenna , 2012, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[53]  John W. McCorkle,et al.  The omni microstrip antenna: a new small antenna , 1979 .

[54]  D. G. Fang,et al.  Antenna Theory and Microstrip Antennas , 2009 .

[55]  M. Cabedo-Fabres,et al.  The Theory of Characteristic Modes Revisited: A Contribution to the Design of Antennas for Modern Applications , 2007, IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine.

[56]  L. Ukkonen,et al.  Operability of Folded Microstrip Patch-Type Tag Antenna in the UHF RFID Bands Within 865-928 MHz , 2006, IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters.

[57]  Bomson Lee,et al.  Design of high-Q UHF radio-frequency identification tag antennas for an increased read range , 2008 .

[58]  Eveliina Koski,et al.  Radiation Efficiency Measurement Method for Passive UHF RFID Dipole Tag Antennas , 2013, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[59]  Hans-Erik Nilsson,et al.  Evaluation of a printed patch antenna for robust microwave RFID tags , 2007 .

[60]  Hong-Kyun Ryu,et al.  Miniaturisation of rectangular loop antenna using meander line for RFID tags , 2007 .

[61]  C. Di Natale,et al.  Humidity Sensing by Polymer-Loaded UHF RFID Antennas , 2012, IEEE Sensors Journal.

[62]  Arto Hujanen,et al.  Quality factor of an electrically small antenna radiating close to a conducting plane , 2001 .

[63]  Jun Zhang,et al.  A Miniaturized Via-Patch Loaded Dual-Layer RFID Tag Antenna for Metallic Object Applications , 2013, IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters.

[64]  Sung-Lin Chen,et al.  A Miniature RFID Tag Antenna Design for Metallic Objects Application , 2009, IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters.

[65]  P. Nikitin,et al.  Sensitivity and Impedance Measurements of UHF RFID Chips , 2009, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques.

[66]  Jeong-Seok Kim,et al.  SMALL PROXIMITY COUPLED CERAMIC PATCH ANTENNA FOR UHF RFID TAG MOUNTABLE ON METALLIC OBJECTS , 2008 .

[67]  Won-Kyu Choi,et al.  UHF RFID tag antenna using two PIFAs embedded in metallic objects , 2008 .

[68]  W. Geyi.  Physical limitations of antenna , 2003 .

[69]  Jun Zhang,et al.  A Dual-Layer Broadband Compact UHF RFID Tag Antenna for Platform Tolerant Application , 2013, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[70]  H.-W. Son.  Design of RFID tag antenna for metallic surfaces using lossy substrate , 2008 .

[71]  L. Sydanheimo,et al.  Effects of metallic plate size on the performance of microstrip patch-type tag antennas for passive RFID , 2005, IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters.