A passive harmonic tag for buried assets localization is presented for utility localization. The tag design is based on a dual-polarized patch antenna at Ultra High Frequency (UHF) band. One of its ...feeders is connected to a frequency doubler based on a Schottky diode that generates the second harmonic, which is transmitted using a linear-polarized patch tuned at this frequency. The power received at the other feeder of the dual-polarized antenna is harvested by an RF to DC converter based on a five-stage voltage multiplier whose energy is used to bias a low-power quartz oscillator that modulates the output of the doubler. The different parts of the system are presented, and the theoretical read range is estimated as a function of the soil composition and the water content. A low-cost reader based on a software defined radio is also presented. Finally, experiments with a prototype of the tag are performed for different soil conditions.
This letter demonstrates the possibility of combining advantages of barcode and radio-frequency identification (RFID) technologies on the same smart label. In this letter, several UHF RFID tag ...designs based on barcodes of different standards and sizes are realized and measured using a professional RFID measurement system. Measurements of all realized prototypes are in good agreement with simulations. Interesting results are obtained with a maximum RFID read range reaching around 12 m while keeping the prototypes readability as a standard barcode. Another tag configuration which avoids soldering the IC to the structure and based on the coupling of a near-field RFID tag to the barcode is also presented, showing a read range of more than 7 m.
A simple solution to efficient pressure measurement in sports balls using a force sensitive resistance sensor connected to an ultra high frequencies (UHF) radio frequency identification (RFID) tag is ...presented. The proposed solution has the advantage of increasing the pressure range measurement without changing the configuration of the employed RFID chip. It also offers a small and compact sensor structure due to miniaturised antenna design. The designed antenna is placed between the ball inner and outer layers. Prototypes were fabricated on a flexible substrate to make their integration easy into a sport ball. This smart tag concept was fully validated through measurements on different types of sports balls, and the results successfully compared to data from electronic ball pressure gauge.
This paper discusses the design of an RFID tag for detecting the maturation level of Swiss-type cheese during its ripening process. Several parameters such as carbon dioxide concentration, wheel ...size, and pressure inside cheese packaging were studied in order to determine the correlation between their variations and the level of cheese maturation. Two configurations of RFID sensor tags were designed and measured. The first sensor tag configuration was based on a stretch sensor in order to detect the increase of the cheese wheel diameter when it starts to swell due to maturation. The second RFID tag design was based on a low power pressure sensor in order to monitor the pressure variation inside the packaging of cheese during the ripening process. Results obtained from both configurations showed a significant variation of the sensors values during the ripening process.
Dans le secteur de l'agroalimentaire, l'utilisation de la RFID permet d'améliorer la sécurité des produits alimentaires tout en assurant une meilleure traçabilité et un meilleur suivi des produits. ...Le travail de cette thèse était principalement réalisé dans le cadre d’un projet en coopération avec plusieurs partenaires académiques et industriels dans le secteur fromager où l’objectif principal du projet était de maitriser l’ensemble des étapes de fabrication par un parfait suivi de la traçabilité des produits et un pilotage précis de l’affinage. Le travail réalisé dans cette thèse s'inscrit dans ce contexte et a comme objectif le développement de tags RFID UHF adaptés aux contraintes des produits alimentaires en assurant une double fonction: une fonction de traçabilité à identification unitaire, et ensuite une fonction de détection du degré de maturation de l'aliment par mesure indirecte de ses propriétés électromagnétiques et physico-chimiques.La première étape du projet était la caractérisation des paramètres électromagnétiques des produits alimentaires durant l’affinage afin de réaliser une conception appropriée de l'antenne du tag. En radiofréquences, c'est principalement le substrat qui dicte les propriétés électromagnétiques des composants, notamment la taille des antennes et leur diagramme de rayonnement. La connaissance de ces propriétés est indispensable afin de répondre aux exigences industrielles et d'intégrer dans de bonnes conditions les systèmes dans l'environnement applicatif. En plus, une étude de corrélation est réalisée entre la variation des propriétés diélectriques et celle des propriétés chimiques durant la période d’affinage des produits. Cette étude aide à comprendre la différence entre les différents produits et permet de déterminer les paramètres principaux à suivre durant l’affinage pour la conception du tag capteur.La deuxième étape était la conception des tags identifiants pour la traçabilité des produits alimentaires durant la procédure de fabrication. L’objectif principal est de réaliser un tag identifiant avec une performance qui répond aux besoins des fabricants dans le secteur fromager concernant la taille, la mémoire et la distance de lecture du tag tout en respectant les normes de santé au niveau d’emballage du tag ainsi que le substrat utilisé. Plusieurs configurations de tag RFID UHF étaient réalisées et testées dans un environnement industriel où les résultats obtenus montrent l’efficacité d’utiliser un système de RFID pour automatiser la traçabilité des produits dans le secteur fromager.La troisième étape concerne la conception des tags capteurs pour suivre le degré d’affinage des produits pendant la période de maturation. Une première solution, basée sur l’exploitation de l’effet de variation des propriétés diélectriques sur la distance de lecture de tag, montre un manque de performance due aux faibles variations ainsi qu’aux difficultés de mesure dans un environnement réel. Une deuxième solution basée sur la mesure de taux de dégagement des gaz durant l’affinage montre la possibilité d’estimer le degré d’affinage. Par contre, la puissance d’activation de capteur et le coût élevé ne permettent pas d’adopter cette solution. Finalement, deux solutions alternatives étaient réalisées pour mesurer l’augmentation du taux d’échapement des gaz d’une manière indirecte. La première configuration de tag capteur est basée sur le suivi du changement de dimensions du produit en utilisant un capteur résistif. D’autre part, la deuxième configuration de tag capteur est basée sur le suivi de changement de pression dans l’emballage du produit dû à la production de gaz. Les résultats obtenus montrent que ces deux configurations de tag RFID capteur peuvent offrir des solutions simples et efficaces pour le pilotage de l’affinage des produits alimentaires.
In the food sector, the use of RFID makes it possible to improve the safety of food while ensuring better traceability and better monitoring of products. The work of the thesis was mainly carried out within the framework of a project in cooperation with several academic and industrial partners in the cheese sector where the main objective of the project is to develop UHF RFID tags adapted to the constraints of food products by ensuring a dual function: a traceability function with unitary identification, and then a sensing function of cheese maturation by indirect measurement of its electromagnetic and physicochemical properties.The first step of the project was the characterization of the electromagnetic parameters of food products during ripening in order to achieve an appropriate design of the tag antenna. Knowledge of these properties is essential to meet industrial requirements and to integrate systems in right conditions. Also, a correlation study is carried out between the variation of the dielectric properties and that of the chemical properties during the period of cheese ripening. This study helps to understand the difference between cheese types and allows determining the main parameters to follow during cheese maturation for the design of the sensor tag.The second step was the design of identification tags for the traceability of food products during the manufacturing process. The primary objective is to create a UHF RFID tag with a performance that meets the needs of manufacturers in the cheese sector regarding the size, memory and reading distance while respecting the health standards at the packaging level as well as the substrate used. Several UHF RFID tag configurations were realized and tested in an industrial environment where the results obtained show the effectiveness of using an RFID system to automate the traceability of products in the cheese sector.The third step is the design of sensor tags to track the degree of maturation of products during the ripening period. A first solution, based on the exploitation of the effect of variation of the dielectric properties on the tag reading distance, shows a lack of performance due to the small variations as well as the difficulties of measurement in a real environment. A second solution based on the analysis of gas evolution rate shows the possibility of estimating the degree of cheese maturation. However, the sensor activation power and the high cost represent significant challenges and thus it was difficult to adopt this solution. Finally, two alternative solutions to measure the effect of gas evolution were presented. The idea is based on monitoring other parameters varying due to the increase of gas release during cheese maturation. The first sensor tag configuration traces the variation of product dimension due to maturation using a resistive sensor. On the other hand, the second sensor tag configuration measures the change of pressure inside the product packaging due to gas production. The results obtained show that these two sensor RFID tag configurations can offer simple and practical solutions for controlling the cheese ripening process.
The industrial sector of cheese production with particular quality protection occupies an important position in the industrial context of the European Union. Compared to conventional casein labels, ...UHF RFID tags can be read at greater distances and can store more information about the product which represents a more reliable solution for traceability. This paper discusses the main challenges of designing UHF RFID tags for the identification of dairy products such as cheese wheels in an industrial environment. Two different realization techniques are presented in this paper, and the performances of the realized prototypes were measured and compared using a professional RFID measurement system and a commercial handheld RFID reader in a real industrial environment.
This paper presents a non-destructive dielectric characterization method for heterogeneous dielectric samples such as food products. The principle is based on the measurement of the reflection ...coefficient of a center-fed dipole antenna in a good contact with the sample surface. The sample's dielectric constant is directly related to the dipole resonance frequency. Dielectric constant measurements obtained with the dipole antenna are in good agreement with the ones obtained by electromagnetic simulation software (HFSS) and a commercially available coaxial-line probe.
The industrial sector of cheese production with particular quality protection occupies an important position in the industrial context of the European Union. Compared to conventional casein labels, ...UHF RFID tags can be read at greater distances and can store more information about the product which represents a more reliable solution for traceability. This paper discusses the main challenges of designing UHF RFID tags for the identification of dairy products such as cheese wheels in an industrial environment. Two different realization techniques are presented in this paper, and the performances of the realized prototypes were measured and compared using a professional RFID measurement system and a commercial handheld RFID reader in a real industrial environment.
This paper presents a passive proximity sensor using UHF radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology. The sensing operation allows detecting and counting goods or persons with no RFID tags ...attached. The system comprises a customized double-antenna sensor tag and a commercial reader. The design is performed at two layers. In the physical layer, a distribution network prioritizes power towards one antenna to detect presence, while allows the other antenna communicating with the reader. In the communication layer, the RFID chip (EM4325) is programmed to set an alarm when triggered by an RF event, and hence changing the tag identifier. Design directives are given and experimental sensing tests consisting of an access gate demonstrates the proposal.
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