Improved Stable Read Range of the RFID Tag Using Slot Apertures and Capacitive Gaps for Outdoor Localization Applications

Abstract

This paper proposes a small-size UHF RFID tag antenna, which was designed to function in the frequency interval of 860–960 MHz, with a large-read range of up to 17 m. In this work, the effects of capacitive slots and gaps on the impedance matching between conventional industrial chips and a designed RFID antenna was investigated. Simulated and measured results provided a clear indication that these two techniques can efficiently improve the return loss parameter and the antenna impedance matching behavior at the UHF band. Three-dimensional electromagnetic (EM) simulations results further proved that a better impedance matching between an industrial chip and a proposed RFID antenna occurs at 870 MHz, where the estimated input antenna impedance was about Za = 16 + j184 (Ω), and the calculated read range reached a value of up to 17 m with a measured return loss value of –14 dB. The proposed RFID antenna can almost maintain the same read range value over a 180 degree angle variations on the horizontal plane owing to its omnidirectional radiation pattern. The fabrication and test stages of the antenna prototype were scheduled to validate the simulated characteristics. Experimental results confirmed the performances of our proposed RFID tag antenna and proved its potential ability for localization applications. EM simulations have been performed using the well-known commercial EM software simulator CST MWS.