Remotely Identify and Detect by a Compact Reader With Mono-Pulse Scanning Capabilities

Abstract

In this paper, we develop a new microwave reading system able to select and detect hidden tagged objects, static and mobile, in harsh electromagnetic (EM) environments. This is obtained by augmenting standard RF identification reader operations with electronic beam scanning of a mono-pulse array. We present detailed description of the system blocks design, carried out making use of nonlinear EM co-simulation. Custom designed components, such as the printed-dipole array and the wide-range phase shifter, are integrated with low-power commercial transceivers and MCUs. The system architecture is optimized in such a way that a low-cost light weight handheld prototype is obtained, able to perform tagged-ambient scanning with practically no need for time consuming signal processing. The system, i.e., remotely identify and detect (RID), is developed to operate in the 2.45-GHz band, but the design approach is frequency scalable: the higher the operating frequency, the closer can the tags be to be successfully selected or detected. RID functions are successfully tested in public indoor spaces and demonstrate RID aptness of being used as interaction device capable to map physical spaces into smart spaces.