Design of short range chipless RFID reader prototype

Abstract

A chipless RFID reader is presented for short range applications. The RFID reader is comprised of a digital section, RF section and reader antennas. The reader antennas are used to transmit and receive data to and from the chipless tags respectively. The chipless transponders have unique spectral signatures which correspond to resonances present at different frequencies in the spectrum. Each resonance has a 1:1 correspondence with a data bit. The chipless RFID reader detects the resonances as attenuation in the magnitude and phase-jumps in the phase of the spectrum. The RFID reader operates between 1.9 and 2.5 GHz and can successfully detect a transponder at close range. The tag design can be transferred easily to plastic and paper, making it suitable for mass deployment for low cost items in trillions. The RFID reader is suitable for mounting over conveyor belt systems.