3D Printed Long-Range Cavity Structure UHF RFID Tag Antenna with Painting Conductive Ink on Convex Surface

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Antenna Design
• Radio Frequency Identification

Background:

• Passive ultra-high-frequency (UHF) RFID tags are crucial for Internet of Things (IoT) applications, including sensor energy harvesting.
• Existing RFID tags often face limitations in reading range and performance on various surfaces, particularly metallic ones.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize a novel long-range convex cavity-type passive UHF RFID tag antenna.
• To evaluate the tag's performance on both metal and non-metal surfaces for IoT sensor energy harvesting.

Main Methods:

• Design and fabrication of a 3D-printed cavity tag antenna using polylactic acid (PLA) and conductive ink.
• Antenna characterization, including structure, modeling, simulation, and experimental validation.
• Measurement of reading range in both frontal and side directions on different material surfaces.

Main Results:

• The developed cavity tag antenna (CTA) operates effectively in the 840-960 MHz UHF band, specifically at 920 MHz and 915 MHz.
• Achieved a linear polarized (LP) frontal reading range of 35 meters and a side reading range exceeding 15 meters.
• Demonstrated consistent performance when mounted on both metal and non-metal objects.

Conclusions:

• The novel convex cavity-type passive UHF RFID tag antenna offers a significant advancement in long-range identification and IoT sensor energy harvesting.
• The CTA's robust performance across diverse surfaces makes it a versatile solution for various industrial and commercial applications.
• Experimental results validate the simulation and mathematical models, confirming the tag's efficacy and potential for widespread adoption.