A Novel Battery-Assisted Class-1 Generation-2 RF Identification Tag Design

• Published in: IEEE transactions on microwave theory and techniques Vol. 57; no. 5; pp. 1388 - 1397
• Main Authors: Liu, Hsin-Chin, Hua, Meng-Chang, Peng, Chih-Guo, Ciou, Jhen-Peng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01.05.2009; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Batteries; Battery; Battery assisted; Charging; Compatibility; Continuous wave; Electric batteries; Electromagnetic coupling; EPCGlobal; Fading; Joining; Joining processes; Microwaves; multipath fading; passive tag; Power generation; Power supplies; Protocols; Radio frequency; Radiofrequency identification; Radiofrequency integrated circuits; read range; RF identification (RFID); Specifications; ultra high frequency (UHF)
• ISSN: 0018-9480; 1557-9670
• DOI: 10.1109/TMTT.2009.2017319

This paper presents a new design of an enhanced passive tag (EPT) that can extend the read range of an EPCglobal class-1 Generation-2 tag by attaching a battery-assisted circuit (BAC) to the tag integrated circuit. The BAC generates a low-power unmodulated continuous wave with frequency outside the tag operating band to supply additional power to the tag. Empirical results demonstrate that a prototype EPT has a much longer read range and is more resistant to multipath fading than a regular class-1 generation-2 tag. Unlike a semipassive tag that depends on its local battery to work, a powerless EPT can function as a regular class-1 generation-2 tag. In other words, an EPT with a charged battery is similar to a semipassive tag; after the EPT runs out of its battery power, it behaves as a regular class-1 generation-2 tag. Note that whether the EPT is powered or not, it is fully compatible with EPCglobal class-1 generation-2 specification.