Chipless Microwave RFID based on Printed Circuit Technology: Sensor Integration, Tag Localization and Robustness Optimization

对无线传感器的关键要求是低成本、鲁棒性、耐用性、识别能力和大读取范围，在可能的情况下具有精确的定位和范围边界。尽管许多基于有源半导体组件的传统解决方案可以满足这些标准，但它们受到电源、耐用性和鲁棒性问题的限制。当与合适的传感器概念相结合时，无芯片RFID技术有可能令人信服地克服这些挑战。其中一个关键挑战是将强大的传感器技术集成到RFID中。拟议项目（更新提案）的基础是前体项目的结果，其中系统建模和新概念实施的主要进展使全球无芯片时域（TD-） RFID具有最高的数据容量。此外，基于著名的FMCW原理，开发了一种新的读写器架构，并以高度紧凑和模块化的方式实现。新项目的总体目标是对具有先进传感器功能的新型无芯片TD-RFID系统进行理论和实验研究，重点是将高精度温度传感器集成到无芯片TD-RFID标签上，以及用于3d标签定位和精确读取范围边界的标签和读取器系统概念。一种新型的时频混合编码方法使高精度温度传感器的集成成为可能。因此，由于标签上Q因子最高的陷波滤波器，ID和传感器数据可以通过信号的去耦部分同时传输。传感器数据由滤波器谐振频率解码，而Q因子优化是温度测量精度的关键。在前驱项目中开发的紧凑型超宽带读取器系统的宽带使其成为定位任务的理想候选者。在新项目中，将开发一种便携式手持阅读器，生成合成孔径，从而为3D定位提供新的选择。读取器的轨迹将由惯性传感器确定。创新的MIMO重建技术，基于RFID信号相位值的空间和/或随时间的差异，以容忍惯性传感器的漂移和偏移，将被研究。除了低成本，耐用性，坚固性和非视线可操作性外，这种新型无芯片TD-RFID传感器系统还具有多功能特性，包括ID以及高精度的传感和定位。有了这些，它超越了条形码和SAW-RFID等竞争系统，开辟了新的应用，特别是在机器人和自动化方面。

Among the key requirements for wireless sensors are low cost, robustness, durability, identification capability and large reading ranges, where possible with precise localization and range boundaries.Although many conventional solutions based on active semiconductor components can meet these criteria, they are limited by power-supply, durability, and robustness issues. When combined with suitable sensor concepts, chipless RFID technology has the potential to convincingly overcome these challenges. One of these key challenges is the integration of powerful sensor technologies into RFID.Basis of the proposed project (renewal proposal) are the results from the precursor project, where major advances in system modeling and implementation of new concepts enable the highest data capacities worldwide for chipless time-domain (TD-) RFID. Moreover, a new reader architecture based on the well-known FMCW principle, was developed, and implemented in a highly compact andmodular fashion.The general objective of the new project is the theoretical and experimental investigation of novel, chipless, TD-RFID systems with advanced sensor capabilities, focusing on integration of highly accurate temperature sensors on chipless TD-RFID tags as well as on tag- and reader-system concepts for 3D-tag localization and precise reading-range boundaries.The integration of high-precision temperature sensors becomes possible by a novel hybrid time frequency coding method. Hence, ID and sensor data can be simultaneously transmitted by decoupling parts of the signals due to a notch filter with the highest Q factor on the tag. The sensor data is decoded by the filter resonance frequency, while Q factor optimization is key to the accuracy of the temperature measurement.The wide bandwidth of the compact UWB reader system, developed in the precursor project, makes it an ideal candidate also for localization tasks. In the new project, a portable handheld reader, generating synthetic apertures, and thus, providing new options for 3D localization, will be developed. The trajectory of the reader will be determined by inertial sensors. Innovative MIMO reconstruction techniques, based on the differentiation of RFID signal-phase values spatially and/or over time for tolerancing the inertial sensors w.r.t. drift and offset, will be investigated.Besides low-cost, durability, robustness and non-line of sight operability, this novel chipless TD-RFID sensor system exhibit multi-functional characteristics, including ID as well as highly accurate sensing and localization. With these, it goes beyond competing systems such as barcodes and SAW-RFID, opening up new applications, particularly in robotics and automation.