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

无线传感器的关键要求是低成本、稳健性、耐用性、识别能力和大的读数范围，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元件的传统解决方案可以满足这些标准，但它们受到电源、耐用性和稳健性问题的限制。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。这些关键挑战之一是将强大的传感器技术整合到RFID中。拟议项目(更新提案)的基础是前身项目的成果，在该项目中，系统建模和新概念的实施取得了重大进展，使无芯片时域(TD-)RFID具有全球最高的数据容量。此外，基于著名的FMCW原理，开发了一种新的读写器体系结构，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能力的新型无芯片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。因此，由于标签上具有最高Q因子的陷波滤波器，ID和传感器数据可以通过解耦部分信号来同时传输。传感器数据通过滤波器的谐振频率进行解码，Q因子的优化是温度测量精度的关键。前身项目开发的紧凑型超宽带读写器系统的宽带使其也成为定位任务的理想候选者。在新的项目中，将开发一种便携式手持阅读器，生成合成光圈，从而为3D定位提供新的选择。阅读器的轨迹将由惯性传感器确定。创新的MIMO重建技术，基于RFID信号相位值在空间和/或时间上的差异，以容错惯性传感器W.r.t.这种新型的无芯片TD-RFID传感器系统除了具有低成本、耐用性、健壮性和非视距可操作性外，还具有ID以及高精度传感和定位等多功能特性。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领域。

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.