A Compact and Robust RFID Tag Based on an AMC Structure

Giovanni Andrea Casula; Giacomo Muntoni; Paolo Maxia; Giorgio Montisci

doi:10.3390/s24051468

A Compact and Robust RFID Tag Based on an AMC Structure

Sensors (Basel). 2024 Feb 24;24(5):1468. doi: 10.3390/s24051468.

Authors

Giovanni Andrea Casula¹, Giacomo Muntoni¹, Paolo Maxia², Giorgio Montisci¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Cagliari, 09123 Cagliari, Italy.
² INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Cagliari, 09047 Selargius, Italy.

Abstract

A platform-tolerant RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) tag is presented, designed to operate across the entire RFID band. This tag utilizes a small Artificial Magnetic Conductor (AMC) structure as a shielding element for an ungrounded RFID tag antenna. It can be easily mounted on various surfaces, including low permittivity dielectric materials, metal objects, or even attached to the human body for wearable applications. The key features of this RFID tag include its ability to be tuned within the worldwide RFID band, achieving a maximum theoretical read range of over 11 m. Despite its advanced capabilities, the design emphasizes simplicity and cost-effective manufacturing. The design and simulations were conducted using CST Studio Suite.

Keywords: AMC structures; RFID tags; human body coupling; wearable antennas.

Grants and funding

This work has been partially funded by “Fondazione di Sardegna” under project “DACE—Detection and Avoidance of counterfeit electronics”, CUP: F73C22001310007.