This thesis introduces the circuit and system design of interactive Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) for Internet of Things (IoT) applications. IoT has the vision of connectivity for anything, at anytime and anywhere. One of the most important characteristics of IoT is the automatic and massive interaction of real physical world (things and human) with the virtual Internet world.RFID tags integrated with sensors have been considered as one suitable technology for realizing the interaction. However, while it is important to have RFID tags with sensors as the input interaction, it is also important to have RFID tags with displays as the output interaction.Display interfaces vary based on the information and application scenarios. On one side, remote and centralized display interface is more suitable for scenarios such as monitoring and localization. On the other side, tag level display interface is more suitable for scenarios such as object identification and online to offline propagation. For tag level display, though a substantial number of researches have focused on introducing sensing functionalities to low power Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) RFID tags, few works address UHF RFID tags with display interfaces. Power consumption and integration with display of rigid substrate are two main challenges.With the recent emerging of Electronic Paper Display (EPD) technologies, it becomes possible to overcome the two challenges. EPD resembles ordinary ink on paper by characteristics of substrate flexibility, pattern printability and material bi-stability. Average power consumption of display is significantly reduced due to bi-stability, the ability to hold color for certain periods without power supplies. Among different EPD types, Electrochromic (EC) display shows advantage of low driving voltage compatible to chip supply voltage.Therefore this thesis designs a low power UHF RFID tag integrated in 180 nm CMOS process with inkjet-printed EC polyimide display. For applications where refresh rate is ultra-low (such as electronic label in retailing and warehouse), the wireless display tag is passive and supplied by the energy harvested from UHF RF wave. For applications where refresh rate is not ultra-low (such as object identification label in mass customized manufacturing), the wireless display tag is semi-passive and supplied by soft battery. It works at low average power consumption and with out-of-battery alert. For remote and centralized display, the limitations of uplink (from tags to reader) capacity and massive-tag information feedback in IoT scenarios is the main challenge. Compared to conventional UHF RFID backscattering whose data rate is limited within hundreds of kb/s, Ultra-wideband (UWB) transmission have been verified with the performance of Mb/s data rate with several tens of pJ/pulse energy consumption.Therefore, a circuit prototype of UHF/UWB RFID tag replacing UHF backscattering with UWB transmitter is implemented. It also consists of Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) and Electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes for healthcare applications of real-time remote monitoring of multiple patients ECG signals. The ECG electrodes are fabricated on paper substrate by inkjet printing to improve patient comfort. Key contribution of the thesis includes: 1) the power management scheme and circuit design of passive UHF/UWB RFID display tag. The tag sensitivity (the input RF power) is -10.5 dBm for EC display driving, comparable to the performance of conventional passive UHF RFID tags without display functions, and -18.5 dBm for UWB transmission, comparable to the state-of-the-art performance of passive UHF RFID tag. 2) communication flow and circuit design of UHF/UWB RFID tag with ECG sensing. The optimum system throughout is 400 tags/second with 1.5 KHz ECG sampling rate and 10 Mb/s UWB pulse rate. / <p>QC 20151012</p>

Interactive packaging is an emerging research area in recent years. It brings people convenient and smart lives, reduces consumption of traditional packaging materials and direct or indirect labor costs as well. Being integrated in interactive packaging, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology becomes one of the most proactive development enablers. In this paper, an interactive and intelligent packaging solution integrating passive RFID system and Controlled Delamination Material (CDM) is given at first. Package opening action is electrically controlled by the RFID system. CDM is primarily used in aerospace applications in the past and the conductor/adhesive joint can be easily opened by applying a little electric power on to the material. Some related works will be shown about the electrochemical characteristics of CDM in order to facilitate the system design. A demonstration system was developed and the test results have proved feasibility of the solution and shown the potential of low cost for mass production. Based on this solution, an interactive medication package for pervasive healthcare is further developed, using EPCglobal Gen2 RFID technology. It will make the medication being accessible for patient only at the prescribed dose and time, and medication taking information will be delivered as well. Such medication package will not only give unprecedented high patient compliance, but also improve the communication between patients and healthcare staffs. / QC 20111202

First, one of the purposes of this thesis is to estimate the complete crosstalk effects including the package and the pads on the surface acoustic wave (SAW) substrate. A new approach based on finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) with equivalent current source method is applied. Two kinds of patterns of one-port SAW resonators with the same package structure and inter-digital transducer (IDT) design are studied. Verification with the measurement results shows that our method is able to obtain good agreement and be used to observe the influence from the SAW pattern. Second, the equivalent current source method is extended to model the excitation of human-body¡¦s electrostatic discharge (ESD) situations. The efficiencies of sacrificial electrodes are also discussed. Finally, a novel sacrificial electrode with fractal to protect SAW devices from ESD break is proposed. Comparing with traditional electrode, the simulation results show that fractal can improve the protective efficiency greatly. Finally, a novel analysis model that can be used to analyze and optimize the impedance of an RFID transponder integrated circuit (IC) which uses backscatter encoding based on simultaneously maintaining the BER of the reader and maximizing the received power of the transponder IC is proposed. The analysis method utilizes mapping from signal constellation of the backscattered signal to the Smith chart to relate the two parameters. Given the system specification and characteristics of the reader and transponder antennas, the optimum impedances of transponder IC for binary communication system can be easily designed by using this model.

The aim of this study is to analysis, investigate and find out the solutions for the problems associated with the implementations of antennas RFID Reader and Tag for various applications. In particular, the efficiency of the RFID reader antenna and the detection range of the RFID tag antenna, subject to a small and compact antenna's design configuration have been studied. The present work has been addressed directly to reduce the cost, size and increase the detection range and communication reliability of the RFID framework antennas. Furthermore, the modelling concept of RFID passive tags mounted on various materials including the novel design of RFID reader antenna using Genetic Algorithm (GA) are considered and discussed to maintain reliable and efficient antenna radiation performances. The main benefit of applying GA is to provide fast, accurate and reliable solutions of antenna's structure. Therefore, the GA has been successfully employed to design examples: meander-line, two linear cross elements and compact Helical- Spiral antennas. In addition, a hybrid method to model the human body interaction with RFID tag antenna operating at 900MHz has been studied. The near field distribution and the radiation pattern together with the statistical distribution of the radiation efficiency and the absorbed power in terms of cumulative distribution functions for different orientation and location of RFID's tag antenna on the human body have been demonstrated. Several tag antennas wi th symmetrical and unsymmetrical structure configurations operating in the European UHF band 850-950 MHz have been fabricated and tested. . The measured and simulated results have been found to be in a good agreement with reasonable impedance matching to the typical input impedance of an RFID integrated circuit chip and nominal power gain and radiation patterns.

Professors who manage large classes are unrealistically expected to grade each student fairly and accurately. Even with all of the technological advancements that have occurred in the past thirty years, very little progress has been made in classroom management, and as a result, professors are not equipped with enough tools to successfully manage large class sizes. Because radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is making its way into student issued identification cards, there is an opportunity to use it as a tool to aid professors in the classroom. The focus of this paper is to discover the most effective system that can be implemented as a classroom management instrument. Through multi criteria analysis, several different infrastructures are examined and compared to determine the best alternative. The result of an effective system leads to a reduction in time spent taking attendance, an increase in student performance, an increase in the fairness and accuracy of recording classroom participation, and an enhanced professor-student relationship.

In this thesis, the feasibility of deploying RFID technologies in the case of &ldquo / lowvolume high-value&rdquo / products is considered by focusing on the production processes of a real company. First, the processes of the company are examined and associated problems are determined. Accordingly, a simulation of the current situation is constructed by using the discrete event simulation technique, in order to obtain an accurate model. In addition to modeling the current situation, this simulation model provides a flexible platform to analyze different scenarios and their effects on the company production. Next, various scenarios including RFID technology deployment are examined, and their results are compared with respect to profitanalysis which takes into consideration the changes in the production, work in process (WIP) inventory, stockouts, transportation and initial investment. Finally, the analysis of the results and conclusions are given in order to provide guidance for companies with &ldquo / low-volume high-value&rdquo / product portfolios.

Limited asset visibility is a key problem in the management of returnable transport items (RTIs) like reusable containers, pallets and kegs. One tool to increase asset visibility is radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. However, RFID requires high investment cost and intensive efforts for implementation. In this study, we investigate the added value of using RFID technology for the management of the RTI pool in a closed-loop supply chain setting considering both costs and benefits. We have conducted a case study in a company which has recently started an RFID application in its closed-loop supply chain of RTIs. The aim of this case study is to identify and understand how an existing RTI pool is managed and the impact of using RFID technology on the management of such an RTI pool. In order to quantify the added value of RFID technology in RTI pool management, we search for the minimum cost solutions both without and with the use of RFID technology in a problem environment similar to that of our case study using the simulation optimization method. We also analyze the impact of using RFID technology on RTI pool management in terms of several performance measures, including RTI pool size, RTI lifetime, RTI trippage and the cycle time for RTIs to complete one trip in the closed-loop supply chain. In our study, we develop a number of discrete event simulation models of the identified closed-loop supply chain of RTIs operating with our predetermined decision rules for the RTI pool management using the simulation software Arena. We then develop our simulation optimization model in OptQuest for Arena in which the discrete event simulation models are embedded. The results from the simulation optimization method show that the added value of using RFID technology is mostly positive and it depends on the severity of the problematic issues in the closed-loop supply chain, as well as on the extent of improvements that RFID brings about.

Navigation through large and unfamiliar facilities with labyrinths of corridors and rooms is difficult and often results in a person being lost. Additionally, locating a specific utility within a facility is often a tough task. The hypothesis tested in this research is that integrating real-time automated sensing technology and a Building Information Model will provide real time visualization that can assist in localization and navigation of a facility. The scope of this research is facility maintenance management during the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) phase of a facility. The thesis demonstrates how the integration of passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tracking technology and Building Information Modeling (BIM) can assist in facilities maintenance management. The objectives of this research included 1) developing a framework that utilizes the integration of commercially-available RFID and a BIM model; 2) evaluating the framework for real-time resource location tracking within an indoor environment; and 3) developing an algorithm for real-time localization and visualization in a BIM model. A prototype application has been developed that simultaneously connects the RFID readers, a database, and a BIM model. The goal of this system is to have a real-time localization accuracy of 3 meters at 95% confidence. Testing was conducted in laboratory conditions, and the results show that the system error was within the 3 meters goal.

Sewer and oil pipeline spillage issues have become major causes of pollution in urban and rural areas usually caused by blockages in the water storage and drainage system, and oil spillage of underground oil pipelines. An effective way of avoiding this problem will be by deploying some mechanism to monitor these installations at each point in time and reporting unusual liquid activity to the relevant authorities for prompt action to avoid a flooding or spillage occurrence. This research work presents a low cost energy efficient liquid level monitoring technique using Radio Frequency Identification Technology. Passive UHF RFID tags have been designed, modelled and optimized. A simple rectangular tag, the P-shaped tag and S-shaped tag with UHF band frequency of operation (850-950 MHz) has been designed and modelled. Detailed parametric analysis of the rectangular tag is made and the optimised design results analysed and presented in HFSS and Matlab. The optimised rectangular tag designs are then deployed as level sensors in a gully pot. Identical tags were deployed to detect 4 distinct levels in alternate positions and a few inches in seperation distance within the gully pot height (Low, Mid, High and Ultra high). The radiation characteristic of tag sensors in deployment as modelled on HFSS is observed to show consistent performance with application requirements. An in-manhole chamber antenna for an underground communication system is analysed, designed, deployed and measured. The antenna covers dual-band impedance bandwidths (i.e. 824 to 960 MHz, and 1710 to 2170 MHz). The results show that the antenna prototype exhibits sufficient impedance bandwidth, suitable radiation characteristics, and adequate gains for the required underground wireless sensor applications. Finally, a Linearly Shifted Quadrifilar Helical Antenna (LSQHA) designed using Genetic Algorithm optimisation technique for adoption as an RFID reader antenna is proposed and investigated. The new antenna confirms coverage of the RFID bandwidth 860-960 MHz with acceptable power gain of 13.1 dBi.

Submitted by Viviane Lima da Cunha (viviane@biblioteca.ufpb.br) on 2016-02-05T15:54:58Z No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 4833402 bytes, checksum: 88ffcf3db8082fc50d986d744b72fd34 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-02-05T15:54:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 4833402 bytes, checksum: 88ffcf3db8082fc50d986d744b72fd34 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-02-25 / The use of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) has been widespread in many areas of research and application. The purpose of this work is a study on how to use sensors to monitor people on the move, having a WSN as a way in which the search will occur, but in order to predict the formation of groups in certain regions. For this work the network was designed and tested in the simulator Ptolemy II, using the ZigBee Communication protocol, where the sensors were positioned according to a Cartesian coordinate system. The WSN will detect people and identify common patterns of movement, such as speed, direction and type of movement, using parameters set in the simulator. People involved in the groups will be identified by RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) attached to his body. The movement of the crowd had its mathematical formalization based on parameters such as position of the group, number of people per group and duration of movement that define the characteristics necessary to simulate this scenario. From the formalization of the movement of the crowd, many data are collected at predetermined time intervals and interpreted by an algorithm, through the exchange of messages between sensors, estimates the crowd forming in the region defined as the target. In this work, were inserted charts and graphs that reflect the actual number of people moving towards the real target. These data are generated from the intense exchange of messages between sensors, obeying some parameters that favor established and the algorithm that estimates the crowd at the target formation at any given time. The accuracy of the prediction was measured by the amount of alarms issued that estimate and the formation of agglomerations of people in a given region. Thus, the identification of individuals by sensors is interpreted according to the possibility of formation of groups and their values disseminated by the network. The proposal is that this action will facilitate the process of decision making and thus help to characterize the formation of crowds. / O uso das Redes de Sensores sem Fio (RSSF) tem sido difundido em diversas áreas de pesquisa e aplicação. A proposta deste trabalho é um estudo sobre como utilizar sensores para monitorar pessoas em movimento, tendo uma RSSF como meio no qual a pesquisa deverá ocorrer, porém com o intuito de prever a formação de grupos em determinadas regiões. Para a realização deste trabalho a rede foi projetada e testada no simulador Ptolemy II, usando o protocolo ZigBee de comunicação, e os sensores foram posicionados de acordo com um sistema de coordenadas cartesianas. A RSSF deverá detectar as pessoas e identificar características comuns de movimento, como velocidade, direção e tipo de movimento, por meio de parâmetros configurados no simulador. As pessoas envolvidas nos grupos serão identificadas por etiquetas RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) presas ao seu corpo. O movimento de multidão teve sua formalização matemática baseada em parâmetros como posição do grupo, quantidade de pessoas por grupo e duração do movimento, que definem as características necessárias para a simulação desse cenário. A partir da formalização do movimento da multidão, vários dados foram coletados em intervalos de tempo previamente determinados e interpretados por um algoritmo que, por meio da troca de mensagens entre sensores, estima a formação de multidão na região definida como alvo. Neste trabalho, foram inseridos tabelas e gráficos que refletem o número real de pessoas que se deslocam em direção ao alvo real. Esses dados foram gerados a partir da intensa troca de mensagens entre os sensores, obedecendo alguns parâmetros estabelecidos e que favorecem o algoritmo que estima a formação de multidão no alvo, em determinado tempo. A acurácia da previsão foi medida pela quantidade de alarmes emitidos e que estimam a formação de aglomerações de pessoas em determinada região. Assim, a detecção de pessoas pelos sensores é interpretada de acordo com a possibilidade de formação de grupos, tendo seus valores disseminados pela rede. A proposta é que essa ação facilite o processo de tomada de decisão e, consequentemente, ajude na caracterização da formação de multidões