UHF RFID Conductive Fabric Tag Design Optimization

This paper presents the design of a 920 MHz Ultra High Frequency (UHF) band radio frequency identification (RFID) conductive fabric tag antenna. The DC (Direct Current) resistance and impedance of the conductive fabric are measured by a DC multimeter and by a network analyzer at a UHF frequency band. The conductivities of the fabrics are calculated with their measured DC resistance and impedance values, respectively. The conductivities of the fabric are inserted into the CST simulation program to simulate the fabric tag antenna designs, and the results of the tag designs with two conductivities are compared. Two fabric UHF RFID tag antennas with a T-Matching structure, one with the name-tag size of 80 x 40 mm, and another with 40 x 23 are simulated and measured the characteristics of tag antennas. The simulated and measured results are compared by reflection coefficient S11, radar cross-section and reading range. The reading range of the 80 x 40 mm fabric tag antenna is about 4 m and 0.5 m for the 40 x 23 size tag. These fabric tags can be easily applied to an entrance control system as they can be attached to other fabrics and clothes.

Automated summary

This study presents the design of a 920 MHz UHF RFID conductive fabric tag antenna, measuring the DC resistance and impedance of the fabric to calculate conductivity, and simulating different tag designs to compare results. The fabric tag antennas showed different reading ranges and characteristics, suitable for entrance control systems due to their easy application on other fabrics and clothes.