Read Range Analysis of Passive RFID Systems for Manufacturing Control Systems

An RFID system can be considered as a wireless communication system because the reader device communicates with the transponder by using electromagnetic waves at radio frequencies. The performance of this communication link can be studied by determining the read range for backscatter RFID systems. The read range or the distance where the reader unit notices the tag depends on many factors. Frequency used for identification, gain, orientation and polarization of the reader antenna and the transponder antenna, and the placement of the tag on the object to be identified will all have an impact on the RFID system’s read range. [1] This paper presents an approach to analyzing the read range of a backscatter RFID system as a function of frequency, antenna gain and polarization mismatch. Key-Words: RFID, Manufacturing Control, Transportation Systems, Production Planning