A capacitive touch interface for passive RFID tags

Abstract

This paper presents a novel method for incorporating a capacitive touch interface into existing passive RFID tag architectures without additional parts or changes to the manufacturing process. Our approach employs the tag's antenna as a dual function element in which the antenna simultaneously acts as both a low-frequency capacitive fringing electric field sensor and also as an RF antenna. To demonstrate the feasibility of our approach, we have prototyped a passive UHF tag with capacitive sensing capability integrated into the antenna port using the WISP tag. Finally, we describe how this technology can be used for touch interfaces as well as other applications with the addition of a LED for user feedback.