Low-cost miniaturized open-ended slot-based UHF RFID tag for harsh environment

In this paper, a miniaturized UHF RFID tag is developed for industrial harsh environment applications like oil and gas industries. The tag is designed based on an open-ended slot structure and fed by a primary radiator from the middle. Feeding the antenna using coupling mechanism by a primary radiator results to lower fabrication complexity and costs as well as mechanical durability against continuous vibrations, humidity, water and mud. The whole tag is 0.084λ×0.066λ and can be read up to 5 m in the US band and 3 m in the EU band. By utilization of low cost FR4 substrate alongside the magnetically coupled primary radiator the fabrication costs diminishes significantly. An open-ended slot fed from the middle with bent T-shape pattern for the closed-end and meandered pattern for the open-ended side acts as the antenna and matching circuit together. The measurement results prove the functionality of the designed tag.