Embeddable Miniature Uhf Rfid Near-Field Antenna for Healthcare Applications

Abstract

A novel embeddable miniature near-field reader antenna is designed for Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) Radiofrequency Identification (RFID) applications in the healthcare sector. The antenna spans 45 mm(length) × 20 mm(width) × 1.6 mm (thick) in size. The antenna is tuned for UHF RFID region-2 frequencies, 902 to 928 MHz. The antenna's −15 dB return loss bandwidth is 140 MHz. The antenna has very low far-field gain, and thus false reads of undesired tags are eliminated. The antenna can read both near-fields, and far-field tags as its magnetic field distribution on its surface are uniform with no dead zones. This miniature, light weight antenna is easy to embed and suitable for niche applications like surgical instrument tracking, dental instrument inventory, etc. The antenna's immunity towards proximity metal assets makes it more suitable for healthcare applications.