Abstract
The use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is gaining in popularity. Contactless payment, transportation cards, or even anti-shop-lifting alarms are daily used examples of this technology. These wireless solutions that store identification data even find their application to replace the barcode label. An RFID tag is placed on an object and store more data that just its model identifier like its serial number, producer, expiry date, ... In industrial field, the cost of these so-called passive tags is reduced by the absence of battery. They generally use the EPC (Electronic Product Code) protocol of generation 2, branded as “RAIN”, which works in UHF band (Ultra High Frequencies). To provide more information on the tagged product, this communication protocol allows tag designers to add several sensing features. Thus, the reading can bring back more information on the state of the spoiling product. Today, many sensing tag solutions designed by academics still exceed regulatory limits imposed by governments in terms of power and/or frequency. Our goal is to propose a solution that is suited to industrial partners needs. To do so, we design a sensing tag whose measurement process is compliant with governmental guidelines and propose a signal conditioning compatible with conventional and standard-compliant UHF RFID readers. In this work, the application targets the field of agri-food logistics. Indeed, the sensor-tag measures a combination of volatile elements released in the closed food packaging and gives indications of the degradation of the food. In collaboration with multiple industrial partners, several validations were conducted in an operational environment.