Punch-Needled Passive UHF RFID Tag Dipole Antennas – Design, Fabrication, and Initial Wireless Evaluation

This study presents design and fabrication as well as evaluates the initial performance of punch-needled passive UHF (Ultra high frequency) RFID (Radiofrequency identification) tag antennas. There are two different kinds of punch-needling techniques used: 1) by using conductive thread on the backside of the tag antenna and 2) by using conductive thread on both sides of the tag antenna. Both types of tag antennas were made with 100 % wool yarn onto Aida cloth and for conductive parts. The wireless performance of the tags was evaluated at the European frequencies (865.6-867.6 MHz), where they achieved a maximum read range of over 1.2 meters. According to these preliminary results, it is potential to implement this construction method, which is especially interesting for home crafters, who are interested in making textile-integrated electronics of on their own. In further research, we inspect how to increase the read range of these punch-needled tags and explore other innovative home crafting manners to create passive UHF RFID tags from different types of materials.