Class of Platform-Tolerant High Encoding Capacity Chipless RFID Tags for EAN/GTIN Encoding

In this article, we investigate a class of novel platform-tolerant chipless RFID tags composed of an array of variable-length notched microstrip line resonators backed by a metallic backscatterer. A 60 x 80 mm(2) proof-of-concept tag is presented using sub-band frequency shift coding (SB-FSC) with N = 13 elements, each representing M = 10 digits (0-9) demonstrating an European Article Number (EAN)/ global trade item number (GTIN)-13 encoding providing a total of Nx log(2) M= 43 bits/tag. A pair of microstrip resonators serves as a frequency reference. The tag operates in the frequency range from 1.4 to 4.2 GHz with an encoding density 36.7 bits/ lambda(2) /GHz at the center frequency. The concept thus demonstrates the integration of chipless RFID technology and GS1 standards in an Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm.