Ultra-low-power components for an RFID Tag with physical and chemical sensors

  • Authors:

  • Stefano Zampolli;Ivan Elmi;Enrico Cozzani;Gian Carlo Cardinali;Andrea Scorzoni;Michele Cicioni;Santiago Marco;Francisco Palacio;Jose M. Gómez-Cama;Ilker Sayhan;Thomas Becker

  • Affiliations:

  • CNR––IMM Bologna, Via P. Gobetti 101, 40129, Bologna, Italy;CNR––IMM Bologna, Via P. Gobetti 101, 40129, Bologna, Italy;CNR––IMM Bologna, Via P. Gobetti 101, 40129, Bologna, Italy;CNR––IMM Bologna, Via P. Gobetti 101, 40129, Bologna, Italy;Università di Perugia, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettronica e dell’Informazione, via Duranti 93, 06125, Perugia, Italy;Università di Perugia, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettronica e dell’Informazione, via Duranti 93, 06125, Perugia, Italy;Universitat de Barcelona, Departament d’Electronica, Martí i Franqués 1, 08028, Barcelona, Spain;Universitat de Barcelona, Departament d’Electronica, Martí i Franqués 1, 08028, Barcelona, Spain;Universitat de Barcelona, Departament d’Electronica, Martí i Franqués 1, 08028, Barcelona, Spain;EADS Innovation Works, Dept. IW-SI, Martí i Franqués 1, 81663, München, Germany;EADS Innovation Works, Dept. IW-SI, Martí i Franqués 1, 81663, München, Germany

  • Venue:
  • Microsystem Technologies - Special issue: Conference Smart Sensors, Actuators and MEMS, Maspalomas, Gran Canaria, Spain, 2-4 May 2007
  • Year:
  • 2008

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Abstract

In this work the development and optimization of the main components for a multisensing flexible Tag with RFID communication capabilities and integrated physical and chemical sensors for logistic datalogging applications will be reported. For this specific scenario, several constraints must be considered: power consumption must be limited for long-term operation, reliable ISO compliant RFID communication must be implemented, and special encapsulation issues must be faced for reliable sensor integration. In this work, the developments on application specific electronic interfaces and on ultra-low-power Metal OXdide semiconductor (MOX) gas sensors will be reported. The electronics for sensor control and readout as well as for RFID communication are based on an ultra-low-power MSP430 microcontroller from Texas Instruments together with a custom RFID front-end based on analog circuitry and a CPLD digital device, and are designed to guarantee a passive ISO15693 compliant RFID communication in a range up to 6 cm. A thin film battery for sensor operation is included, thus data acquisition and storage can be accomplished when no reader field is present. This design allows the user to access both the traceability and sensor information even when the on-board battery is exhausted. The physical sensors for light, temperature and humidity are commercially available devices, while for chemical gas sensing innovative MOX sensors are developed, based on ultra-low-power micromachined hotplate arrays specifically designed for flexible Tag integration purposes. A single MOX sensor requires only 8.9 mW for continuous operation, while temperature modulation and discontinuous sensor operation modes are implemented to further reduce the overall power consumption. The development of the custom control and RFID front-end electronics, together with innovative ultra-low-power MOX sensor arrays with flexible circuit encapsulation techniques will be described.