Marco Fantuzzi

A Novel Integrated UWB–UHF One-Port Antenna for Localization and Energy Harvesting

In this work, a novel, compact, single-port antenna combining both UWB and UHF bands is presented. This solution is proposed for next-generation passive RFID tags, performing communication and localization through UWB technology and efficient energy harvesting in the UHF band, but it is also designed to keep compatibility with previous tags generations. The UWB communication is deployed by means of an Archimedean spiral topology, while energy harvesting at UHF is obtained by suitably extending the spiral outer arms, thus realizing a meandered dipole, without affecting the UWB behavior. The single-port architecture provides an overall size reduction, while preserving the radiation performance in both the operating bands. This solution allows a direct connection to future integrated UWB-UHF chips, to standard RFID chips, or to a diplexer for suitably combining the UWB and the UHF functionalities. A prototype of this new antenna, realized on a standard FR-4 substrate, is first presented to validate the proposed novel design. As a second step, the same architecture is scaled on a paper substrate in view of its fully eco-compatible realization to be exploited by future pervasive RFID applications. The compact design of the antenna-feeding network in discrete technology is also presented.

Scavenging for Energy: A Rectenna Design for Wireless Energy Harvesting in UHF Mobile Telephony Bands

The development of distributed and ubiquitous electronic devices is an achievement of modern technology that has the potential to revolutionize many aspects of human life. Such electronic devices are being employed not only in consumer areas like home automation, intelligent transportation systems, and personal entertainment but also for health-care applications, such as noninvasive biomedical parameter monitoring, as well as industrial and military applications. A novel WEH for commercial telephony frequencies in the UHF band has been presented. The system, being based on a broadband slot antenna and a thin flexible substrate, weighs fewer than 15 g, which is far below the competition requirements and makes the harvester particularly appealing for realistic scenarios. Thanks to the proper design of the rectifier and the matching network, an excellent performance has been verified over the whole band, with a rectenna conversion efficiency of up to 60% and an EFoM equal to 37.6 dB for 2 μW/cm2 of incident power density.

The GRETA architecture for energy efficient radio identification and localization

This paper presents an overview of the innovative solutions developed within the Italian project GRETA (GREen TAgs and sensors with ultra-wide-band identification and localization capabilities), whose aim is the development of a distributed and comprehensive system for identification, localization, tracking and monitoring in indoor scenarios. The system is based on hybrid UWB-UHF RFID tags, and the realization and experimental validation of novel tag prototypes based on environmentally friendly materials is a major achievement of the project.

Simultaneous UHF energy harvesting and UWB-RFID communication

This paper describes the design of a compact antenna system to enable communication and RF energy harvesting at the same time. The system may be adopted for next generation passive RFID tags: it combines, in a low-profile architecture on a paper substrate, a single-port antenna with its multi-frequency feeding network, to operate in the European UWB and UHF bands, for communication/localization and energy harvesting purposes, respectively. The design and performance of the whole system are discussed and the interference between the two operations is minimized. This is demonstrated by some representative results for both communication and energy harvesting activities.

Large signal rectifier characterization for simultaneous data and Power Transfer

In this work we characterize the RF-to-baseband response of a diode used for a rectifier circuit. The measurement setup enables the synchronous acquisition of vector-calibrated baseband and RF time-domain waveforms. The behavior of a Schottky diode, widely employed for RF Energy Harvesting and Wireless Power Transfer applications, is first measured, then further optimized, in order to enable the level of accuracy needed for the correct decoding of a possible modulated input RF signal. Finally, the RF to baseband response is further validated with a single-stage rectifier, in a different measurement setup.

Co-Design Strategies for Energy-Efficient UWB and UHF Wireless Systems

This paper reviews the most recent methods, combining nonlinear harmonic-balance-based analysis with electromagnetic (EM) simulation, for optimizing, at the circuit level, modern radiative RF/microwave systems. In order to maximize the system efficiency, each subsystem must be designed layoutwise, accounting for the presence of the others, that is, accounting for its actual terminations, rather than the ideal ones (

Next generation zero-power RFID-tag for UWB pervasive identification

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Electromagnetic prediction of antenna layout impact on UWB localization and sensing

). In this way, the twofold goal of minimizing size and losses of the system is obtained by reducing intersystem matching networks. Indeed, terminations are complex, frequency-dispersive, and variable with the signal level, if active operations are concerned, and are responsible for performance degradation if not properly optimized. This approach is nowadays necessary, given the ever increased spread of pervasively distributed RF microsystems adopting miniaturized antennas, such as radio frequency identification (RFID) or wireless sensor networks, that must be low-cost, low-profile, low-power, and must simultaneously perform localization, identification, and sensing. For the design of a transmitter and a receiver connected with the respective antennas, suitable figures of merit are considered, encompassing radiation and nonlinear performance. Recent representative low-profile realizations, adopting ultra-wideband (UWB) excitations are used to highlight the benefit of the proposed nonlinear/EM approach for next generation energy autonomous microsystem, such as UWB-RFID tags.

Detection and movement estimation of items by a smart microwave hand-held reader

This work presents a paper-based innovative tag architecture, thought for next generation passive RFID, where simultaneous communication and radio-frequency energy collection capabilities exploit the UWB and the UHF bands, respectively. These functionalities are achieved through a compact single-port dual-band antenna and a feeding/matching network able to highly decouple the two operating paths. The electromagnetic design and the promising performance of the entire tag in the dual-mode of operation are deeply described.

Quasi-isotropic RF energy harvester for autonomous long distance IoT operations

This paper presents a compact antenna solution able to perform communication and RF energy harvesting functionalities, in order to fulfill the future wireless network requirement of simultaneous wireless information and power transfer. The system is thought for next generation passive RFID tags: it combines a single-port antenna and a diplexer, both designed on paper substrate to operate in the European UWB and UHF bands, for communication/localization and energy harvesting purposes, respectively. The impact of the antenna layout on system performance is discussed, from both communication and energy harvesting points of view.