Advanced RFID Measurements: Basic Theory To Protocol Conformance Test

By National Instruments

As RFID adoption continues to grow, engineers are faced with an increasing need to validate tags both for interoperability with products from other vendors and for conformance with the specified protocol. In today's market, these test needs are coupled with increasing pressure to improve tag performance. As one might expect, RFID system designers face a significant test challenge when attempting to meet the needs of this emerging market. Fortunately, the demand for RFID technology has spawned both significant industry grown and innovation. In fact, researchers in both the research and commercial environment have often elected to use National Instruments measurement equipment to characterize both tag and reader performance.

Introduction

In this article, we will explain both the basic functionality of RFID systems as well as the measurements that are commonly made. It is our goal to provide readers with a solid understanding of some of the key technical design and implementation challenges faced by RFID design and test engineers. In addition, we will provide insight into how customers have used measurement systems based on PC-based modular instruments in their own research and development of RFID products.