A multi-directional beam scanning RFID system

One of the main advantages of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems over the traditional barcode identification systems is that the direct line of site is not required for RFID tags. The potential of this key factor will not be fully materialized if the communication range of RFID systems remains below a few meters. For RFID tags to fully replace barcode labels, the communication range has to increase significantly. This work presents a new method to increase the communication range of RFID systems using a beam scanning method. A multi planner RFID scanning system using a directional antenna has been developed. As compared to the conventional RFID systems, the proposed scheme covers a larger area with a lower number of blind spots without consuming extra power.