Proceedings of the 1st European Wireless Technology Conference
A model to estimate the RFID read-region
in real environments
R. Aliberti1, E Di Giampaolo2, G. Marrocco3
University of Roma Tor Vergata,
1
rinaldoal@tiscali.it
2
digiampaolo@disp.uniroma2.it
3
marrocco@disp.uniroma2.it
Abstract— The reading range is one of the most critical
performance indicators of a Radiofrequency Identification
System and depends on many physical and geometrical
parameters. An accurate prediction of the read zone may be
accomplished by a time-consuming electromagnetic modelling
accounting for the antennas and the interaction with the
environment. This paper proposed, instead, a fast prediction
model, based on a small set of data and parametric antenna
representation, which is demonstrated to achieve the same
accuracy of a fullwave 3D model in application to realistic
environments. The derived formulas are ready to use and maybe
useful for the planning and optimization of reader-tag networks.
I. INTRODUCTION
The RadioFrequency Identification of objects [1] is now
imposing as a pervasive technology, [2] in everyday life [3]
and in more advanced applications involving logistics,
inventory management, aided systems for disabled people,
homeland and personal security, distributed sensor networks
[4] and mobile healthcare [5]. A basic RFID system comprises
a radio-scanner unit, called reader, and a set of remote
transponders, denoted as tags, which include an antenna and a
microchip transmitter with internal read/write memory. In
passive tags, the required energy to drive the microchip comes
from the interrogation system itself and a backscattering
modulation is achieved when the microchip acts as a switch to
match or mismatch its internal load to the antenna.
The read region is the ultimate performance parameter of
an RFID system which determines the applicability of this
technology to the specific context. The read region strictly
depends on the power emitted by the reader, the tag sensitivity
and the realized gain (when it is placed over the target), the
orientation of the antennas [6] and also on the nearby scenario
[7].
There are two segments of propagation for this kinds of
link: reader-antenna to tag-antenna (un-modulated segment),
and tag-antenna to reader-antenna (modulated segment). The
path loss exponent of the two-way link in the free space is
approximately twice that of a traditional one-way link in the
same environment. However, the small-scale fading,
experimentally observed in the backscattered signals, appears
much more relevant than for a signal received over a
traditional one-way link, and ad-hoc investigations need to be
carried out for a best usage of the RFID channel.
There are some papers about the electromagnetic
characterization of low-range RFID/EAS devices at low
978-2-87487-008-8 © 2008 EuMA 290
frequency, but much less is instead available about the role of
the environment and of the power/exposure constraints [8] in
the UHF range.
Although a very accurate prediction of the read region is
possible by using state of the art electromagnetic
computational tools, which permit to reproduce both the
antennas and the propagations properties in realistic
environments, their application generally reveals time-
consuming and is not much useful in real planning and
optimization tasks.
In this context, this paper proposes a fast parametric
prediction model for the estimation of the read-zone in real
scenarios accounting for the many relevant electric and
energetic parameters of the reader-tag-environment systems.
The model can be accessible by only a few aggregated data
available from the devices’ datasheet, such as the gain or the
beam-width and the emitted power, and from the inspection of
the installation environment. The electromagnetic kernel is
based on an analytic representation of canonical reader’s
antennas and on the two-rays propagation paradigm to include
the field interaction with the environment. The accuracy of the
derived formulas, which do not require any intensive
computation, is tested for a typical laboratory-like scenario
against a much richer, and time consuming, electromagnetic
three-dimensional forward ray-tracer [9] able to accurately
model the multipath in presence of walls and furniture.
The resulting model could assist the deployment of an
RFID equipment for what concerns the position of the reader
and the emitted power of single or multiple readers with the
purpose to achieve either a selective or a uniform
interrogation of the space.
II. USEFUL REGIONS OF AN RFID SYSTEM
The reader can be characterized by the input power Pin and
by the element factor f R (θ, φ) of its antenna. The radiated
field in the free-space is expressed, with explicit reference to
the input power, as
e − jk 0 r ˆ
E ( r ) = 2 Z 0 ηPin f (θ, φ) ( 1)
r
October 2008, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
 which is an aggregate performance indicator for the tag and
fˆ (θ, φ) = f (θ, φ) / ∫∫ | f (θ, φ) | sin θ dθ dφ
2
where is the gives the minimum radiofrequency power that the tag has to
normalized element factor and η is the antenna efficiency. collect to exhibit the same averaged free-space read distance
The field at any point of a real environment Ω, including walls of a perfectly-matched tag placed over a lossless object
or generally scattering objects, can be obtained by application (averaged GTτ=1). The condition inside (6) is hence rewritten
of a field projector PΩ to the reader’s pattern: as

PR → T ηλ2 P
=χ | PΩ o fˆ |2 ~in > 1 ( 8)
E (r ) = 2 Z 0 ηPin PΩ o [ fˆ ](θ, φ) ( 2) pC 4π pC

The power density at any location r ∈Ω is The forbidden region is the place where the effective electric
field, averaged over a prescribed time interval Tav, is higher
1
S in (r ) = | E (r ) |2 (3) than the maximum value, E0, allowed by the local safety
2Z 0 regulations. In general, the reader can interrogate the
environment according to a given repetition period T0.
The tag is characterized by the sensitivity pC of the microchip
Denoted with Tcom the time duration of a typical reader-tag
transponder, e.g. by the threshold radiofrequency power communication, the duty-cycle is d=Tcom/T0. The forbidden
required to the microchip to wake up, and by the power region is therefore
transmission coefficient τ
E (r ) Tav
4 Rchip R A ΩF = {r ∈Ω : > 1} ( 9)
τ= ≤1 (4) E0
| Z chip + Z A | 2

which accounts for the impedance mismatch between antenna Where E ( r ) Tav
= d E ( r ) is the averaged field from (2).
(ZA=RA+jZA) and microchip (Zchip=Rchip+jZchip). The power Finally, the place wherein tags are activated and the emitted
collected by the tag’s microchip is hence field is also compliant with safety and electromagnetic
compatibility requirements, is indicated as the useful read
λ2 region:
PR →T (r T ) = χS in (r ) GT (θ, φ)τ (5)
4π
ΩU = Ω R − Ω F ( 10)
where GT (θ, φ) is he tag gain and χ is the polarization
mismatch between the tag antenna and the incoming field. The key parameters affecting ΩU are the reader beam-width or
Typically, the reader emits a circular-polarized field while the gain, the input power, the interrogation rate, the tag’s effective
tag is a linear polarized antenna and hence χ=0.5 in the free sensitivity and finally the particular scenario.
space. In a complex environment the field undergoes a The forbidden region generally extends in the close
depolarization, but for the sake of simplicity, the average proximity of the reader antenna, and hence the useful reading
region is expected to be a hollow volume.
χ=0.5 value is still assumed.
In the free space the power density is
Two volumes can be defined: the read-volume ΩR and the
forbidden volume ΩF. S in (r ) = Pin G R (θ, φ) /( 4πr 2 ) , with GR the gain of the reader’s
The read-volume is the portion of the environment wherein antenna, and hence the read and the forbidden volumes are
the power collected by the tag exceeds its sensitivity and the bounded by the surfaces rR (θ, φ) and rF (θ, φ) , respectively
tag is hence activated. Since the collected power depends on given by
the orientation of the tag (the tag’s gain is not isotropic), an
averaged gain (simply GT in the following) is hereafter
considered in the evaluation of (5). The read-volume is c Pin GR (θ, φ)GT (θ, φ)τ
expressed as rR (θ, φ) = χ (11)
4πf pC
PR→T
Ω R = {r ∈ Ω : > 1} ( 6) 30 Pin G R (θ, φ)d
pC rF (θ, φ) = (12)
E0
From (5) and (2) the size of the read volume depends on the
input power, on the reader’s radiation pattern, and on the
effective microchip’s sensitivity

~ p
pC = C ( 7)
GT τ

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 2
EIRP 1 Γ λ2
min{PR→T (r )} = χη − GT τ (15)
GR r 2 R − r 4π

where Γ is the magnitude of the Fresnel’s reflection

coefficient of the obstacle. Assuming that the tag is moving
along the maximum gain direction of the reader’s antenna,
equation (15) allows us to determine the maximum distance
rR (MAX ) for the two rays model, i.e. equation (15) is made
equal to pC which is the tag’s sensitivity. Once rR (MAX ) is
known a new ellipsoid approximating the read zone in real
environment can be determined by means of equations (14).

III. THE READER’S ANTENNA MODEL

Fig. 1 Geometrical construction for the determination of the axis of the
ellipsoid approximating the free-space read reagion.
For the sake of generality, the reader model here considered
includes two couplets of horizontal and vertical uniform
The radiation pattern of the reader’s antenna can be magnetic lines (Fig.2) over an (x, z) infinite ground plane:
approximated by an ellipsoid, and hence the read region will
be described by
M v = Av δ( z ± L2 )rect ( y , L2 ) zˆ
(15)
( x − ax ) 2 y2 z2 M h = Ah δ( y ± L2 )rect ( z , L2 ) yˆ
+ + =1 (13)
a x2 a y2 a z2

where the antenna is supposed to be located at x = −a x and to where L is the length of the current line and the coefficients
+ Av, Ah={0, ±1, ±j} are for linear (horizontal or vertical) or
radiate toward x . The ellipsoid axis are related to the RFID circular polarization. This geometry is a reasonable model of
system parameters, such as the emitted EIRP=GRPin, the tag a slot, a circular polarized patch [10] as well as of its folded or
sensitivity and the reader’s antenna half-power beamwidths on inverted variants. The gain or beam-width of real readers can
the principal planes (BWxy and BWxz). In particular with be approximately reproduced by changing the parameter L.
reference to the geometrical construction in Fig. 1, exploiting
the definition of half-power beamwidth, the point A is
enforced to belong to the ellipsoid and hence
rR,max c EIRP
ax = = χ ~
2 8πf pC
BW xy , xz (14)
BWxy , xz sin
a y, z = a x tan 2
2
BWxz , xz
2 − cos 2

A similar representation also holds for the forbidden region

boundary rF (θ, φ) with a x = rF ,max / 2 . Moreover, for typical
reader’s antennas with circular polarization, the radiation Fig. 2 geometry of the canonical reader’s model including a vertical and
horizontal array of uniform magnetic current lines.
pattern exhibits a rotational symmetry and hence a y = a z .
In a real environment the useful read region (ΩU) may be
For the case of circular polarization (Av=1, Ah=±j), the
smaller than that in free-space owing to the interference of the
maximum directivity and the 3dB-beam-width variation with
radiated field with that scattered by walls and objects inside
the geometrical parameter L are shown to be well
the environment. In order to estimate how much ΩU is reduced approximated by a polynomial fitting
a simple two rays model has been developed. The radiated
field is considered to interfere with that reflected by a flat
obstacle placed at distance R in front of the reader’s antenna. D0 ( L) = 4.15 + 11.11L
It is easy to show that the minimum power collected by the (16)
tag’s microchip is BW ( L ) = 151.6 − 243.7 L + 125.0 L2

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Above formulas are intended to be used to estimate the overestimates the useful read-region in comparison with the
model’s size L to reproduce the radiation properties (gain and ray tracer prediction. The two rays model (with R=5.5m),
beam-width) of a real reader, as available from its datasheet. instead, is generally in good agreement with ray tracing
results.
EIRP=3.2 W
IV. A CASE STUDY
~
pC =10 μW ~
pC =50 μW ~
pC =100 μW
An rooms of size 6m x 5.5m x 3m (laboratory or a shop) is
interrogated by a reader whose antenna is placed at the middle
of a side wall, one meter apart from the floor, (see Fig.3). The
room is a laboratory-like environment and contains furniture,
windows and a metal shelf. The reader’s parameter is
L=15.65cm, and hence the radiation features are BW=67° and
maximum gain Gmax=9.2dB. The various read zones,
EIRP=0.5 W
previously introduced, are now reported for some
representative values of the power emitted by the antenna of ~
pC =10 μW ~
pC =50μ W ~
pC =100 μW
reader and tag’s effective sensitivity: EIRP={0.5, 3.2}W, and
~
pC ={10, 50 100} μW. For instance, ~ pC =10 μW may
represent a very sensible tag (pC=10 μW) placed over a
lossless object, while ~ pC =100 μW may describe either a tag
equipped with the same microchip as before, but now placed
over a lossy object, or a not much sensitive tag (pC=100 μW)
over a loss-less object. Fig. 4 Read-range on an horizontal plane at 1m from the ground within
The corresponding read zones are shown in Fig. 4. Each figure within a lab-like room. The shadowed pattern indicates the read region
also indicates the boundaries rF (θ, φ) and rR (θ, φ) of the computed by the 3D ray-tracer. The dashed lines refer to the boundary if the
read region estimated by the free space formula, while the continuous line is
useful read regions as estimated by the free-space ellipsoid produced by the two-ray model.
representation in (13) (dashed line). The forbidden zones are
referred to a very severe maximum field limit E0=6V/m r.m.s.
(as in the Italian regulation) for the worst case of continuous
interrogation (d=1).
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