Shirt collar tag for wearable UHF RFID systems

This paper presents a wearable RFID tag antenna for the European UHF RFID band. The antenna is a one-layer dipole structure optimised to operate very near the human body. At the centre frequency (866 MHz), the tag is readable from a 5-to-6-metre distance if it is worn at 1 cm or more from the body. With the antenna worn on the body, the radiation pattern covers one hemisphere. The changes in the frequency response of the tag are examined when the antenna is worn at different separations from the body, and at different locations on the body. The proposed tag antenna can be integrated on any clothing and used e.g. in passage control applications. The small size, 7 cm by 2 cm, makes it fit easily on the collar, cuff, or even button catch of a dress shirt.