Ultra-low-power electronics and devices for a multisensing RFID tag

A multisensing flexible Tag microlab (FTM) with RFID communication capabilities and integrated physical and chemical sensors for logistic datalogging applications is being developed. For this very specific scenario, several constraints must be considered: power consumption must be limited for long-term operation, reliable ISO compliant RFID communication must be implemented, and special encapsulation issues must be faced for reliable sensor integration. In this work, the developments on application specific electronic interfaces and on ultra-low-power MOX gas sensors in the framework of the GoodFood FP6 Integrated Project will be reported. The electronics for sensor control and readout as well as for RFID communication are based on an ultra-low-power MSP430 microcontroller from Texas Instruments together with a custom RFID front-end based on analog circuitry and a CPLD digital device, and are designed to guarantee a passive ISO 15693 compliant RFID communication in a range up to 6 cm. A thin film battery for sensor operation is included, allowing data acquisition and storage when no reader field is present. This design allows the user to access both the traceability and sensor information even when the on-board battery is exhausted. The physical sensors for light, temperature and humidity are commercially available devices, while for chemical gas sensing innovative MOX sensors are developed, based on ultra-low-power micromachined hotplate arrays specifically designed for flexible Tag integration purposes. A single MOX sensor requires only 8.9 mW for continuous operation, while temperature modulation and discontinuous sensor operation modes are implemented to further reduce the overall power consumption. The development of the custom control and RFID electronics, together with innovative ultra-low-power MOX sensor arrays with flexible circuit encapsulation techniques will be reported in this work.