An extremely simple, low-cost, chipless RFID reader is demonstrated. The reader consists of only a single voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) as the detector front end. The information from the chipless RFID tag appears as a low-frequency variation on the VCO DC bias supply which is readily detected and demodulated. Experimental results are shown for successful detection of a 10-bit RFID tag, operating over the frequency range 2.4-3.4 GHz. The results when compared with those taken from a vector network analyser (VNA) prove that the VCO detector can provide a similar level of performance to the more sophisticated VNA arrangement. The proposed solution provides a significant simplification of the chipless RFID reader.
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