Radio Frequency Identification and Sensing: Integration of Wireless Powering, Sensing, and Communication for IIoT Innovations

Novel sensing and communication techniques have accelerated the convergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) with the manufacturing industry. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) today requires more agile and unobtrusive sensing and communication to observe the underlying industrial resources and physical operations. Information-driven decision making in the cyber space may result in collaborative automation and intelligent optimization in the physical space. Therefore, a convenient information interface that could seamlessly bridge the physical world with its corresponding information system has been a critical building block for manufacturing intelligence. In this article, we advocate the integration of wireless powering, sensing, and communication, and propose radio frequency identification (RFID) and sensing (RFID&S) techniques to enhance the efficiency and convenience of data collection and integration for IIoT innovations. We first provide the fundamentals of RFID&S including radio frequency energy harvesting and communication interface. Then we present a novel UHF-HF dual-mode RFID sensor scheme with implementations using commercial off-the-shelf components for the first time, and also illustrate the establishment of RFID&S-based industrial monitoring and data integration systems. Finally, the advantages of RFID&S in unobtrusive online sensing, and its capability of extending the information link for IIoT applications are elaborated. An exemplary use case of the proposed RFID&S techniques is provided to suggest its potential applications and show its adaptation to industrial process control and integration.