A Survey on Battery-Less RFID-Based Wireless Sensors

Abstract

We present a survey on battery-less Radio Frequency Identification (RFID-based wireless sensors that have emerged in the past several years. We discuss the evolution of RFID turning into wireless sensors. Moreover, we talk about different components of these battery-less RFID-based wireless sensors, five main topologies that transform a simple RFID chip into a battery-less wireless sensor, and state-of-the-art implementations of these topologies. In battery-less wireless sensors, the read range is of key importance. Hence, we discuss how each component of the sensor plays its role in determining the read range and how each topology exploits these components to optimize read range, complexity, and/or cost. Additionally, we discuss potential future directions that can help provide improvements in RFID-based wireless sensor technology.