The Idea of RFIDtex Transponders Utilization in Household Appliances on the Example of a Washing Machine Demonstrator

Abstract

Modern textronic RFID transponders offer a lot of new possibilities for household appliances designers. Possibility to implement new functions is most evident in clothes washing and ironing techniques, where the information stored in the memory of the RFID transponder sewn into the textiles can be used to choose the most appropriate ironing program for a given type of fabric or to select the best washing program for different clothes placed in a drum of washing machine. The purpose of the work was to propose, design, and develop a laboratory stand to demonstrate usage of RFIDtex transponders in a washing machine. The developed device enabled simulation of the presence of textiles equipped with RFIDtex transponders in a washing machine drum. A set of measurements of the constructed device readout efficiency of textronic transponders placed in the drum was also performed. The device firmware, which manages multiple data readings from tags inside the drum for the performed by integrated RWD (read/write device), was also prepared and implemented. This allowed the efficiency of the identification of textiles equipped with RFIDtex transponders to be increased. RFIDtex transponders can also be used in the future to provide precise information about textiles to the washing machine. Based on this information, device will be able to reduce power consumption.