millimeter wave RFID Innovations
Vubiq Networks is an innovation leader in millimeter wave radio frequency identification (RFID) hyperimaging technology. Our portfolio of technology patents covers our unique data encoding technology that exploits the natural physics of antennas at a tremendously small scale. The result is a chipless RFID data tag that approaches the cost of printing a bar code, but with the ability to contain hundreds of data bits in the size of a postage stamp.
Utilizing our innovative polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (POLSAR) hyperimaging techniques, not only can the data be retrieved from the tag, but also physically located. What’s more, our technology can read tags through materials such as cardboard, pill bottles, and envelopes. This breakthrough approach to RFID significantly reduces costs, while providing performance advantages and features not available with existing solutions and competitive approaches.
Video: Vubiq Networks Patented RFID Technology
Vubiq Networks’ patented RFID technology addresses all of the downfalls of traditional RFID solutions. Our chipless technology breaks through today’s biggest barrier: the cost of the RFID tag. Our innovative approach reduces tag costs to near pennies per tag. With POLSAR, multiple tag collisions are no longer an issue. With the use of millimeter wave as the frequency spectrum, reader performance increases and wireless disruption is minimized. Utilizing POLSAR hyperimaging as opposed to traditional RFID methods greatly expands the use cases by providing the ability to read multiple tags simultaneously, as well as determining their three-dimensional location.
RFID Patent Portfolio
Vubiq Networks’ RFID hyperimaging patents and patent applications include:
US Patent Number 7460014, issued December 2, 2008. RFID System Utilizing Parametric Reflective Technology
US Patent Number 7498940, issued March 3, 2009. RFID System Utilizing Parametric Reradiated Technology
US Patent Number 10839179, issued November 17, 2020. Multimode Millimeter Wave RFID Systems and Methods of Use Thereof (23 Claims)
US Patent Number 11216625, issued January 4, 2022. High Bit Density Millimeter Wave RFID Systems, Devices, and Methods Thereof
US Patent Number 11288468, issued March 29, 2022. Multimode Millimeter Wave RFID Systems and Methods of Use Thereof (33 Claims)
RFID Patents Executive Summary
To learn more about our RFID patents, download our RFID Hyperimaging Patent Portfolio Executive Summary.
Historical Background
Historically, there have been several technologies used to identify articles, objects, vehicles and personnel. Bar codes and magnetic strips, for example, are familiar as traditional, short-range solutions. More recently, RFID techniques have been developed that improve on performance and readability. RFID technology utilizes a tag transponder – typically a small integrated circuit – that is placed on the object to be tagged, as well as a reader to read and identify the tag.
One of our first innovations for millimeter wave applications was a completely new approach to RFID. We recognized that current technologies use a relatively expensive integrated circuit in the RFID tag that sets the lower boundary for system cost. Also, there are technology limits in terms of reading multiple tags simultaneously and not having the ability to retrieve the physical locations of the tags.
At the time, Cardinal Health expressed an interest in solving the RFID problem at a lower cost for their healthcare logistics operations. Early funding for our research came from Cardinal Health, resulting in a laboratory proof of concept (POC) that showed how our millimeter wave POLSAR technology could be used to produce radar images of the tags and to decode the tag data.
Later, we developed a complete hardware/software millimeter wave hyperimaging system as a POC for Xerox Corporation. The breakthrough system is able to code and decode chipless RFID tags with an order of magnitude higher bit density as compared to existing solutions and competitive approaches.
These POCs were successful in developing our breakthrough millimeter wave transmitter and receiver technology. This placed our company on the threshold of providing future innovations in RFID hyperimaging component and system technologies.
Ongoing RFID Developments
We are now in the process of expanding on our RFID hyperimaging innovation by incorporating newly available millimeter wave silicon technologies that have integrated radar functions and digital signal processing on the same chip. The ability to do multi-channel polarimetric radar – coupled with advanced image processing in low-cost commodity chips – breaks the cost barrier for enabling RFID reader technology into the hyperimaging AI realm.
Our goal is to remain on the cutting edge of bringing together the physics of millimeter wave wireless combined with advanced digital signal processing software for hyperimaging applications.
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