What are the common types and application scenarios of UHF antennas?

UHF RFID technology, as an advanced automatic identification technology, has begun to be widely used in all walks of life. As a key component in the RFID system, the performance of UHF RFID reader antenna directly affects the reading and writing distance, speed, directivity, environmental adaptability and accuracy. Let's take a look at the common types and application scenarios of UHF antennas.

1. Linear polarization antenna

The electromagnetic waves emitted by the linear polarization antenna are polarized in a single direction (horizontally or vertically) and have strong directivity, but the polarization direction of the tag and the antenna must be aligned for optimal reading. It is suitable for application scenarios with consistent tag directions. This type of antenna usually has a long reading distance, so it is widely used in industrial automation and warehousing logistics. In these scenarios, the tag is usually fixed on the goods or equipment, and the direction is relatively fixed, so the linear polarization antenna can provide stable and efficient reading performance.

2. Circular polarization antenna

The electromagnetic waves emitted by the circular polarization antenna propagate in a spiral, which is insensitive to the tag direction, but the reading distance is slightly shorter than that of the linear polarization antenna, which is suitable for application scenarios where the tag direction is uncertain. Since circularly polarized antennas can receive signals from any direction, they perform well in scenarios such as retail, anti-theft systems, and supply chain management. In these applications, the direction of the tag is often uncertain. For example, the direction of the tag on a logistics pallet may be relatively random and change as the goods are placed and moved.

3. Directional antennas

Directional antennas are often used in application scenarios that require reading in a specific direction, such as vehicle identification, highway toll collection, etc. Directional antennas can concentrate energy in a specific direction to improve reading distance and accuracy. For example, in intelligent transportation systems, by deploying directional antennas in highway toll booths and parking lot management systems, fast and non-contact payment and vehicle identification can be achieved, improving traffic efficiency and management level.

4. Near-field antennas

Near-field antennas are a special type of antenna in RFID systems. Its main feature is that the energy radiation is concentrated and constrained in a relatively close range directly above the antenna, ensuring the close-range reading effect without misreading or cross-reading surrounding electronic tags. This type of antenna is often used in applications that require close-range and large-volume identification of RFID electronic tags, such as jewelry management, asset tool management, unmanned supermarket checkout counters, and medical device management. Especially for jewelry management, cross-reading can be avoided.

5. Far-field antenna

The working characteristics of far-field antennas are large energy radiation angle and long distance, but there are many blind spots, especially near the antenna, which is easy to form recognition blind spots. This type of antenna is usually used in UHF and microwave frequency band RFID systems. The reader antenna needs to provide energy for the tag or wake up the active tag. The working distance is far and is generally located in the far field of the reader antenna. Far-field antennas are widely used in logistics, warehousing and intelligent manufacturing. For example, in logistics centers, goods need to be frequently moved between different warehouses and transport vehicles. At this time, far-field antennas are needed to realize long-distance RFID tag reading. Far-field antennas can ensure accurate reading of tag information at a long distance, improve logistics efficiency and reduce operating costs.

With the continuous development of the Internet of Things and automation technology, UHF RFID technology will be more widely used and developed in the future. Enterprises can choose the appropriate antenna type according to actual application needs to improve the efficiency and reliability of UHF RFID systems,and Handheld-wireless can provides customized UHF handheld devices to meet the needs of different industries and application scenarios.