Monte Carlo simulation of an radio frequency identification system with moving transponders using the partial element equivalent circuit method

When designing an radio frequency identification system it is important to take both the position and the movement of the transponders into account. In this study, a simulation method that enables the description of a complete RFID system including moving and rotating transponders as well as a complex, industrial environment is presented. By using the partial element equivalent circuit method to calculate the magnetic field generated by the reader antenna and describing the transponders using a magnetic dipole, it is possible to use the Monte Carlo method to describe the dynamic behaviour of the complete system. The method is used in this study to describe the difference in performance between two different reader antennas and these results are also compared to measurements of similar systems operating in an industrial environment. The difference in performance between the two systems is similar in both the simulations and the measurements. A small discrepancy was seen between the results from the simulations and the measurements which is for the most part because of the limited read rate of the RFID systems used in the measurements.