Sensors Embedded in RFID Chips Track Moisture and Thermal Data in Medicinal Goods

The radio chips were initially deployed for the detection of various products. Researchers have recently devised a transponder which is capable of monitoring pressure, temperature and humidity. The radio chips integrated with numerous sensor applications can be used for detecting the humidity or temperature of several goods.

Dresden-based Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems (IMPS) developed the innovative RFID technology and by employing this particular technique, the storage temperature of the thermal-susceptible medicinal goods can be measured while transporting them from the pharmaceutical provider to the user. The sensor RFID chip will indicate the thermal fluctuations occurring during a refrigerated transport to a reader.

The researchers have integrated the miniature RFID chips with sensing units. The novel transponder has the capability to communicate the identification number, batch information, pressure and temperature or humidity level data.

The signaling frequency of the UHF transponders is in the range of 860 MHz and 2.45 GHz and has intense communication frequencies than the traditional RFID transponders.

The integral microcontroller embedded on the sensor module confirms that the information monitored by the sensors are condensed and processed partially. This functionality lowers the information communicated to the reader thereby reducing the power utilization by the tag and permits the reader to relay the commands for controlling the sensing units. The RFID chip allows the coupling of the sensor module and the transponder module for specific applications.

In addition to performing the traditional batch documentation, the RFID tags can be deployed for measuring the temperature controlled chain of vaccines or blood products upon the provision of plasters along with the transponders. The humidity and thermal data can be utilized for wound healing practices.

Source: http://www.ipms.fraunhofer.de