Design of a Tag Antenna for IoT Applications in the Healthcare Field

Amine Rghioui

, Loubna Berrich

, Jaime Lloret

and Abdelmajid Oumnad

Research Team in Smart Communication-ERSC-Research Centre E3S, EMI,

Mohamed V University in Rabat, 10000, Morocco

Integrated Management Coastal Research Institute, Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, 46370 Valencia, Spain

Keywords: Healthcare, RFID, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Diabetic Patient.

Abstract: RFID Radio Frequency Identification is a method of remotely memorizing and retrieving data. The system is

activated by a transfer of electromagnetic energy between a radio tag and an RFID transmitter. The radio tag,

made up of an electronic chip and an antenna, receives the radio signal emitted by the reader, also equipped

with RFID technology. This technology is useful in a wide variety of processes. The uses that can be attributed

to it are many and varied as well as the sectors where it can be applied. In this paper we will study the use of

RFID in the healthcare sector. Wireless technology is evolving more and more in the world of healthcare

applications among these technologies we find the Internet of Things, sensor networks, RFID technologies.

Radiofrequency identification (RFID) technology is a new technology that improves the quality of life of

patients and offers several technological solutions and involves several fields application, we find the field of

healthcare with the ability to track or locate equipment and people in real-time, and also provides efficient

access to medical data for physicians and other medical professionals. The use of RFID technology in

healthcare has become more popular due to its unique characteristics compared to other technologies. In this

article, we discuss the state of the art and the relationship between RFID technology and the Internet of Things.

after that, we introduce healthcare system monitoring using RFID technology. Finally, we offer our RFID

body sensor tag design suggestion we present an RFID antenna used for healthcare application; we made

many simulations in order to get an idea about the behaviour of the antenna with the patient.

1 INTRODUCTION

The rapid growth in population density requires

services and new infrastructure that are provided to

meet the needs of the inhabitants which necessitates

Thus, we have seen an increase in demand for

onboard devices, such as sensors, actuators, and

smartphones, which has given rise to the tremendous

business potential for the new field of the Internet of

Things (IoT), in which all devices are able to connect

and communicate with each other over the Internet.

The use of the Internet of Things and new

technologies solves several problems that exist in the

health system. IoT technology capable of providing

real-time remote health monitoring while preserving

the quality of life of patients.

The healthcare system has undergone a great

change in recent years due to the use of new

technologies due to the development of Internet of

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5100-9991

Things applications which allows the healthcare

sector to administer automatically with efficiency and

effectiveness. accurately services to patients not only

in hospitals, but also in their daily life, and provide

several advantages.

The key concept of smart health is getting the

right information in the right place and on the right

device to make patient decisions easily and to help

them faster. To develop the concept of smart health,

we have deployed several wireless sensors on the

patient's body, surveillance cameras, emergency

buttons in hospitals and other fixed devices.

The use of IoT technologies such as sensor

networks, RFID and on-board systems will help

hospital patients to move freely within the hospital

without having to enter certain rooms and be

connected to certain machines, while avoiding the

problems of moving doctors and nurses from one

ward to another for examinations and analyses.

Indeed, this will help caregivers in the performance

Rghioui, A., Berrich, L., Lloret, J. and Oumnad, A.

Design of a Tag Antenna for IoT Applications in the Healthcare Field.

DOI: 10.5220/0010583300910098

In Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Wireless Networks and Mobile Systems (WINSYS 2021), pages 91-98

ISBN: 978-989-758-529-6

of their work, while allowing them to monitor the

patient's condition remotely and help them to

cooperate for the diagnosis of the patient's condition

between the different disciplines. This will help them

respond quickly to emergencies and allow them to

cooperate with international hospitals to monitor a

patient's condition.

RFID is a technology providing a communication

interface with marked objects through wireless data

transmission to retrieve relevant information. Radio

Frequency Identification (RFID) enables automatic

identification and data capture using radio waves, a

tag and a reader. The tag is basically used for

encoding the data whereas the reader has an antenna

along with the digital and RF section for extraction of

tag encoded data.

RFID can help the healthcare industry and also

hospitals to improve their inventory management,

identify patients and keep medical records. By using

RFID, healthcare organizations can also have a fully

automated solution for information delivery, reducing

human error and improving efficiency. Although

RFID has the potential to play a vital role in providing

effective and efficient healthcare.

To this end, this paper is structured as follows:

Section II present the related works. Section III

present the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)

system and his application. Section IV details some

application in healthcare fields that use the RFID

system. Section V describes our application using

RFID system in healthcare as well as the results of

our practical evaluations. Finally, Section VII

concludes this chapter.

2 RESEARCH MOTIVATION

The evolution of RFID technology in the medical

field promises a new world in healthcare IT

applications. Healthcare applications using RFID

technologies are exploding as patients monitor

themselves through telemedicine, people track their

activity, and “the hospital of the future” uses these

technologies to track patients, staff and equipment.

We find several applications in the health field are

developed using RFID technology.

Awarepoint, a real-time tracking system provider,

which offers patients an RFID tag after checking in in

the emergency department.

Hospitals and laboratories are adopting

refrigerated cabinets with built-in RFID tags that are

able to track and monitor very expensive drugs.

Pharmaceutical companies use RFID tags to

detect counterfeit, falsified or unacceptable products.

Hospitals use RFID tags attached to x-ray aprons

to track where they move throughout the hospital and

when inspections are carried out on aprons

themselves.

RFID tags can be placed on sponges and surgical

towels to track their location so they are not left inside

patients during surgery.

3 RELATED WORK

In this section, we are going to discuss the main

research areas considered by most surveys published

in the field of the Internet of Things and RFID

technologies in Health-care. Many articles exist in the

literature using RFID technologies in Internet of

Things applications and more specifically in the

health field. Some of these works are given below:

Mark and Jason (Mark,2016) present a framework

to aid in the integration of sensor and RFID device

into IT applications. This framework is applied for

healthcare applications using a theory-based

approach, illustrated with examples from the

healthcare industry.

We also find the work of Sarfraz (Sarfraz, 2017)

which describes and propose monitoring existence

cycle and effective healthcare monitoring system

using the loT and RFID tags. This system comprises

of association between microcontroller, actuator, and

sensors to measure the different parameters like as

Blood Glucose, blood pressure, Body temperature,

and Motion. The experimental results of this work

show the robust output against various medical

emergencies.

Leema (Leena,2013) developed a new system for

predicting glucose concentration in diabetic patients

using GlucoSim software to analyse patient

information, the aim of this system is to avoid

hyperglycaemia and complications. severe diabetes.

Nada and Sabri (Nada,2016) presented an

implanted antenna RFlD in the human body, the

authors made many simulations by the CST

(computer simulation technology) software and

studied the performance of a UHF tag operating in

tissues similar to the human body in order to have an

idea about the behaviour of the antenna in the human

body.

Abhinav and his colleagues (Singh, 2016)

Proposed and designed an array-based RFID reader

antenna made on FR4 epoxy substrate using ANSYS

HFSS v.15 software at a frequency of 2.4 GHz. The

simulation results indicate that the antenna fulfils all

the requirements of RFID reader antenna for

healthcare applications as well as in wireless

WINSYS 2021 - 18th International Conference on Wireless Networks and Mobile Systems

communication. In (Alain, 2015), the authors aim to

extend existing work by integrating the unified theory

of acceptance and use of technology to predict the

adoption of RFID in the healthcare supply chain. The

research model was tested by employing neural

network analysis. The authors applied of a predictive

analytic approach (i.e., neural network) to study

RFID adoption. In (Xiao, 2015), the authors compare

and discuss the performance of several machine

learning algorithms for predicting the long and short-

term length of stay of hospitalized diabetic patients

using implantable sensor micro-system based on

RFID for real-time glucose monitoring.

In our article, we will talk about RFID technology

and its application for the monitoring and surveillance

of patients. we will also mention the healthcare

system applications based on the use of RFID system.

finally, we will describe the design of our proposed

antenna for application in healthcare using RFID and

then we will discuss the results of our practical

evaluations.

4 RFID TECHNOLOGY

Radio-identification, most often referred by the

acronym RFID, is a method of memorizing and

retrieving data remotely using markers called "radio

tags".

RFID is part of automatic identification

technologies; this technology makes it possible to

identify an object or a person, to follow the path and

to know the characteristics at a distance thanks to

label emitting radio waves, attached to or

incorporated into the object or person. RFID

technology allows reading of labels even without

direct line of sight and can cross thin layers of

materials (Sangwan, 2005) (Wei,2015).

Figure 1: Block diagram of RFID.

These electronic chips contain an identifier and

possibly additional data. This identification

technology can be used to identify:

• objects, as with a barcode (this is called an

electronic label).

• people, by being integrated into passports,

transport cards, payment cards (we speak of a

contactless card).

• domestic carnivores (cats, dogs and ferrets) whose

RFID identification is mandatory in many

countries, by being implanted under the skin. This

is also the case in a non-compulsory way for other

working, companion or production animals (we

speak of a subcutaneous flea).

4.1 Components and Operation of the

RFID System

RFID includes labels, readers, encoders, and

middleware which allow integrating the flow of data

in the information system of the company.

4.1.1 The Tag

One of the most used identification methods is to

house a serial number or a sequence of data in a chip

and connect it to a small antenna. This couple (chip +

antenna) is then encapsulated in a support. These

“tags” can then be incorporated in objects or be glued

on products, Figure 1. The format of the data on the

labels is standardized at the initiative of electronic

product code (EPC) Global.

Figure 2: Tag Antenna.

4.1.2 The Reader

The reader/recorder is constituted of a circuit that

emits electromagnetic energy through antenna and

electronics that receives and decodes the information

sent by the transponder and sends them to the data

collection device. Not content to read RFID tags, he

is able to write their content. The RFID reader is the

element responsible for reading radiofrequency labels

and transmitting the information they contain (EPC

code or other, status information, cryptographic key,

etc.) to the next level of the system (middleware).

This communication between the reader and the label

takes place in four stages:

• The reader transmits by radio the energy

necessary for the activation of the tag.

Design of a Tag Antenna for IoT Applications in the Healthcare Field

• It launches a query querying the tags nearby.

• It listens to answers and eliminates duplicates or

collisions between answers.

• Finally, it transmits the results obtained to the

applications concerned.

4.2 The Different Types of Tags and

Their Technical Specificities

4.2.1 Active Tags and Passive Tags

To exploit the information contained in these labels,

it is imperative to have the appropriate reader. This

one emits radio waves toward the capsule which

allows supplying it with energy (electromagnetic

induction feed); in other words, to activate it, these

chips are not able to perform dynamic treatments.

4.2.2 Passive Tags (Without Battery)

Without any external power supply, they depend on

the electromagnetic effect of receiving a signal

emitted by the reader. It is this current that allows

them to power their microcircuits. They are

inexpensive to produce and are generally reserved for

volume productions. They are the ones we find

especially in logistics and transport. They use

different radio frequency bands according to their

capacity to transmit remotely more or less important

and through different substances (air, water, metal).

The reading distance is less than 1 m. Low and high

frequencies are standardized worldwide. These chips

are stuck on the products for a follow-up. They are

disposable or reusable depending on the case.

4.2.3 Semi-passive Tags

These tags are similar to passive ID cards. They use

similar technologies but with some important

differences. They also have a small battery which

works constantly, which frees the antenna for other

tasks, in particular the reception of return signals.

These tags are more robust and faster in reading and

transmission than passive tags, but they are also more

expensive.

4.2.4 Active Tags

Active tags are the most expensive because they are

more complex to produce and provide transmission

functions, functions of capture or processing of the

captured information, and either or both. Thereby,

they need an onboard power supply you have to know

that these labels prove particularly well adapted to

certain functions, including the creation of

authentication systems, security, anti-theft, etc. Short,

they are ideal for triggering an alert or alarm. They

can emit several hundred meters.

4.3 Frequencies Used in RFID

RFID systems generate and reflect electromagnetic

waves. In particular, RFID systems must be careful

not to disrupt the operation of other radio systems.

We cannot, in principle, use only the frequency

ranges specifically reserved for industrial, scientific,

or medical applications. These frequency ranges are

called industrial-scientific-medical (ISM). The main

frequency ranges used by RFID systems are the low

frequencies (125 and 134.5 kHz) and ISM

frequencies: 6.78, 13.56, 27.125, 40.68, 433.92,

869.0, 915.0 MHz (not in Europe), 2.45, 5.8, and

24.125 GHz.

5 HEALTHCARE AND IoT

The Internet of Things will play an essential role in

developing smart services, supporting and

strengthening the activities of society and people.

These services allow people to live independently and

improve their health. For this, the Internet of Things

offers many advantages: monitoring of objects and

people (staff and patients), monitoring and

administration of medical parameters, identification

and authentication of people, automatic data

collection and remote sensing.

In healthcare, there is patient flow tracking and

monitoring to improve workflow in hospitals and

tracking movement through choke points, such as

access to designated areas. It also includes patient

identification to reduce incidents that could harm

them (e.g. wrong dose / dose / time / procedure),

complete and current electronic maintenance of

medical records (outpatient and outpatient), and

identification of infants in hospitals. In this sense,

there are other relevant applications regarding the

identification of medical materials and instruments

like the application of smart labels which will ensure

accurate tracking of objects in order to avoid loss or

theft of material, or the presence of material inside a

patient during an operation.

WINSYS 2021 - 18th International Conference on Wireless Networks and Mobile Systems

Figure 3: Healthcare application in IoT.

5.1 Ambient Assisted Living

Ambient Assisted Living is based on Ambient

Intelligence. AAL gives the possibility to the elderly

and the disabled to remain independent. The

semantics will allow by reasoning to assist the elderly

in their daily routine by understanding their activities.

Its aim is to improve the quality of life of people with

special needs (such as the elderly or disabled) using

different types of technology. To achieve these goals,

several sensors and smart devices are typically used.

These devices can be placed at home (called Smart

Home), in the body (implementation of WBAN

networks), as portable sensors, or even in phones

(Smartphones). (Reem,2012) (Amine,2016).

5.2 Patient Monitoring

The vision of connected healthcare is growing due to

the availability of new technological tools. By

applying IoT and new technologies, it is possible to

create a health app that pops up every morning to

request blood glucose readings and automatically

collect patient data. In the vision of connected

healthcare, patients are the ones who take

responsibility for monitoring their health. The IoT

with its applications will help doctors react quickly in

an emergency and allow them to cooperate with

international hospitals to monitor the condition of

such a patient. With advancements in Internet of

Things technology, sophisticated sensors can be used

to monitor patients with real-time updates (Solans,

2014).

5.3 Clinical Application

Among the applications of the Internet of Things, we

can find electronic monitoring applications made

primarily to set up a system of patient-centered

remote consultation services and continuous

monitoring aimed at helping critically ill patients. IoT

sensors will help inpatients move freely within the

hospital without having to enter certain rooms and be

connected to certain machines while avoiding the

hassle of moving doctors and nurses around the

hospital. 'pavilion to pavilion for reviews and

analysis. Indeed, it will help caregivers in the

performance of their work, while allowing them to

monitor the patient's condition remotely and help

them to cooperate for the diagnosis of the patient's

condition between the different disciplines (Khan,

2010).

5.4 Medication Management

IoT applications enable patients and their families to

manage medication therapy well. It is often observed

that patients forget to take their medications on time

and that doctors do not receive this information

correctly. The use of IoT applications solves drug

management problems, an application to remind the

patient to use their drugs, and also to specify the time

for and the dose of each drug (Trin, 2021).

5.5 RFID Technology in Healthcare

RFID technologies can be used in the health field to

improve the quality of life of patients and also to help

health workers to work in good conditions. RFID can

be used to locate, identify and monitor the location

and condition of equipment used in hospitals. This

leads to a substantial improvement in operating costs,

proactive maintenance and inventory levels. Using

RFID tags and the RFID wristband to monitor patient

movements to ensure they are receiving the right

treatments where a mobile point of care is more

convenient for physicians. RFID systems could have

an indirect impact on the safety productivity of

hospitals by monitoring their workflow and

processing time (Yao, 2010).

6 PROPOSED INTEGRATED

RFID TAG FOR IOT

APPLICATION

6.1 Study and Design of the Printed

Dipole Antenna

The identification of objects using radio waves

(RFID), is systems based on two-way remote and

Design of a Tag Antenna for IoT Applications in the Healthcare Field

contactless identification technology. This type of

application makes it possible to extract information

stored in RFID Tags. The principle of operation of

RFID Tags is to backscatter information by

modulation to ensure full communication with

readers.

To design an antenna that meets the expected

characteristics, in particular low cost, optimal

dimensions, and a good reflection coefficient, it is

necessary to have a precise idea of the choice of

antenna components. For this purpose, we have

studied the folded dipole antenna.

The parametric study will determine the impact on

the resonant frequency, radiated field and gain. We

will then present the results obtained using the HFSS

simulation tool.

The main types of antennas used for RFID

applications are:

• Patch antennas

• Dipole antennas

• PIFA antennas

In this paper we have chosen the dipole antenna

which has many advantages:

Dipole antennas are the most used in RFID

technology, thanks to several characteristics, in

particular their symmetry, their ease of integration

and especially their low cost. They have

omnidirectional radiation and linear polarization. We

have shown in the previous chapter, that to obtain a

maximum of power supplied to the load. However,

most commercial RFID Tags are based on dipole

antennas. Figure 4 shows the antenna proposed for

this work. This is the design of the folded planar half-

wave dipole antenna, length l = 75mm and width W

= 3mm under HFSS software. It operates on a

resonant frequency of 2.45 GHz. The substrate was

chosen as the epoxy FR4 having a relative

permittivity ε_r = 4.6 and a height of 1.6 mm.

The proposed antenna as shown in Fig. 4 has been

modelled and analyzed by using Ansoft HFSS 2015

software that is used for optimization and simulation

of the designed antenna. The antenna performance

has been obtained through a frequency swept range

from 2- 2.80 GHz. The simulation of the planar dipole

antenna that operates on the 2.45 GHz resonance

frequency gives the following results. Figure 5 shows

a minimal reflection at the resonance frequency equal

to -41dB.

Figure 6 shows the SWR of the planar dipole

antenna, SWR<2.

Figure 7 represents the 3D radiation pattern shows

that the antenna is omnidirectional according to the

angle phi, and bidirectional according to angle Theta.

Another essential feature for knowing the antenna

parameters is the two-dimensional radiation pattern in

the E planes and the H plane which is illustrated in

Figure 6, and which represents 2 main lobes.

Figure 4: Planar Dipole Antenna.

Figure 5: Return Loss of the Planar Dipole

Figure 6: SWR of the Planar Dipole Antenna.

Figure 7: Radiation pattern of the Dipole antenna.

WINSYS 2021 - 18th International Conference on Wireless Networks and Mobile Systems

Figure 8: 2D radiation pattern in the E&H plane.

Figure 9: Gain of the Dipole antenna.

As we notice in figure 9 that our antenna has a

gain equal to 3dB.

7 CONCLUSIONS

The integration of the two new emerging technologies

RFID and IoT in healthcare applications offers

several advantages for patients and also for healthcare

professionals. With the use of RFID and IoT we can

improve healthcare applications, and monitor patient

medical equipment continuously. In this paper an

array-based RFID reader antenna has been proposed.

The design is made on substrate using ANSYS HFSS

v.15 software at a frequency of 2.45 GHz. The

simulation results indicate that the antenna fulfils all

the requirements of RFID reader antenna for

healthcare applications as well as in wireless

communication. In future work, we will try to add

other parameters to improve the gain of the antenna.

other thing that interests us is to reduce the size of the

antenna and also to choose the best substrate, because

its permittivity has a significant effect on the

performance of the antenna. Moreover, we are going

to implement it for weigh control (Lopes, 2011) and

children continuous ehealth monitoring (Lloret,

2017) purposes.

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