RFID Technology as a Low-Cost and Passive Way to Digitize Industrial Analogic Indicators

Simple analog devices like manometers, manual valves, etc., have been ignored in the digitization process that has characterized the transition towards Industry 4.0. The reason behind this is that their substitution with the equivalent digital versions is high cost and needs re-wiring. This study introduces a low-cost wireless and passive model aligned with the Industry 4.0 paradigm to digitize analog indicators. The concept is based on electromagnetic (EM) shielding of the manometer’s embedded radio frequency identification (RFID) tag. We designed and tuned a new tiny RFID tag to be embedded into analog devices. Finally, a digitized manometer by RFID electromagnetic shielding concept is simulated in the Ansys HFSS modeling environment.