Investigation of the Signal Reach Performance of the Ultra-High-Frequency Identification Tag for Underground Utility Management

The historical management of underground utilities such as communication lines, water and sewage pipes, and power lines is essential for their effective use. However, due to the nature of the buried facilities, detecting and tracking them are challenging, although various solutions are difficult to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied sciences 2023-02, Vol.13 (4), p.2294
Main Authors: Gu, Youzhang, Roh, Seunghyun, Lin, Wuguan, Jung, YooSeok, Cho, Yoon-Ho
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antennas
Asphalt
Attenuation
Cables
Communication
Electromagnetism
Global positioning systems
GPS
Investigations
Literature reviews
Methods
Multilayers
pavement
Pavements
Power lines
Radio frequency identification
Radio frequency identification (RFID)
Radio-tagging
Roads
Roads & highways
Sewage
Sewer pipes
signal attenuation
signal-reaching performance
Subgrades
ultra-high-frequency radio frequency identification
Ultrahigh frequencies
Underground utilities
Water utilities
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Summary:The historical management of underground utilities such as communication lines, water and sewage pipes, and power lines is essential for their effective use. However, due to the nature of the buried facilities, detecting and tracking them are challenging, although various solutions are difficult to apply in the field, especially optical cables, which are mainly used for communication, making it more difficult to apply existing solutions. There has been limited research on the practicalities of solutions, especially on multilayer structures such as road pavements. Based on a literature review, we selected ultra-high-frequency radio frequency identification (UHF RFID), which is least affected by performance degradation or interference due to batteries. We experimented to identify the signal attenuation based on the medium by controlling the materials and moisture used in the road pavement as variables. The signal reached a depth of 68 cm and this was possible under conditions of asphalt and subgrade soil. In a comparative experiment for each variable, we recognized tags of sand and coarse aggregate up to a depth of 70 cm. When the moisture was considered, the signal attenuation difference was 1.8 dBm for each level. Based on the experimental results of this study, it was confirmed that UHF RFID can be used as a marker sensor to be attached to utilities installed under the road pavement. Depending on the structure and material of the pavement, the signal is sufficiently transmitted up to 40–50 cm, which is the target installation depth of the communication line.
ISSN:2076-3417
2076-3417
DOI:10.3390/app13042294