The Principle, Methods and Recent Progress in RFID Positioning Techniques: A Review

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) has become a key enabler for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). By taking advantage of the backscattered radio waves, the identity and position of RFID-labeled objects can be obtained simultaneously. Very many efforts have been devoted to the investigations of RFID positioning, but practical applications are rarely seen in industrial sectors. Motived by the potentiality of RFID positioning and the gap between research and practice, this investigation aims to provide an in-depth survey of the methods and the latest technical progress in RFID positioning to identify the underlying challenges. The main contributions include (1) A theoretical model of radio frequency backscatter coupling-based positioning and an in-depth analysis of the influencing parameters. (2) A new classification of RFID positioning techniques with a discussion of the latest progress. (3) A summary of the potential applications and the underlying challenges facing the state-of-the-art, including the simultaneous attitude and position acquisition and the flexible integration with practical applications. (4) The prospects of emerging technologies such as the integration of identification, sensing, and positioning, RFID positioning-powered robotics operations, and machine learning/deep learning algorithms are discussed. This investigation gives a comprehensive perspective on RFID positioning, which provides a reference for related research and practices.