RFID Program, Oakton Community College

RFD 204 Generic Course Syllabus (Pending ICCB Approval)

I.	Course	Course	Course
	Prefix	Number	Name	Credit	Lecture	Lab
	RFD	204	RFID Physics	3	3	1

II.	Prerequisites
	RFD 101, RFD 102 and ELT 101. Some background in physics is also helpful.

III.	Course (Catalog) Description
	Course covers physics of radio frequency identification (RFID) and its limitations. Content includes comparison of different ID systems and their capabilities, physics involved in deployment of RF applications, and use of frequency ranges based on regulations. The course also covers the physics of shielding and effects of far and near field paradigms.

IV.	Learning Objectives
	1. Understand fundamental physics for RFID deployment.
	2. Understand limitations and effects of shielding in RFID systems.
	3. Understand the physics concepts involved in RFID.
	4. Overview of frequency use in RF systems and its regulation in the US.
	5. Understand fundamentals of physics in RFID near and far field paradigms.

V.	Academic Integrity
	Students and employees at Oakton Community College are required to demonstrate academic integrity and follow Oakton's Code of Academic Conduct. This code prohibits:
	cheating plagiarism (turning in work not written by you, or lacking proper citation) falsification and fabrication (lying or distorting the truth) helping others to cheat unauthorized changes on official documents pretending to be someone else or having someone else pretend to be you making or accepting bribes, special favors, or threats, and any other behavior that violates academic integrity.
	There are serious consequences to violations of the academic integrity policy. Oakton's policies and procedures provide students a fair hearing if a complaint is made against you. If you are found to have violated the policy, the minimum penalty is failure on the assignment and, a disciplinary record will be established and kept on file in the office of the Vice President for Student Affairs for a period of 3 years.
	Details of the Code of Academic Conduct can be found in the Student Handbook.

VI.

Outline of Topics

A.

Introduction

B.

Overview of Automatic Identification Systems

1.	Comparison of Different ID Systems
2.	Components of an RFID System
3.	Selection Criteria for RFID Systems
4.	RFID Frequency and Operating Principles

C.

Physics of RFID Deployment

1.	Environmental effects
2.	RF path loss
3.	Materials
4.	Hardware selection criteria
5.	Application requirements

D.

Physical Principles of RFID Systems

1.

Fundamentals of magnetic fields

2.

Electromagnetic radiation

3.

Antennas

a.	dBi, dBm, EIRP and ERP
b.	Directional sensing antennas

4.

Antenna types

a.	Dipole antennas
b.	Yagi–Uda antenna
c.	Patch or microstrip antenna
d.	Slot antennas

5.

Power, gain and directional effect

6.

Cable types and connections

7.

Impedance

a.	Passive, BAP, and active characteristics

8.

Aperture

9.

Wave length and waveforms

E.

Frequency Ranges and Regulations

1.	Frequency ranges used in US
2.	Frequency ranges used in Europe

F.

Coding and Modulation

1.	Coding in the baseband
2.	Digital modulation procedures
3.	Amplitude shift keying (ASK)
4.	FSK
5.	PSK
6.	Modulation procedures with subcarriers

G.

Shielding and Signal Dampening

1.	Eccosorb and EccShield
2.	Affects of other objects in RF vicinity

H.

Near Field and Far Field Paradigms

1.	Magnetic field induction vs propagating electromagnetic waves

I.

RFID Integration

VII.	Methods of Instruction
	Demonstration and presentation and hand-on labs

VIII.	Course Practices Required
	Reading of handouts is required as a reference to the materials and the techniques under study. Completion of classroom, research and laboratory assignments is necessary to provide support for the classroom discussions.

IX.	Methods of Evaluation

	Homework	10%
	Tests & quizzes	50%
	Labs	20%
	Final Project	20%

	Grading Scale:
	90-100	A
	80-89	B
	70-79	C
	60-69	D
	59 & below	F

X.	Instructional Materials
	Handouts and URL addresses will be provided by the instructor for research of the topics.

XI.	Other Sources of Information
	If you have a documented learning, psychological, or physical disability you may be entitled to reasonable academic accommodations or services. To request accommodations or services, contact the ASSIST office in the Learning Center. All students are expected to fulfill essential course requirements. The College will not waive any essential skill or requirement of a course or degree program.

Effective beginning term: Fall 2008	Ending term:
Syllabus prepared by: Majid Ghadiri	Date: 12/07
Reviewed by Dept/Program Chair: D. Geller/M.Ghadiri	Date: 12/07
Approved by Dean: R. Sompolski	Date: 12/07

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