Abstract
With the spreading of radio frequency identification (RFID) tag attachment to vehicles across the world, a wide range of innovative opportunities arise that could exploit the tag availability. In this dissertation, research focusing on the validation of three vehicular RFID concepts on physical layer is reported, which could be exploited by a wide range of applications. These concepts are non-tagged vehicle identification, multiple vehicle speed detection and direction finding. The vehicular channel characterisation of a backscattered RFID response and reflected signal from a carrier wave radar reveals the possibility to integrate the two concepts in order to detect both the tagged and non-tagged vehicles within a short range. In exploiting RFID on vehicles, unique propagation characteristics are important to model, validated by measurements. Installing a tag with vertical polarisation on the vehicle windscreen, using a circular polarisation at the reader is favourable for minimising path loss. The concept of multiple vehicle speed detection is validated using this model by finding the Doppler shift using suitable anti-collision protocols.The main contribution is the proof of the Pseudo Doppler technique using a reader with a low cost switched linear array, which can accurately resolve the direction of a tagged vehicle from a stationary roadside reader. The technique resolves the Pseudo Doppler shift using a low complexity phase gradient based method. Proof of the concept required extensive measurements using an array antenna at the reader, which was conducted to investigate the channel stationarity within the reading range. Finally an example application of the direction finding technique is shown where a global positioning system correction algorithm was developed for use in tunnels and built up environments.