How does the inlay orientation to a reader or position on a carton pose a challenge?
Many inlays, especially those with a small vertical profile, have an antenna read field pattern that resembles a donut, meaning that they cannot be read from the direction of the antenna tips. This can cause null spots (no reads) when trying to read the tag end-on. That is why Avery Dennison RFID designed our AD-831 inlay to be read from any orientation, with no null spots allowing it to be read from any direction. Carton contents can also influence read range and there are many examples of a tag that reads well in one place on a carton and not at all when moved a few inches. Carton contents and their arrangement inside the carton can create hot spots and dead spots on the cardboard surface. Avery Dennison developed our Sweet Spot tester to determine the optimal RFID tag position on a carton relative to the contents inside.
