Smartrac has announced its Sensor Tadpole tag, a passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) on-metal tag with a built-in water sensor. According to Smartrac, the tag can be used to ensure that cars leaving its factory are completely watertight, and may also find applications in aviation manufacture and shipbuilding.

The sensor tag features RFMicron's Magnus S2 Sensor IC with its patented Chameleon technology, which can be used to sense moisture or pressure levels. In April 2015, RFMicron announced that a Smartrac tag made with RFMicron's Magnus S moisture-sensing chip was being used by automotive companies to detect whether water penetrates a vehicle's body during high-pressure water tests (see RFMicron Releases New Passive UHF Chips With Moisture, Temperature, Pressure Sensors).

Smartrac's Sensor Tadpole tag

Smartrac's new tag can be deployed on cars during assembly and be used to detect small amounts of water leakage inside vehicle compartments that can damage a car's electronics bays, cabins and trunks. The detection area can be extended by means of a wicking tail, which guides moisture to the sensor tag. This allows even minute amounts of water to be detected quickly, easily and reliably, according to Smartrac, thereby allowing manufacturers to identify the source of a leak. The Sensor Tadpole is deployed in the manufacturing flow as part of an automobile's assembly process, and the tag's antenna transforms environmental data into an impedance change. The tag IC then translates this information into a 5-bit sensor code as it dynamically matches antenna impedance to die impedance.

The tag has a die-cut size of 21.5 millimeters by 73.0 millimeters (0.94 inch by 2.9 inches), is available in white wet (adhesive) singulated format with different tail options, and can be delivered pre-encoded if needed. Furthermore, the unique tag identifier (TID), Electronic Product Code (EPC) and sensor code offer the opportunity to manage and collate the information received from the sensor tag using Smartrac's Smart Cosmos Cloud-based services platform, the company reports, which is of high interest to manufacturers wishing to track the performance of components, or to improve quality management. Suiting all converting-industry needs, Smartrac says, the tag complies with all relevant industry standards and strict quality-control parameters.

The first commercial deployment of the Sensor Tadpole tag is already being piloted, Smartrac reports. A German original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is currently testing the passive sensor tag in high-end cars to ensure that they leave the factory watertight, and the project is being managed by automation partner Turck.