Khosro Bijanrostami Peiman Fakhimi

Supervisor: Vahid Bagherpour

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a generic term that is used to describe a system that transmits the identity (in the form of a unique serial number) of an object or person wirelessly, using radio waves. It's grouped under the broad category of automatic identification technologies.

Real-time locating systems (RTLS) are a type of local positioning system that allows tracking and identifying the location of objects in real time. Using simple, inexpensive badges or tags attached to the objects, readers receive wireless signals from these tags to determine their locations. RTLS typically refers to systems that provide passive or active (automatic) collection of location information.

In chokepoint locating there are a series of radio frequency (RF) coverage areas or zones of coverage, established by the presence of an RFID reader and its associated antenna within a defined space. The actual size of a chokepoint area can be varied based on the vendor hardware being used and/or parameter settings in the system. (The circles C1 to C13 represent the chokepoints). As tagged objects move through a chokepoint they are recorded, typically in a software database. The location of an object is determined by looking at the historical path created by the records of 2 or 3 chokepoints through which an object has passed (point to point locating). Resolution is increased by adding more chokepoints to the environment.

Time of Arrival (ToA), Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA), Angle of Arrival (AoA), Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI)

GPS is the most promising and most popular technology in three dimensional positioning. However, the reception of GPS signals inside most buildings is not reliable for positioning. Some auxiliary techniques, such as GPS pseudolite and Assisted-GPS, have been developed to more effectively obtain a position in a harsh environment, but the cost of establishing those infrastructures for practical operation is still high. In recent years, the indoor guidance system has shown its importance in many places, e.g. museums, university, hospitals, airport terminals and exhibition halls among others. To meet both technical and cost requirements, this study proposed a guidance system based on the RFID. The RFID is mainly operated for indoor locating. The guidance system can, therefore, receive the location information from the RFID reader, provide the shortest routing operation, and work with the graphic and vocal interfaces to guide the users to their designated points.

Payment Systems Asset TrackingInventory ControlSecurity and Access Control 

Major cash flow monitoringCurrent situation monitoring at each point of salesRe-usability of the system at the other events and

other locations (campus, offices, festivals, etc)

Reasons for having such a system and these include:1) Enhanced security to limit access to restricted areas, 2) Tracking employee activity, 3) Improve loss prevention and 4) Compliance to higher internal or government regulated security measures post 9- 11 to name just a few.

Asset tracking is the act of monitoring and tracking products which enables you to instantly determine the general location of tagged objects anywhere within a defined space.

Tracking includes work-in-process manufacturing as well as asset tracking, monitoring and management. Asset tracking allows you to monitor location, status and availability from virtually any location in your extended operations; manage your assets on demand by knowing where they are and boost production by getting your assets where they need to be without delay. Integrate your business processes with on demand knowledge of work-in-process manufacturing, and make more informed decisions.

 

Although this comparison primarily focuses on the advantages of RFID over barcodes, RFID will not completely replace barcode technology. Barcodes offer some advantages over RFID, most notably their low cost. 

RFID is 15-20 times faster than manual and barcode processes for inventorying IT assets. Customers using the RFTrack.NET Inventory Module have reported even better metrics, with RFID-based inventories being as much as 60 times faster than manual inventory processes. 

Motorola experienced a 95% reduction in time in deployed IT asset tracking using RFID.

Prescription drug maker Purdue Pharma, who incorporated RFID into its supply chain in 2003, it took months of experimenting to figure out the best way to place the microchips on its pill bottles , but ultimately dropped the idea due to lack of standards.

The Stanford drug manufacturer continues to use RFID technology to help reduce the number of stolen shipments.

Tyson Foods switched to RFID tracking to meet Wal-Mart's requirements. But soon the technology was withdrawn.

Karkkainen (2003) presents a breakdown of total savings that Sainsbury achieved while implementing a company wide RFID based tracking system.

Improvements in inventory control at depots are predicted to return £130,000 of savings while reductions in in-store stock loss are expected to return over £4 million.

In June 2003 Wal-Mart first announced its plan to implement RFID technology in its supply chain by January 2005.Recent reports show that Walmart has not gained the benefits that were originally expected from the introduction of RFID technology . The number of RFID-enabled distribution centers and stores is considerably behind target and its general and administrative expenses have not decreased. IBM consultants have encountered interference from equipment such as handheld walkie-talkies, forklifts, and other devices typically found in distribution facilities. Cell phone towers located near the premises, which transmit at the high end of the frequency band, sometimes leak unwanted radio waves into RFID readers.

Admittedly Walmart’s initial targets for RFID rollout were ambitious, but this case serves to highlight the problem of applying technology before analyzing and understanding the fundamental business problems and needs.

Sophisticated RFID technology, will help to increase campus

security, and provide cardholders with convenient

functionality. Because the RFID readers don't contain sensitive

moving parts, they can be placed outside of buildings without

fear of damage.

Libraries:

Self Service Check in/out Theft Detection Security Stock Management Hierarchy access Privacy

Libraries:

Self Service Check in/out Theft Detection Security Stock Management Hierarchy access Privacy

LibraryAvg. time per unit

(RFID)Avg. time per unit (Conv.)

Book Rental 1.5 min 8 minsPerformance Analysis

(Sample of 100 Students)

Parking lotsCar rentalRTLS

Example: Metro Grocery stores

RFID Student IDs

Class Attendance Access control Payment systems Dining Halls Bike Rental Library Applications Sport Complex Subscription Individual performance

The $60,000 revamp to the dining area at University of Chicago Grammar School was made possible by funds raised by the school for automation of the payment systems.

Laboratories Attendance Log in/out time Visited devices Contribution Web-based Applications (RFID in conjunction with web to

improve evaluation methods of students)

Performance analysis

(Using managerial software)

University of North Arizona uses a performance analysis chart to plot the data collected from students activities throughout the whole campus.

RFID & sensor networks are both important components of pervasive computing. Sensor networks are usually used to sense and monitor the environmental conditions of any object that is embedded with.

In typical application of an RFID system, RFID tags can be traceable. RFID technology is assumed to perform one single task and has limitations of sensing the working environment; however this ability can be extended by integration of RFID systems and Wireless Network Nodes adding a sensor network to provide sensible property to an insensible RFID tag.

Advantages of WSN & RFID Integration:Advantages of WSN & RFID Integration:

• Ability to provide more information (Measurement of temperature, humidity, pressure, vibration intensity, sound intensity, power-line voltage, chemical concentrations, pollutant levels, etc.)

• Incorporation with sensors enables RFID to push logic into nodes to enable RFID readers/tags to have intelligence. This allows for new applications.

A hair-thin electronic patch that adheres to the skin like a temporary tattoo could transform medical sensing, computer gaming and even spy operations.

The micro-electronics technology was developed by collaborators from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Northwestern University, Tufts University, the Institute of High Performance Computing in Singapore, and Dalian University of Technology in China.

• Patients with sleep apnea • Neonatal care for babies• Electronic bandages to help skin

heal from wounds and burnCertain diseases of the larynx

• Monitor brain, heart and muscle tissue activity

• Operate a voice-activated video game

• Military and spying applications

• Mechanically and physiologically invisible to the user.• Integration with the skin • 90 percent accuracy• Nearly weightless • Little power (miniature solar collectors Stray or transmitted )• Electromagnetic radiation• Adhere to the skin without any glues and stay in place for 30 Hours• Incorporated miniature sensors, light-emitting diodes,• Tiny transmitters and receivers, and networks of carefully crafted wire filaments into their initial designs.

An edible RFID chip, part of a system called Nutrismart. The chip could send nutritional data and ingredients for people who have allergies, or calorie-counting for those on diets to a personal computer or, conceivably, a mobile phone via a Bluetooth connection

. . It could even be used to market organic food, with a chip holding data about the origin of the good.