Internet Communication Project with an RFID Author: Josh Gallegos

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Internet Communication Project with an
RFIDAuthor Josh Gallegos

• CNT4104
• Instructor Zalewski, Janusz
• Florida Gulf Coast University
• September 12th, 2008

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Example Problem

• We need to track contents on a conveyor belt.
• Must be attended by a person
• Is subject to human error
• Information would have to be manually transmitted
  elsewhere
• Slow, inefficient, relies on manpower. How could
  this be automated?
• RFID Technology

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Example Diagram
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What is RFID?

• Radio-frequency Identification

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RFID Description

• Connected via serial cable to a computer
• Has four ports for sensors
• Activates when tags are in close proximity
• --Would solve manpower issue.
• --Would operate very quickly, reliant only on
  user-side interactivity

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Is it reliable?

• Does RFID pick up the objects every time?
• Although pitfalls exist, it is overall very
  reliable
• Sensors constantly sniff, identifying an object
  repeatedly in one swipe
• Eliminates singular losses of information

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RF Command Suite

• Included with hardware package
• Provides simple text output

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Sample Text Output
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Tag Identification

• How do we identify each tag?
• An example tag reads
• A1A050804A150807AA021001
• How do we interpret this in human terms when
  necessary?

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RF Command Suite Tags
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Identification Solution

• The RF Command Suite provides a solution
• It allows tag identification with text output
• This file can be manipulated freely

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Solutions

• Data acquisition is already taken care of
• This leaves just two steps to resolve
• How do we effectively organize the data for
  users?
• How do we make it remotely accessible?

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Data Organization Program

• This is a straightforward program
• The contents of it are similar to what was
  learned in Programming Methodology
• Reads text files
• Extracts information
• Places it into array of objects of custom class
  tag

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Reading Text Pseudocode

• Rd,dA1A050804A150807AA021001,tEPC1G2,r0bFC
  10/5/2008 113724 PM
• Begin loop, while (next mark ! 0 !EOF)
• Locate the next
• Increment by one, so it indicates the first hex
  digit
• Take the next 24 characters, completing the hex
  tag
• Find the next
• Add three to indicate start of date
• Locate the next carriage return
• Decrement by one
• Take the string beginning at the first number and
  ending at the second
• Place these two strings into an object class
  tag
• Continue loop

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Pseudocode Class Tag

• class tag
• String hextag
• String date
• String name

This is retrieved from tag identification text
file as discussed earlier
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Remote Access

• Must be accessible from anywhere
• Since were minimizing manpower, nobody can
  manually send it
• Here is where the given software falls through
• How can we immediately access our remote
  information?
• Create a website utilizing scripts
• Permit SSH connectivity with a login account and
  make the text file available
• Create a server-side program to transmit the data

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Sample Program Operation

• List all tags
• Search by tag
• Search by tag name
• Search by tag number
• Search by date time
• Search by last hour
• Active Monitoring Mode
• How does this work???

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Active Monitoring Mode

• The server starts a thread looking for change
• When updates occur, forwards data to client
• Should be a toggle on the client side
• Throws lines to the screen when they occur
• Does not interrupt whatever the client is doing
• Does not inconvenience the client
• Allows other functions to occur simultaneously

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Conclusion

• Much time and manpower would be required transmit
  conveyor belt contents manually
• Can be avoided by automatically organizing and
  transmitting the data via a program
• I propose creating this program to access a
  computer hooked up to the RFID from anywhere
• Would allow instant, anywhere access to an
  inventory with unique identifier information

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References

• Porter, Robert, Evan Flechsig, and Olexiy
  Kovtunenko. "Data Acquisition
• through RDIF." Report. FGCU. 9
  April 2008
• "RFID. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 12
  Sept. 2008 lthttp//en.wikipedia.org/wi
  ki/rfidgt.
• Roudolph. Digital image. Spychips. 12 Sept. 2008
  
• lthttp//www.spychips.com/blog/ro
  udolph20the20rfid20reindeer.jpggt.
• "What is RFID?" Technovelgy.com - where science
  meets fiction. 12 Sept. 2008
  lthttp//www.technovelgy.com/ct/technology-article.
  asp?artnum1gt.