RFID Technology Based Attendance Management System
IJCSI International Journal of Computer Science Issues, Vol. 10, Issue 1, No 1, January 2013ISSN (Print): 1694-0784 ISSN (Online): 1694-0814www.IJCSI.org516RFID Technology Based Attendance Management SystemSumita Nainan1, Romin Parekh2, Tanvi Shah31Department of Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering, NMIMS UniversityMumbai, Maharashtra 400 056. INDIA2Department of Computer Engineering, NMIMS UniversityMumbai, Maharashtra 400 056. INDIA3Department of Computer Engineering, NMIMS UniversityMumbai, Maharashtra 400 056. INDIAAbstractRFID is a nascent technology, deeply rooted by its earlydevelopments in using radar 1 as a harbinger of adversary planesduring World War II. A plethora of industries have leveraged thebenefits of RFID technology for enhancements in sectors likemilitary, sports, security, airline, animal farms, healthcare and otherareas. Industry specific key applications of this technology includevehicle tracking, automated inventory management, animalmonitoring, secure store checkouts, supply chain management,automatic payment, sport timing technologies, etc. This paperintroduces the distinctive components of RFID technology andfocuses on its core competencies: scalability and security. It will bethen supplemented by a detailed synopsis of an investigationconducted to test the feasibility and practicality of RFID technology.Keywords: RFID technology, RFID detection, RFID applications,RFID in management, RFID components.performance of the system [2, 9]. The Backend databasestores individual tag identifiers to uniquely identify the rolesof each tag. The database stores record entries pertaining toindividual tags and its role in the system application. TheRFID system is interdependent on its core components toachieve maximum efficiency and optimum performance of theapplication. Due to its high degree of flexibility, the systemcan be easily adopted for an array of applications rangingfrom small scale inventory cabinets to multifarious and highlyagile supply chain management systems [4, 6]. Although, thecost of incorporating this technology has restricted itsoutreach, the technology promises to have untapped potential[10, 11].2. Evolution of RFID1. IntroductionRFID, which stands for Radio Frequency Identification, isan automatic identification technology used for retrievingfrom or storing data on to RFID Tags without any physicalcontact [1]. An RFID system primarily comprises of RFIDTags, RFID Reader, Middleware and a Backend database.RFID Tags are uniquely and universally identified by anidentification sequence, governed by the rubrics of EPCglobalTag Data Standard2. A tag can either be passively activated byan RFID reader or it can actively transmit RF signals to thereader [3]. The RFID reader, through its antenna, reads theinformation stored on these tags when it’s in its vicinity. Thereader, whose effective range is based on its operationalfrequency, is designed to operate at a certain frequency. Theoperational frequency of the reader ranges from 125 KHz –2.4 GHz [5]. The Middleware encompasses all thosecomponents that are responsible for the transmission ofgermane information from the reader to the backendmanagement systems [8]. The Middleware can includehardware components like cables and connectivity ports andsoftware components like filters that monitor networkThe success of RFID technology primarily centres on theadvent of radio technology [12]. The developments in radiotechnology were a prerequisite to harness the essence of RFIDtechnology. There is significant growth over the past couple ofdecades in this technology (see figure 1). RFID technology isrife in modern industries that demand data integrity and highefficiency of the system. This technology is used for trackingvehicles and goods, courier services and luggage handling[18]. Other applications include animal tracking, secure tollpayments, inventory management systems, access controlmechanisms, etc. Figure 1 depicts the evolution of RFIDtechnology.1Radio Detection and Ranging is a communication medium to subliminallydetect objects that are miles away, invisible to the naked eye.2It defines the guidelines of how key identifiers must be encoded on the tag todefine industry based standardization.Copyright (c) 2013 International Journal of Computer Science Issues. All Rights Reserved.
IJCSI International Journal of Computer Science Issues, Vol. 10, Issue 1, No 1, January 2013ISSN (Print): 1694-0784 ISSN (Online): 1694-0814www.IJCSI.org5172.1 TagsA tag consists of a microchip that stores a unique sequenceidentifier that is useful in identifying objects individually. Thesequence is a numeric serial, which is stored in the RFIDmemory. The microchip includes minute circuitry and anembedded silicon chip [14, 18]. The tag memory can bepermanent or re-writable, which can be re-programmedelectronically by the reader multiple times. Tags are designedspecific to its applications and environment. For example,paper-thin tags are attached to books in a library managementsystem [12].Tags are available in various shapes and sizes (see figure 3).Tags that are initiated by the reader are known as Passive tags,whilst those that do not require external initiation are calledActive tags. A Semi-Passive tag exists, which has the featuresof both Active and Passive tags [21]. Each tag type has itsdistinct characteristics, which are discussed in table 1.Tags are operable on Microwave (2.4 – 2.5 GHz), UltraHigh Frequency (UHF) (860 – 1500 MHz), High Frequency(HF) (13.56 MHz) and Low Frequency (LF) (125 kHz) [22].Fig. 1 A depiction of the evolution of RFID technology adapted from [22].3. Components of an RFID SystemAn RFID system consists of various components that areconnected to one another by a dedicated communication path(see figure 2). The individual components are integrated intothe system to implement the benefits of RFID solution [15].The list of components is as follows: Tags – an object that is attached to any product and usesa unique sequence of characters to define it. Itcomprises of a chip and the antenna. Antenna – it is responsible for the transmission ofinformation between the reader and tag using radiowaves. Reader – a scanning device that uses the antenna torealise the tags that are in its vicinity. It transmitssignals at a certain frequencies. Middleware – it is a communication interface tointerpret and process data being fed by the readers intoinformation. It takes into account all relevant ports ofcommunication and a software application to representthis information. Backend database – a repository of information, whichis designed specific to the application. The databasestores records of data specific to individual tags.Fig. 3 Types of RFID TagsTable 1: Features of Types of TagsFeatureReadRangeBatteryPassiveShort (up to10m)NoLifespanUp to 20 yearsCostCheapAvailabilityStorageApplicationOnly in fieldof reader128 bytesread/ writeEZ-Pass tollpaymentboothsType of TagActiveLong (up to100m)YesBetween 5-10yearsVeryexpensiveContinuous128 Kbytesread/ writeMonitor thecondition offresh produceSemi – PassiveLong (up to100m)YesUp to 10 yearsExpensiveOnly in field ofreader128 Kbytesread/ writeMeasurementof temperatureperiodically2.2 AntennaThe antenna is medium through which the tag and readercommunicate with each other. It antenna can activate apassive tag and transfer data by emitting wireless impulsesFig. 2 Components of an RFID systemCopyright (c) 2013 International Journal of Computer Science Issues. All Rights Reserved.
IJCSI International Journal of Computer Science Issues, Vol. 10, Issue 1, No 1, January 2013ISSN (Print): 1694-0784 ISSN (Online): 1694-0814www.IJCSI.orgthat has electromagnetic properties [20]. The antenna comesin various designs (see figure 4). They come in followingtypes: (1) Stick antennas, (2) Di-pole or multi-pole antennas,(3) Beam-forming or phased-array element antennas, (4)Circular polarized, (5) Gate antennas, (6) Patch antennas, (7)Linear polarized, (8) Adaptive antennas, and (9) Omnidirectional antennas [19].518implementation of RFID in student management will provideadditional capabilities like high efficiency and overall ease inmanagement of the system [11]. The objectives of the researchshould be clearly organised to successfully develop the system.5. Application DescriptionFig. 4 Types of antenna [7]2.3 ReaderThe reader is the most fundamental part of the RFIDsystem. It reads raw data from the tag and transmits it to theMiddleware for further processing [16]. The reader attemptsto interrogate the tags at varying frequencies. The readercommunicates by transmitting a beam of impulses, whichencapsulate commands to the tag and listens for the tag’sresponse [14]. The reader also contains built in anti-collisionprocesses, which allows the reader to read multiple tagssimultaneously [15]. The reader is connected to the computerfor data processing via a USB cable or over a wirelessconnection.2.4 MiddlewareThe middleware is an interface required to manage the flowof data from the reader and to transmit it efficiently to thebackend database management systems [18]. The middlewaremonitors the number of tags present in the system and extractsrelevant information from the readers [12]2.5 Backend DatabaseThe backend database primarily deals with the storage ofrelevant information recorded by the reader andcommunicated by the middleware [16]. For example, themiddleware in an automated security control system will storeall tag readings taken by the reader in the database. This helpscreate log entries for the system [19].4. ResearchThe primary aim of the research is to uniquely identifyindividual students based on their unique tag identifiers [22].The research should shower light on how scalable andefficient the system is [15]. A systematic and serialisedapproach is required to solve this conundrum. The keycharacteristics of the application include: Perform automated attendance Generate report of attendees for a particular course Error free tag identifier detection Easy scalability to incorporate more records Integrity and security in data storageThis paper concentrates on the principal purpose toovercome the human errors while recording studentattendance and the creation of a data centric studentattendance database system with an improved overallefficiency. The application graphical user interface (GUI) isdesigned using Visual Basic 6.03 and Microsoft Access is usedas the database provider. The Atmel4 AT89S52 is the heart ofthe system, which is a low-power high performance CMOS 8bit microcomputer with 8K bytes of downloadable flashprogrammable and erasable read only memory [11]. It isoperable in two modes namely (1) Idle mode and (2) Powerdown mode [9, 11]. The microcontroller can be programmedwith the 80C51 instruction set along with additionalstandardised features like:5 256 bytes of RAM 32 Input/ Output data lines Three 16bit timers/ counters6 SPI serial interface Power off flagThe circuit contains a 16x2 LCD7 display panel, which isthe output device of the system [17, 19]. It displays the user’sinformation when the stored tag is read by the reader. Theserial interface allows connectivity to a local database for datastorage and retrieval [20]. The input to the system is theunique tag identifier stored in the RF tag, which is sensed bythe reader [21]. The components are mounted on the printedcircuit board for interconnectivity between them.3Visual Basic is a high level programming language developed by Microsoft.Atmel Corporation is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture ofmicrocontrollers, capacitive touch solutions, advanced logic, mixed-signal,non-volatile memory and radio frequency (RF) components [9].5RAM is an acronym for Random Access Memory, which is a volatile typeof memory required by the computer at runtime.6SPI is an acronym for Serial Peripheral Interface, which is 4-wire serialcommunications interface to provide stable rate of data transferring [6].7LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display, which paints a picture on the screenby correcting the orientation of the liquid crystals by applying alternatingcurrents [9].4RFID technology has a widened horizon as it transcendsinto an era of emerging applications [1]. A detailed researchmust be conducted to assay the limitations and feasibility ofimplementing an RFID system [3, 4]. This paper focuses onthe development of an attendance management system usingRFID technology to monitor the attendance for a group ofstudents [2]. This paper attempts to evaluate the benefits ofimplementing RFID technology to an existing system. TheCopyright (c) 2013 International Journal of Computer Science Issues. All Rights Reserved.
IJCSI International Journal of Computer Science Issues, Vol. 10, Issue 1, No 1, January 2013ISSN (Print): 1694-0784 ISSN (Online): 1694-0814www.IJCSI.org519The software module of the middleware processes the rawdata fed in by the hardware circuit. The raw data fed into themiddleware are: Unique tag sequence number Timestamp of data entryThe middleware obtains the unique identifier from thereader and compares it with the list of stored tags. If theidentifier sequence is present, then the details are fetched anddisplayed on the LCD display and the GUI (see figure 5). Ifthe identifier is not present then a new record is created withthe corresponding timestamp and it is stored in the database.The student will be prompted to fill in the following details: Name Course details Course Stream TrimesterFig 6 Recording student attendanceThe overall system design is holistically depicted in figure7, which is a block representation of the system. The figureshows the interconnection of two modules which are RFIDmodule and Visual Basic 6.0 module. On the contrary, figure8 displays the actual experimental setup of the research alongwith its individual components. The implementation of RFIDtechnology in the system must be evaluated in a holistic toquantify its success.Fig. 5 GUI form to enter new student detailsFigure 5 shows the new student registration page draftedusing Visual Basic 6.0. The added functionality of capturingan image of the student provides visual authenticity whilstrecording attendance. Data once stored in the database canonly be modified by the system admin.The RFID reader used in this research operates at afrequency of 125 KHz with an effective read range of 10cmonly [13]. A short read range is preferred so as to maintain theauthenticity and security of the attendance being recorded.Figure 6 depicts the display on the GUI as the system in theprocess of recording attendance. Data being recorded can beeasily exported to a Microsoft Excel file for report generation.The database can be easily scaled to incorporate more detailsabout the student.Fig. 6 Block representation of RFID systemFig. 7 Experimental setupCopyright (c) 2013 International Journal of Computer Science Issues. All Rights Reserved.
IJCSI International Journal of Computer Science Issues, Vol. 10, Issue 1, No 1, January 2013ISSN (Print): 1694-0784 ISSN (Online): 1694-0814www.IJCSI.org5206. Results7. ConclusionThe research was conducted on a sample of 60 students,enrolled in a particular course. The implementation of RFIDtechnology has definitely quickened the entire of process ofrecording attendance. The traditional method of recordingattendance involves individual manual entry; an arduous and atime consuming process. On average, based on experiment,the total time taken to record the attendance of a class of 60students by manual entry method took approximately 10minutes. This implies that approximately 10 seconds perstudent was required to record their attendance. This timeduration includes visual and written authentication, afterwhich the teacher records the attendance. In comparison (seefigure 8), the total time taken for recording the attendance of60 students using barcode and RFID technology is 120seconds and 12 seconds respectively (see table 2). Based onthe relationship obtained, a projection for a batch of 100students is also forecasted.The study has identified and explained the key benefits ofRFID technology. RFID will open doors to a pool ofapplications from a plethora of industries [8]. Although thefocal challenge to thwart the adoption is its investment cost,RFID technology provides an ocean of lucrative businessopportunities that could convince several firms adopt it [14].The first part of the paper explains the evolution of RFIDtechnology and the role of its individual components withinthe system. The second part of the paper discusses thefeasibility of employing RFID technology and how it isbenefactor of improved efficiency at lowered costs. The lastpart of the paper highlights one of the numerous practicalimplementations of RFID technology.RFID technology definitely promises an increasedeffectiveness and improved efficiency for business processes[22]. In the long run, with reducing unit tag and reader costs,several businesses will be able to leverage the benefits ofRFID technology.Table 2: Results of the StudyMethodManualEntryBar CodeRFIDtechnologyTotal Number of Students11060100101006001000seconds seconds seconds seconds220120200seconds seconds seconds seconds0.221220seconds seconds seconds secondsFig 8 A line graph showing the comparison of total time taken to record theattendance of students.As shown in table 2, compared with the time consumptionin data entry for different technologies, RFID technologysaves considerable amount of time and greatly improves theoperation efficiency. Also with the adoption of thistechnology the process and product quality can be improveddue to reduction in entry errors by manual human operations.Therefore, labour cost is reduced to perform the value addedfunctions.Copyright (c) 2013 International Journal of Computer Science Issues. All Rights Reserved.
IJCSI International Journal of Computer Science Issues, Vol. 10, Issue 1, No 1, January 2013ISSN (Print): 1694-0784 ISSN (Online): 1694-0814www.IJCSI.org521References[1]L. Sandip, “RFID Sourcebook”, IBM Press, USA, (2005) ISBN: 0-13185137-3.[21]Application Notes, “Introduction to RFID Technology” CAENRFID:The Art of Identification (2008).[2]E. Zeisel & R. Sabella, “RFID ”, Exam Cram, (2006), ISBN: 0-78973504-0.[22]L. Srivastava, RFID: Technology, Applications and PolicyImplications, Presentation, International Telecommunication Union,Kenya, (2005).[3]US. Department of Homeland Security, “Additional Guidence andSecurity Controls are needed over Systems using RFID and DHS”,Department of Homeland Security (Office of Inspector General),(2006), OIG-06-53.[4]US. Department of Homeland Security, “Enhanced Security Controlsneeded for US-Visit’s System using RFID Technology”, Department ofHomeland Security (Office of Inspector General), (2006), OIG-06-39.[5]US. Government Accountability Office, “Information Security: RadioFrequency Identification Technology in the Federal Government”,(2005), Report to Congressional Requesters, GAO-05-551.[6]K. Ahsan, H. Shah, P. Kingston, “Role of Enterprise Architecture inhealthcare IT”, Proceeding ITNG2009, (2009), IEEE.[7]Intermec, “ABCs of RFID: Understanding and using radio frequencyidentification”, White Paper, (2009).[8]Juels, A., Weis, S.A. (2005). Authenticating Pervasive Devices withHuman Protocols. Advances in Cryptology – Crypto ’05. LectureNotes in Computer Science. Volume 3621. pp 293-308.[9]S. Shepard, (2005), “RFID Radio Frequency Identification”, (2005),USA, ISBN:0-07-144299-5.[10]Roy, W. (2006). An Introduction to RFID Technology. PervasiveComputing and Communications. IEEE Press. pp 25-33.[11]International Organization for Standardization (ISO). (2003).Identification cards -- Contactless integrated circuit(s) cards -- Vicinitycards. ISO/IEC 14443.[12]R. Want, “Enabling Ubiquitous Sensing with RFID,” Computer, vol.37, no. 4, 2004, pp. 84–86.[13]Ibid. (2004). RFID for Item Management. ISO/IEC 18000.[14]RFID Jou
RFID technology, RFID detection, RFID applications, RFID in management, RFID components. 1. Introduction . RFID, which stands for Radio Frequency Identification, is an automatic identification technology used for retrieving from or storing data on to RFID Tags without any physical contact [1]. An RFID system primarily comprises of RFID Tags .
RFID technology this year, with 8% in full deployment The average annual RFID budget is estimated at 550,000, reaching 770,000 by 2007 23% of companies polled are piloting RFID technology, while 38% plan to evaluate RFID technology in the next two years By 2015, 1.3 million people are estimated to be working in the RFID industry
RFID technology and detail RFID reader unreliability. 2. RFID BACKGROUND RFID Technology Primer. RFID is an electronic tag-ging and tracking technology designed to provide non-line-of-sight identification. For the purposes of this paper, a typi-cal RFID installation consists of three c
Spec2000 RFID chapter usable - A350 initiative - RFID apps/tools developed - Delta implemented RFID across fleets - RFID applications sold on open market - A&D format approved by EPC - Airlines start to engage - Airbus compatibility testing lab - Delta RFID baggage deployment. Brief History of Aviation RFID. 2002. 2004. 2006 .
Essen RFID proposed a RFID-enabled Employee Tracking System that deployed RFID tags to log employee attendance and track their whereabouts at various locations within the company premises. It involved the issue of RFID ID tags to each employee contained within their ID cards, which would be tracked through RFID readers placed at various .
The Emergence of RFID Technology Why switch to RFID? Radio-frequency identification, known popularly as RFID, is poised to . Department of Defense is employing RFID tags on all its assets moving to the Persian Gulf, thereby improving visibility in the supply chain. . Major applications of RFID are summarized in the table below. 9
2. RFID TECHNOLOGY RFID is an electronic and wireless sensor technology which is based on the detection of electromagnetic signals. RFID is a very important technology and business tool that has come of age, and holds the promise of replacing existing identification technologies like the barcode and becomes king of the hill [3] 2.1 History of RFID
2 INTRODUCTION TO RFID TECHNOLOGY RFID technology is a new technology to the business today and still in its developing stage. This technology is used to describe a system that transmits the identity of an object using radio waves. And compare to barcode, each RFID label has one and only one UID code globally. (RFID Journal LLC, 2005)
For AOl or A02 Transactions where abo·ve situations apply. 9 characters 853: Date (mm/dd/yy) DESCRIPTION: REQUIRED: LENGTH: ENTER: CODES DEFINED: EXAII1PLE: 033-1 c6/0084 2.105 (Rev. 05/90) ITEM 856 - DEMOTION REASON Explanation of employee's preference in voluntarily demoting or choosing a demotion other than that which was directed (e.g., layoff, reassignment, etc.). For A02 Transaction .
