RFID BASED ATTENDANCE SYSTEM

Background
In all aspects of our life, we encounter event recording applications very often. Recording of any entity
be it sound, pictures, events etc. is very useful as it enables us to manipulate data to our requirements.
One can exploit the full potential of the recorded information for specific user defined purposes. Keeping
in mind the significance of event recorders in todays world, we arrived at a common decision of
making ATTENDANCE RECORDING SYSTEM USING RFID as our project in fulfillment of our
degree course.

Function
An attendance recording systems basic function is to keep a record of the time at which the employees
of a particular firm report to work and leave from work. It is one of the most widely used event recording
application in the industry today. A track of employee attendance is a must for payroll generation. The
traditional method of maintaining an attendance register makes the job very tedious and prone to human
errors. The collection and processing of data of employee.
Attendance which may include leaves, half working days, overtime etc. and using it to generate the
payroll manually consumes important man hours, which in turn could be used to increase productivity
and in turn profitably of the firm. In case of an error, even more time will be used to detect and rectify it,
if the process is manual. The whole process will be simplified to great extent.
If a system is available by means of which attendance data be stored, accessed, sorted, and processed and
obtained in a form of a detailed report which may be used directly for payroll generation, hence saving a
lot of precious time. It functions as a network of microchip smart tags and receivers. Each smart tag
is embedded with a unique electronic product code (EPC) and a micro-antenna. Once assigned, the EPC
becomes a DNA-like marker for the item, identifying it from every other item in the world. When a
tagged item passes within range of a reader, the reader retrieves the EPC via radio waves, identifies the
item and its exact location, and relays this real-time information to a central computer. Taken together,
the series of transactions comprise a comprehensive record of the tagged items movement from point of
origin to point of sale.

Comparison
Manufacturers of time/attendance recorders (T/A recorders) in Taiwan offer mechanical/electronic and
computer-based units. Most manufacturers provide computer-based models and only a few offer
mechanical/electronic recorders. Most T/A recorders in Taiwan fall within the midrange to high-end
category. Computer-based models range in FOB price from Rs.10000 to Rs.15000, depending on the
product's networking and access control features. Well,our product will be made at a cost of Rs.6000
(approx) and will include an onboard programmer. The person concerned will then be able to program
the onboard microcontroller and will have access to the database.

User
The product can be used by many organizations like our college itself. Whereby the traditional system of
signing in the musters will now be replaced and replaced well by using tags allotted to the staff.
However the current user is a small California startup called InCom has developed a radio frequency
identification (RFID) system called InClass to automate attendance-taking in elementary and secondary
schools. The system uses ultra-high frequency (UHF) readers mounted in classroom doorways and
passive RFID tags attached to student ID card holders. A unique 15-digit ID number is written to
each tag and associated with the name of the student to whom it is issued. As the students pass through
the reader-generated interrogation field under a doorway, the reader sends the tags' unique ID numbers to
a central server. InCom has developed a software program, installed on the server, that collects the tag
data and uploads a list of present, absent and tardy (based on when they enter the classroom) students to
a PDA that is issued to the teacher.

Block Diagram




Block Diagram: RFID based Attendance System


Explaination:
Microcontroller:
It is the Heart of the circuit. We will be using ATMELs AT89S52 microcontroller. The controller that
we will be using is ATMELs AT 89s52, which is a 40 pin microcontroller with 32 I/O lines. The
controller communicates with the RFID reader & the PC using RS232 protocol for which MAX 232 IC
is required.

MAX232:
Microcontroller communicates with the PC using its inbuilt Serial Port. The voltage levels are 0 & 5
Volts, but for the controller to communicate with the PC we are using RS232 protocol so for converting
the CMOS (0-5) voltage levels into RS232 (12) voltage levels we will be using MAX 232.

Keypad:
The keypad is used to indicate if the person is entering or exiting the premise. So basically there will be
two switches one for enter & one for exit.

RTC:
Real Time Clock (RTC) is used to storing the real time. A battery is provided to the RTC so that even
when there is a power failure the time is intact. The controller communicates with the RTC using the I2C
protocol.

EEPROM:
EEPROM is used to store the LOGs of the person entering or exiting the premise. The EEPROM will
contain the persons ID, time of scan & if the person is entering or exiting. The controller communicates
with the EEPROM using the I2C Protocol.

LCD:
We will be using 2-Line, 16 characters LCD. This will be used to display the real time, scan successful
or not and other such details.

Power Supply:
The complete circuit works on 5v this voltage is generated in the power supply section which basically
consists of a step down transformer, a rectifier & a voltage regulator.

The Advantages of RFID vs. barcode technology:
No line of sight requirement.
The tag can stand a harsh environment.
Long read range.
Portable database.
Multiple tag read/write.
Tracking people, items, and equipment in realtime.

Advantages
1. Store data on a tag
2. Can be hidden
3. Work in harsh environment

Disadvantges
1. Lack of standards!
2. Short range
3. Cost

Applications
1. Livestock Tagging
2. Wild Animal Tracking
3. Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS)
4. Automated Toll Collection
5. Animal Husbandry