Extension on CUHK RFID Middleware

ERG4920B FYP Presentation, 2008 - 2009

Supervisor: Professor K.L. Wu Associate Examiner: Professor Y.T. Zhang Special Support: Andy Mak

Chen Chensong
The Department of Electronic Engineering The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Agenda

1. Introduction 1. Introduction 2. Problems 2. Problems 3. Solutions 3. Solutions 4. Demo 4. Demo

5. Suggestions on Future Research 5. Suggestions on Future Research

Introduction

An RFID system usually consists of RFID tags, RFID readers, middleware and applications software. The middleware is a critical component of a classic RFID system. It coordinates RFID readers and processes the vast amount of captured data before delivering them to the application software. CUHK RFID Middleware 1.0 is an Open-Sourced Project and EPCGlobal Standard Compatible Middleware, a product from Mobitec of Information Engineering Department in The Chinese University of Hong Kong. This FYP aims at improving the data transferring efficiency of CUHK RFID Middleware 1.0 by extending the functionality of reader adaptor and filtering out redundant raw tag data at the early stage of the RFID system.

Introduction
Overview of RFID system

Major Components:
1.RFID tags: attached to products 2.RFID readers: read tags and pass tag data to the middleware 3.Middleware: filter / process data and pass to application software 4.Application software: high-level process

Introduction
Overview of CUHK RFID Middleware 1.0

ALE Engine
Application Level Event Most basic component of RFID middleware EPCglobal standard Defines the application programming interfaces (APIs) for higher level user applications

Introduction
Overview of CUHK RFID Middleware 1.0

Tag Viewer
Bundled utility of CUHK RFID Middleware 1.0 Emulate application software Received tag data from the middleware

Reader Emulator
Bundled utility of CUHK RFID Middleware 1.0 Emulate RFID readers Send random tag ids to the middleware

Management Console
Web-based graphical interface Configure RFID readers and user applications Monitor the network status

Problems
CUHK RFID Middleware 1.0

Processed data

Filtering
Small amount of data after filtering

Raw data
Huge amount of raw data without filtering !!!

Raw data

Major weakness of current RFID system: the amount of tag data transmitted from RFID readers to
reader adaptor is very large, thus, it consumes a lot of bandwidth and lowers the communication efficiency.

Solutions

Proposed solution: Do a low-level filtering of redundant tag data inside RFID readers. Therefore, it reduces
the amount of raw tag data at the first stage. Therefore, it improves the data transferring efficiency. Step 1: Low level filtering on RFID Reader ( A program written in eVC++ to fitler out redundant tag IDs and do encryption inside RFID readers ) Step 2: Reader Adaptor ( A Java program to retrieve filtered tag data through FTP, decrypt tag data, submit the data to the middleware) Step 3: Web Console ( A web interface written in JSP emulating an inventory list of a PC store to demonstrate the advantages )

Solutions
1. eVC++: low level data filtering & encryption 2. Reader adaptor: FTP, decryption, submit 3. Web Console: display
Web Console

Decryption
eVC++ FTP Submit

Internal Structure of CUHK Middleware

Demo
eVC++ program run inside RFID reader Tag IDs without filtering Tag IDs with low-level filtering

Remark: Most of Tag IDs are repetitive and redundant.

Remark: Only distinct tags are recorded and ready to be transmitted.

Demo
Reader Adaptor

Functions: 1.Connect to the RFID reader through FTP 2.Retrieve Tag IDs info 3.Decrypt the Tag IDs 4.Convert the Tag IDs to EPCGlobal format 5.Submit the Tag IDs to the middleware

Demo

Web Console

Functions: 1.Configure RFID readers and user applications 2.Receive tag data info from the middleware 3.Emulate an inventory list of a PC store 4.Display the inventory list when any change occurs

Demo
Web Console

Remark: Display the current inventory list

Remark: Display the product status when any change occurs and update the inventory list.

Suggestions on Future Research

Multiple antennas algorithm on the RFID reader Compression of data when transmitting Encryption and decryption algorithm Move decryption inside middleware More robust web interface

The End