RFID: Prospects for Europe: Item-level Tagging and Public Transportation

This report, which is part of the COMPLETE series of studies, investigates the current and future competitiveness of the European industry in RFID applications in general and in two specific cases: item-level tagging and public transportation. It analyses its constituent technologies, drivers and barriers to growth, actual and potential markets and economic impacts, the industrial position and innovative capabilities, and it concludes with policy implicationsJRC.DDG.J.4-Information Societ

Integrated ZigBee RFID sensor networks for resource tracking and monitoring in logistics management

The Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), which includes passive and active systems and is the hottest Auto-ID technology nowadays, and the wireless sensor network (WSN), which is one of the focusing topics on monitoring and control, are two fast-growing technologies that have shown great potential in future logistics management applications. However, an information system for logistics applications is always expected to answer four questions: Who, What, When and Where (4Ws), and neither of the two technologies is able to provide complete information for all of them. WSN aims to provide environment monitoring and control regarded as When and What , while RFID focuses on automatic identification of various objects and provides Who (ID). Most people usually think RFID can provide Where at all the time. But what normal passive RFID does is to tell us where an object was the last time it went through a reader, and normal active RFID only tells whether an object is presenting on site. This could sometimes be insufficient for certain applications that require more accurate location awareness, for which a system with real-time localization (RTLS), which is an extended concept of RFID, will be necessary to answer Where constantly. As WSN and various RFID technologies provide information for different but complementary parts of the 4Ws, a hybrid system that gives a complete answer by combining all of them could be promising in future logistics management applications. Unfortunately, in the last decade those technologies have been emerging and developing independently, with little research been done in how they could be integrated. This thesis aims to develop a framework for the network level architecture design of such hybrid system for on-site resource management applications in logistics centres. The various architectures proposed in this thesis are designed to address different levels of requirements in the hierarchy of needs, from single integration to hybrid system with real-time localization. The contribution of this thesis consists of six parts. Firstly, two new concepts, Reader as a sensor and Tag as a sensor , which lead to RAS and TAS architectures respectively, for single integrations of RFID and WSN in various scenarios with existing systems; Secondly, a integrated ZigBee RFID Sensor Network Architecture for hybrid integration; Thirdly, a connectionless inventory tracking architecture (CITA) and its battery consumption model adding location awareness for inventory tracking in Hybrid ZigBee RFID Sensor Networks; Fourthly, a connectionless stochastic reference beacon architecture (COSBA) adding location awareness for high mobility target tracking in Hybrid ZigBee RFID Sensor Networks; Fifthly, improving connectionless stochastic beacon transmission performance with two proposed beacon transmission models, the Fully Stochastic Reference Beacon (FSRB) model and the Time Slot Based Stochastic Reference Beacon (TSSRB) model; Sixthly, case study of the proposed frameworks in Humanitarian Logistics Centres (HLCs). The research in this thesis is based on ZigBee/IEEE802.15.4, which is currently the most widely used WSN technology. The proposed architectures are demonstrated through hardware implementation and lab tests, as well as mathematic derivation and Matlab simulations for their corresponding performance models. All the tests and simulations of my designs have verified feasibility and features of our designs compared with the traditional systems

Hybrid jobs in the retail industry. Redesigning organizations, processes and work

Retail industry is changing, as a consequence of online competition, customers' behavior and technological advancements, and retail jobs are transforming as well, with a change of the skills required. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how these jobs are changing and how they will likely become in some years

Sensor data-based decision making

Increasing globalization and growing industrial system complexity has amplified the interest in the use of information provided by sensors as a means of improving overall manufacturing system performance and maintainability. However, utilization of sensors can only be effective if the real-time data can be integrated into the necessary business processes, such as production planning, scheduling and execution systems. This integration requires the development of intelligent decision making models that can effectively process the sensor data into information and suggest appropriate actions. To be able to improve the performance of a system, the health of the system also needs to be maintained. In many cases a single sensor type cannot provide sufficient information for complex decision making including diagnostics and prognostics of a system. Therefore, a combination of sensors should be used in an integrated manner in order to achieve desired performance levels. Sensor generated data need to be processed into information through the use of appropriate decision making models in order to improve overall performance. In this dissertation, which is presented as a collection of five journal papers, several reactive and proactive decision making models that utilize data from single and multi-sensor environments are developed. The first paper presents a testbed architecture for Auto-ID systems. An adaptive inventory management model which utilizes real-time RFID data is developed in the second paper. In the third paper, a complete hardware and inventory management solution, which involves the integration of RFID sensors into an extremely low temperature industrial freezer, is presented. The last two papers in the dissertation deal with diagnostic and prognostic decision making models in order to assure the healthy operation of a manufacturing system and its components. In the fourth paper a Mahalanobis-Taguchi System (MTS) based prognostics tool is developed and it is used to estimate the remaining useful life of rolling element bearings using data acquired from vibration sensors. In the final paper, an MTS based prognostics tool is developed for a centrifugal water pump, which fuses information from multiple types of sensors in order to take diagnostic and prognostics decisions for the pump and its components --Abstract, page iv

Sviluppo di modelli decisionali per la supply chain di prodotti deperibili mediante l’applicazione di tecnologie innovative

The supply chain of perishable products, as fruits and vegetables is affected by environmental abuses from harvest to the final destination which are responsible the uncontrolled deterioration of food. In order to reduce such phenomena the supply chain members should control and monitor the conditions of goods in order to ensure their quality for consumers and to comply with all legal requirements (Garcia Ruiz, 2008). The most important factor influencing the food quality is the temperature able to prolonging the shelf life of the products. Since the temperature can inhibit or promote the maturation and deterioration process, this parameter is involved both in the growing process of fruits and vegetables and in the transport and storage stages. Given this the aim of the present thesis is to show that the monitoring of such parameter during the pre and post harvest stages allows to improve the decision making process. In the context of temperature monitoring the introduction of emerging information technologies such as the Wireless Sensors Networks and the Radio Frequency Identification can now provide real-time status knowing of product managed. The real time monitoring can be of great help in the definition of the actual maturation level of products both in the field and during the cold chain. The suitability of such an approach is evaluated by means of case studies. The first case study concerns the monitoring of grapes growth directly in the vineyard. The suitability of Wireless Sensors Networks in the monitoring of the grapes growth process is evaluated in terms of the possibility to determine the date of starting or ending of phenological phases. This information allows to make faster decisions about the vineyard operations which must be performed during the grape growth and finally allows to predict the maturation date in order to optimize the harvest operations. In the next case study the possibility to apply the Radio Frequency Identification technology to the monitoring of the fresh fruits along the cold chain has been faced and the quality of the products at any stage of the supply chain has been determined through a mathematical model. The knowing of the current quality level allows to make decisions about the destination of products. In this case those products having a shorter shelf life can be distributed to a local market while those with longer shelf life can be distributed to more distant location. In the next case study the information about the current deterioration state of perishable products has been translated into a warehouse management system in order to determine the operational parameters able to optimize the quality of products stored. Even in this case the goal of the study was to provide a decision making tool for the proper management of the perishable products stored. However besides the advantages achievable by the real time evaluation of environmental conditions the costs involved with the implementation of innovative technologies must be determined in order to establish the suitability of the investment in such innovative technologies. The present thesis also faces this question by determining the optimal number of devices to apply to the stock keeping unit in order to minimize the total cost associated to the transferring batch from the producer to the distributor. In this case the methodology employed is that of a mathematical model including all costs associated to the product management. Finally the study conducted through the present thesis shows that in all of the cases treated the use of the innovative technologies allows to support the decision making process in the pre and post harvest phases thus improving the perishables management

RFID Technology in Intelligent Tracking Systems in Construction Waste Logistics Using Optimisation Techniques

Construction waste disposal is an urgent issue for protecting our environment. This paper proposes a waste management system and illustrates the work process using plasterboard waste as an example, which creates a hazardous gas when land filled with household waste, and for which the recycling rate is less than 10% in the UK. The proposed system integrates RFID technology, Rule-Based Reasoning, Ant Colony optimization and knowledge technology for auditing and tracking plasterboard waste, guiding the operation staff, arranging vehicles, schedule planning, and also provides evidence to verify its disposal. It h relies on RFID equipment for collecting logistical data and uses digital imaging equipment to give further evidence; the reasoning core in the third layer is responsible for generating schedules and route plans and guidance, and the last layer delivers the result to inform users. The paper firstly introduces the current plasterboard disposal situation and addresses the logistical problem that is now the main barrier to a higher recycling rate, followed by discussion of the proposed system in terms of both system level structure and process structure. And finally, an example scenario will be given to illustrate the system’s utilization

Applications for wireless sensor networks : tracking with binary proximity sensors

El interés cada vez mayor por las redes de sensores inalámbricos pueden ser entendido simplemente pensando en lo que esencialmente son: un gran número de pequeños nodos sensores autoalimentados que recogen información o detectan eventos especiales y se comunican de manera inalámbrica, con el objetivo final de entregar sus datos procesados a una estación base. Los nodos sensores están densamente desplegados dentro del área de interés, se pueden desplegar al azar y tienen capacidad de cooperación. Por lo general, estos dispositivos son pequeños y de bajo costo, de modo que pueden ser producidos y desplegados en gran numero aunque sus recursos en términos de energía, memoria, velocidad de cálculo y ancho de banda están enormemente limitados. Detección, tratamiento y comunicación son tres elementos clave cuya combinación en un pequeño dispositivo permite lograr un gran número de aplicaciones. Las redes de sensores proporcionan oportunidades sin fin, pero al mismo tiempo plantean retos formidables, tales como lograr el máximo rendimiento de una energía que es escasa y por lo general un recurso no renovable. Sin embargo, los recientes avances en la integración a gran escala, integrado de hardware de computación, comunicaciones, y en general, la convergencia de la informática y las comunicaciones, están haciendo de esta tecnología emergente una realidad. Del mismo modo, los avances en la nanotecnología están empezando a hacer que todo gire entorno a las redes de pequeños sensores y actuadores distribuidos. Hay diferentes tipos de sensores tales como sensores de presión, acelerómetros, cámaras, sensores térmicos o un simple micrófono. Supervisan las condiciones presentes en diferentes lugares tales como la temperatura, humedad, el movimiento, la luminosidad, presión, composición del suelo, los niveles de ruido, la presencia o ausencia de ciertos tipos de objetos, los niveles de tensión mecánica sobre objetos adheridos y las características momentáneas tales como la velocidad , la dirección y el tamaño de un objeto, etc. Se comprobara el estado de las Redes Inalámbricas de Sensores y se revisaran los protocolos más famosos. Así mismo, se examinara la identificación por radiofrecuencia (RFID) ya que se está convirtiendo en algo actual y su presencia importante. La RFID tiene un papel crucial que desempeñar en el futuro en el mundo de los negocios y los individuos por igual. El impacto mundial que ha tenido la identificación sin cables está ejerciendo fuertes presiones en la tecnología RFID, los servicios de investigación y desarrollo, desarrollo de normas, el cumplimiento de la seguridad y la privacidad y muchos más. Su potencial económico se ha demostrado en algunos países mientras que otros están simplemente en etapas de planificación o en etapas piloto, pero aun tiene que afianzarse o desarrollarse a través de la modernización de los modelos de negocio y aplicaciones para poder tener un mayor impacto en la sociedad. Las posibles aplicaciones de redes de sensores son de interés para la mayoría de campos. La monitorización ambiental, la guerra, la educación infantil, la vigilancia, la micro-cirugía y la agricultura son solo unos pocos ejemplos de los muchísimos campos en los que tienen cabida las redes mencionadas anteriormente. Estados Unidos de América es probablemente el país que más ha investigado en esta área por lo que veremos muchas soluciones propuestas provenientes de ese país. Universidades como Berkeley, UCLA (Universidad de California, Los Ángeles) Harvard y empresas como Intel lideran dichas investigaciones. Pero no solo EE.UU. usa e investiga las redes de sensores inalámbricos. La Universidad de Southampton, por ejemplo, está desarrollando una tecnología para monitorear el comportamiento de los glaciares mediante redes de sensores que contribuyen a la investigación fundamental en glaciología y de las redes de sensores inalámbricos. Así mismo, Coalesenses GmbH (Alemania) y Zurich ETH están trabajando en diversas aplicaciones para redes de sensores inalámbricos en numerosas áreas. Una solución española será la elegida para ser examinada más a fondo por ser innovadora, adaptable y polivalente. Este estudio del sensor se ha centrado principalmente en aplicaciones de tráfico, pero no se puede olvidar la lista de más de 50 aplicaciones diferentes que ha sido publicada por la firma creadora de este sensor específico. En la actualidad hay muchas tecnologías de vigilancia de vehículos, incluidos los sensores de bucle, cámaras de video, sensores de imagen, sensores infrarrojos, radares de microondas, GPS, etc. El rendimiento es aceptable, pero no suficiente, debido a su limitada cobertura y caros costos de implementación y mantenimiento, especialmente este ultimo. Tienen defectos tales como: línea de visión, baja exactitud, dependen mucho del ambiente y del clima, no se puede realizar trabajos de mantenimiento sin interrumpir las mediciones, la noche puede condicionar muchos de ellos, tienen altos costos de instalación y mantenimiento, etc. Por consiguiente, en las aplicaciones reales de circulación, los datos recibidos son insuficientes o malos en términos de tiempo real debido al escaso número de detectores y su costo. Con el aumento de vehículos en las redes viales urbanas las tecnologías de detección de vehículos se enfrentan a nuevas exigencias. Las redes de sensores inalámbricos son actualmente una de las tecnologías más avanzadas y una revolución en la detección de información remota y en las aplicaciones de recogida. Las perspectivas de aplicación en el sistema inteligente de transporte son muy amplias. Con este fin se ha desarrollado un programa de localización de objetivos y recuento utilizando una red de sensores binarios. Esto permite que el sensor necesite mucha menos energía durante la transmisión de información y que los dispositivos sean más independientes con el fin de tener un mejor control de tráfico. La aplicación se centra en la eficacia de la colaboración de los sensores en el seguimiento más que en los protocolos de comunicación utilizados por los nodos sensores. Las operaciones de salida y retorno en las vacaciones son un buen ejemplo de por qué es necesario llevar la cuenta de los coches en las carreteras. Para ello se ha desarrollado una simulación en Matlab con el objetivo localizar objetivos y contarlos con una red de sensores binarios. Dicho programa se podría implementar en el sensor que Libelium, la empresa creadora del sensor que se examinara concienzudamente, ha desarrollado. Esto permitiría que el aparato necesitase mucha menos energía durante la transmisión de información y los dispositivos sean más independientes. Los prometedores resultados obtenidos indican que los sensores de proximidad binarios pueden formar la base de una arquitectura robusta para la vigilancia de áreas amplias y para el seguimiento de objetivos. Cuando el movimiento de dichos objetivos es suficientemente suave, no tiene cambios bruscos de trayectoria, el algoritmo ClusterTrack proporciona un rendimiento excelente en términos de identificación y seguimiento de trayectorias los objetos designados como blancos. Este algoritmo podría, por supuesto, ser utilizado para numerosas aplicaciones y se podría seguir esta línea de trabajo para futuras investigaciones. No es sorprendente que las redes de sensores de binarios de proximidad hayan atraído mucha atención últimamente ya que, a pesar de la información mínima de un sensor de proximidad binario proporciona, las redes de este tipo pueden realizar un seguimiento de todo tipo de objetivos con la precisión suficiente. Abstract The increasing interest in wireless sensor networks can be promptly understood simply by thinking about what they essentially are: a large number of small sensing self-powered nodes which gather information or detect special events and communicate in a wireless fashion, with the end goal of handing their processed data to a base station. The sensor nodes are densely deployed inside the phenomenon, they deploy random and have cooperative capabilities. Usually these devices are small and inexpensive, so that they can be produced and deployed in large numbers, and so their resources in terms of energy, memory, computational speed and bandwidth are severely constrained. Sensing, processing and communication are three key elements whose combination in one tiny device gives rise to a vast number of applications. Sensor networks provide endless opportunities, but at the same time pose formidable challenges, such as the fact that energy is a scarce and usually non-renewable resource. However, recent advances in low power Very Large Scale Integration, embedded computing, communication hardware, and in general, the convergence of computing and communications, are making this emerging technology a reality. Likewise, advances in nanotechnology and Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems are pushing toward networks of tiny distributed sensors and actuators. There are different sensors such as pressure, accelerometer, camera, thermal, and microphone. They monitor conditions at different locations, such as temperature, humidity, vehicular movement, lightning condition, pressure, soil makeup, noise levels, the presence or absence of certain kinds of objects, mechanical stress levels on attached objects, the current characteristics such as speed, direction and size of an object, etc. The state of Wireless Sensor Networks will be checked and the most famous protocols reviewed. As Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is becoming extremely present and important nowadays, it will be examined as well. RFID has a crucial role to play in business and for individuals alike going forward. The impact of ‘wireless’ identification is exerting strong pressures in RFID technology and services research and development, standards development, security compliance and privacy, and many more. The economic value is proven in some countries while others are just on the verge of planning or in pilot stages, but the wider spread of usage has yet to take hold or unfold through the modernisation of business models and applications. Possible applications of sensor networks are of interest to the most diverse fields. Environmental monitoring, warfare, child education, surveillance, micro-surgery, and agriculture are only a few examples. Some real hardware applications in the United States of America will be checked as it is probably the country that has investigated most in this area. Universities like Berkeley, UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) Harvard and enterprises such as Intel are leading those investigations. But not just USA has been using and investigating wireless sensor networks. University of Southampton e.g. is to develop technology to monitor glacier behaviour using sensor networks contributing to fundamental research in glaciology and wireless sensor networks. Coalesenses GmbH (Germany) and ETH Zurich are working in applying wireless sensor networks in many different areas too. A Spanish solution will be the one examined more thoroughly for being innovative, adaptable and multipurpose. This study of the sensor has been focused mainly to traffic applications but it cannot be forgotten the more than 50 different application compilation that has been published by this specific sensor’s firm. Currently there are many vehicle surveillance technologies including loop sensors, video cameras, image sensors, infrared sensors, microwave radar, GPS, etc. The performance is acceptable but not sufficient because of their limited coverage and expensive costs of implementation and maintenance, specially the last one. They have defects such as: line-ofsight, low exactness, depending on environment and weather, cannot perform no-stop work whether daytime or night, high costs for installation and maintenance, etc. Consequently, in actual traffic applications the received data is insufficient or bad in terms of real-time owed to detector quantity and cost. With the increase of vehicle in urban road networks, the vehicle detection technologies are confronted with new requirements. Wireless sensor network is the state of the art technology and a revolution in remote information sensing and collection applications. It has broad prospect of application in intelligent transportation system. An application for target tracking and counting using a network of binary sensors has been developed. This would allow the appliance to spend much less energy when transmitting information and to make more independent devices in order to have a better traffic control. The application is focused on the efficacy of collaborative tracking rather than on the communication protocols used by the sensor nodes. Holiday crowds are a good case in which it is necessary to keep count of the cars on the roads. To this end a Matlab simulation has been produced for target tracking and counting using a network of binary sensors that e.g. could be implemented in Libelium’s solution. Libelium is the enterprise that has developed the sensor that will be deeply examined. This would allow the appliance to spend much less energy when transmitting information and to make more independent devices. The promising results obtained indicate that binary proximity sensors can form the basis for a robust architecture for wide area surveillance and tracking. When the target paths are smooth enough ClusterTrack particle filter algorithm gives excellent performance in terms of identifying and tracking different target trajectories. This algorithm could, of course, be used for different applications and that could be done in future researches. It is not surprising that binary proximity sensor networks have attracted a lot of attention lately. Despite the minimal information a binary proximity sensor provides, networks of these sensing modalities can track all kinds of different targets classes accurate enough