RFID ASSET TRACKING SYSTEM

Abstract

Being able to effectively and efficiently locate assets is essential for many entities (e.g. hospitals, manufacturing floors and warehouses). In order to utilize limited budget and resources efficiently, accurate locating or tracking is required in many fields. In this thesis, we will focus on how to locate an item using RFID in real time indoor tracking mechanism. The purpose of using RFID is to minimize the searching time, effort, and cost. Electronic tag is attached for each asset, where It’s information is pre-inserted into the system through user interface. The tag reader is composed of RFID sensor, microcontroller, and serial-to-Ethernet chip. The RFID sensor reads the serial number of the tag, within the given range, through radio waves then it passes the data serially to the MCU, which will transmit it through SPI to the serial-to-Ethernet chip. The Ethernet chip will convert the data to be transmitted through Ethernet network to remote server. When a tag number for any asset reaches the server, its associated information will be displayed through user interface and updated accordingly. Thus, this thesis presents design, implementation and testing of a system which use RFID and Ethernet for efficient asset location and tracking.