International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology (IJETT) - Volume4Issue5- May 2013
AN online RFID and Zigbee based Manufacturing
Monitoring system using ARM7 micro controller
Srinath kakumanu#1, Sandeep Kota*2
1 PGResearch scholar, Dept. of ECM. K.L.University, A.P, India,srinath.kakumanu@gmail.com
2 Assistant Professor, Dept. of ECM. K.L.University, A.P, India, sanddep2489@kluniversity.in
Abstract— generally monitoring the production in enterprises by
humans is unable to meet the expectations. To improve the
efficiency and accuracy and also improve the management
efficiency “AN online RFID and Zigbee based Manufacturing
Monitoring system using ARM7 micro controller” is a good
approach. The main aim of this concept is to monitoring the
product in various manufacturing systems and also to obtain the
real-time status and data of the various manufacturing systems
located in different nodes. In this we are interfacing a controller
with both zigbee and rfid readers and this is called as a node, this
node is placed in a location, in the same way these nodes are
placed in different places and these nodes had different
addresses. A master node is connected to PC (with internet
connection). Now when the reader reads a rfid tag then it sends a
data to the master node then master node perform some logical
operations and update that to PC then the software in the
PC(which is developed in .net) update the same to a website.
to reliably and safely move parts across the facilities for
processing while improving the transportation utilization,
saving space, shortening setup time, or reducing overall
material handling cost[4]. Another reason for using CLMSs in
practice is to improve the product quality and yield by
allowing product rework loop at some re-entrant points.
Keywords— Rfid; ZigBee; Monitoring Manufacturing System;
GSM modem
I. INTRODUCTION
To increase the productivity of a firm, the most basic and
important requirement is to obtain the real-time status and
data of the various manufacturing systems in the enterprise.
[1]RFID monitoring devices can serve as the data collection
system and the ZigBee wireless network can serve as the
communication system to transmit the data to different levels
of the enterprise management. From the perspective of system
automatic control, the RFID and ZigBee monitoring system
serves as the feedback link so as to achieve the close-loop
control and management of the enterprise.
As shown in Figure1. Closed Loop Manufacturing Systems
(CLMSs) are extensively used in various industrial
environments, and their performance is impacted by multiple
factors such as the total capacity of pallets, the actual number
of pallets in the system, the pallet index speed, and the
loading/unloading positions, etc. These factors make the
accurate analysis and optimization of complex CLMSs in
practice very difficult and challenging. Closed Loop
Manufacturing systems (CLMSs) are widely observed in
various industries such as automobile manufacturing,
semiconductor fabrication and electronic appliance assembly.
The purpose of using closed loop material handling systems is
ISSN: 2231-5381
[4]Figure 1. Close-loop Control Model of the Manufacturing System
RFID and ZigBee based wireless sensor monitoring system
can provide enterprise managers with the real-time production
Status of the enterprise, which include the detailed
information of each product, processes, the products’ current
locations, attendance of the workers, equipment and so on, so
that the managers can make better analysis and optimization.
Because it is a wireless system, the need for wiring and other
issues can be got rid of. Of course, there is no universal
technology, RFID and ZigBee based wireless sensor
monitoring system has its own weaknesses when it is used in a
large quantity. For example, the anti-jamming capability in
complex or extreme environments and so on may cause
problems. There are some successful cases by using RFID
and ZigBee based wireless sensor monitoring systems.
According to the retail analyst from the company of Sanford C.
Bernstein, Wal-Mart can save 8.35 billion dollars per year
owing to RFID [1]. Most of the money is saved because there is
no need for workers to check the bar code any more. There is
http://www.ijettjournal.org
Page 1467
International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology (IJETT) - Volume4Issue5- May 2013
no doubt that RFID is helpful in solving the two difficulties in
retail business: One is being out of stock due to supply chain
disturbed, and the other is the loss of the products due to thefts.
Just because of the theft, Wal-Mart has a loss about 2 billion
dollars every year.
II. RFID AND ZIGBEE IN THE MANUFACTURING
MONITORING SYSTEM
A. Data Transmission Requirements
The collection and transmission of information are equally
important. The system as a whole can do a good job only if
the sensors and the appropriate wireless information
transmission network match each other well. In the traditional
sensor monitoring system, the data are transmitted through the
cable network. [1]The cable network does have some
advantages, such as a higher transfer rate, stronger antijamming capability, etc. However, for a monitoring system in
some special or complex situations, the power lines or the
communication lines could be a constraint and they may
severely restrict the range that the wired sensors can reach. In
some cases such as when there is a large quantity of sensors or
the monitoring targets should always be moving around (for
instance various kinds of vehicles), wiring becomes very
complex or even infeasible. The ZigBee technology, however,
can easily solve this problem.
B. RFID
RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is a non-contact
automatic identification technology, whose basic principle is
to use the space coupling (inductive or electromagnetic
coupling) of the radio frequency signal or the reflective
transmission characteristics to achieve the automatic
identification of objects (tags) and the information’s input or
output.
•
Classified by the working frequencies, there are low
frequency tags (30 kHz ~ 300 kHz), high frequency
tags (3MHz ~ 30MHz), ultra-high frequency tags
(300MHz ~ 3GHz) and microwave frequency tags
(>3GHz).
• Classified by the encapsulations, there are credit card
tags, line tags, paper-like tags, special-purpose tags and
so on.
The reader is a device to read or write the data on the tags.
Just like the radio, if a reader is to work, it has to be under the
same frequency with the tags. There are also some different
ways of classification for the readers:

Classified by the working principles: there are mainly
inductive coupling readers and electromagnetic
backscatter coupling readers.
 Classified by the different sequences in time: some are
full duplex, some are half duplex and some are
controlled by special SEQ system.
 Classified by the fixations: some are fixed on the
ground, some are handheld and some are attached on
the moving objects.
C. ZigBee
ZigBee and ZigBee PRO networks are composed of several
device types: ZigBee Coordinator, ZigBee Routers and
ZigBee End Devices. Coordinators control the formation and
security of networks. [6]Routers extend the range of networks.
End devices perform specific sensing or control functions.
Manufacturers often create devices that perform multiple
functions, for example a device controls a light fixture and
also routes messages to the rest of the network.
Figure 3. A Simple ZigBee Network
[3]Figure 2. A Simple RFID System
An RFID system can be divided into at least two types of
components – the tag and the reader, as shown in Figure 2. he
tag is the data carrier in the RFID system. It consists of an
antenna and a chip specially designed for tags. There are
many ways to classify the different kinds of tags:
• Classified by the power supply modes, there are active
tags, passive tags and semi-passive tags. Active tags
have batteries in them but the passive ones do not.
ISSN: 2231-5381
http://www.ijettjournal.org
Page 1468
International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology (IJETT) - Volume4Issue5- May 2013
This graphic illustrates an example ZigBee topology that
includes one coordinator, five routing devices, two end
devices creating a control network and an optional
combination coordinator/gateway providing access to the
Internet for more control flexibility. An example network in a
smart home, the coordinator may be a home theater control
system with advanced support for lighting and security.
Devices such as light fixtures, thermostats and air conditioners
could be configured as routing devices. Simple devices such
as light switches and security sensors could be end devices. A
simple ZigBee network is shown in Figure 3.
D. Applications of RFID and ZigBee
[5]
Current and proposed uses of RFID span a wide spectrum of
application areas, and a fully comprehensive overview would
[2]
certainly surpass the limits of this paper. RFID is an efficient
approach to overcome the shortcomings like unavailability,
uncertainty and mismatching of traditional manufacturing
information tracking modes. It is, however, easy to see that the
nature of a given use of RFID can be put in either one of three
groups:
1.
2.
3.
Item instance or item class identification,
Location identification,
Data transfer from or to the RFID tag
Application layer
Management
Interface
Transmission layer
WIFI
BLUETOOT
ZIGBEE
Monitoring layer
Barcode
Applications of Zigbee Technology is not limited to a certain
level but because of being cost-effective, low-power battery
and wireless connectivity, this Zigbee technology is used in
almost every appliance if not in all. Zigbee technology is
programmed in a chip form and is used in many devices to
function automatically. [5]For controlling and monitoring a
whole factory unit while sitting in one cabin is possible by
using Zigbee technology. It centralizes all the units in one
place and enables the remote monitoring. In a similar way, a
home can be centralized by increasing the security aspect.
Many small equipments are coming with embedded Zigbee
technology chips and really works like a miracle. Zigbee
technology is swiftly prevail the market by introducing
devices like smoke and heat sensor, medical and scientific
equipments, control units of home and industry and wireless
communication devices. The revolutionize turn in the field of
technology with the introduction of zigbee technology; the
near future of Zigbee technology will prevail in almost every
walk of life.
III. ARCHITECTURE OF RFID AND ZIGBEE BASED
MONITORING SYSTEM
A complete manufacturing enterprise can be divided into
different layers. [1]Different layers do different kinds of jobs.
ISSN: 2231-5381
The enterprise can function well and efficiently only if every
layer can do a good job and different layers can match each
other well. In the RFID and ZigBee based manufacturing
monitoring system of an enterprise, all the software and
hardware can be divided into four layers: manufacturing layer,
monitoring layer, transmission layer and application layer, as
shown in Figure 4.The connections between the components
in the RFID and ZigBee based monitoring system is shown in
Figure 5.
RFID
Manufacturing layer
m/c 1
m/c2
Figure 4. Architecture of RFID and ZigBee Based Monitoring System
RFID
tag
RFID
reader
Power
supply
Micro
controller
Pc with
internet
GSM
Module
Zigbe
e
Figure 5. Block diagram of RFID and ZigBee in the Monitoring System
http://www.ijettjournal.org
Page 1469
International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology (IJETT) - Volume4Issue5- May 2013
IV. CONCLUSIONS
By using AN online RFID and Zigbee based
Manufacturing Monitoring system using ARM7 micro
controller we can easily track and trace the products and
also to obtain the real-time status and data of the various
manufacturing systems located in different node. It brings
the efficiency and accuracy to the enterprise. The data in
the pc to be update to website through software. By adding
GSM modem we are getting sms alerts.
A. The manufacturing layer
The Manufacturing layer includes parts, products, machines,
vehicles and workers etc. It can monitor manufacturing status,
the production, the locations and other information of the parts,
machines, vehicles and workload of each worker. In RFID and
Zigbee based manufacturing monitoring system, every object
must have a RFID tag on it to be checked. The manufacturing
system can differentiate different objects because of unique ID
of each tag. Therefore before using system, we have to
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
provide the information between objects and tags into system
The work on this paper was supported by K.L.University,
and write some data into tags.
under a research work. The views and conclusions contained
herein are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as
B. The Monitoring Layer
The monitoring layer is the core of RFID and Zigbee based necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed
manufacturing system. The information in nearby tags is or implied.
collected by using readers located differently. The readers can
REFERENCES
read the data on tags and transfer the data to end user devices
we can get distance between tag and reader by detecting signal
of a tag with increase in quantity of the readers the positioning [1] “RFID and ZigBee Based Manufacturing Monitoring System” Qiang
accuracy also increases. The accuracy reaches a centimetre’s
Ruan, Wensheng Xu, Gaoxiang Wang School of Mechanical,
Electronic and Control Engineering Beijing Jiaotong University
level with the usage of high-end RFID devices. These readers
Beijing, China IEEE 2011.
read the tags as well as write to the tags while writing to tags
[2]
“A RFID-based real-time manufacturing information monitoring
information is recorded. We can know which processes are
system” Dai-quan Yu1,a, Kang-qu Zhou,2,b, Chuan-ming Lia,3,a,b*
done and which are not with RFID readers with greatest
1Chongqing Automobile College, Chongqing University of
Technology, Chongqing, 400054, China IEIT Proceedings Vol. 3 (2012)
easiness.
C. The Transmission Layer
This layer aims at transmitting the monitored data to end user
devices in order to have further processes. We choose the
ZigBee technology is used here as a transmitting media. Its
features decide that ZigBee suits the environment in the
workshop very well. There are mainly two ZigBee network
topological structures used in this project. Different structures
are used according to different environments and requirements.
The Zigbee nodes can receive and transmit the data from
RFID devices to the end User and some nodes with gateways
can be also used as a repeater, which can make the
communication relay to spread the information much farther
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
pp 14-19 © (2011)
“Guidelines for Securing Radio Frequency Identification (Rfid)
Systems” Computer Security Division Information Technology
Laboratory National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8930 April 2007.
“Modeling and Analysis of Closed Loop Manufacturing Systems
Using Parameter Coupling” sheng yang*, Robert bRiggs and s. Jack hu
department of mechanical engineering, the university of Michigan,
Ann arbor, mi 48109, USA.
“The Rfid Technology And Its Current Applications” Elisabeth ILIEZUDOR1, Zsolt KEMÉNY2, Péter EGRI3, László MONOSTORI4 14Computer and Automation Research Institute, Hungarian Academy of
Sciences Kende u. 13–17, 1111, Budapest 4Department of Production
Informatics, Management and Control, BME Hungary MITIP 2006.
www.google.co.in
[1].
D. The Interface Layer
This layer is aim at the connections between end-user devices
and the ZigBee devices, and the way the end-user devices read
the monitored data. So-called end-user devices are monitoring
computers for the workshop, or the automatic controlling and
alarming devices. This is not complex because the RFID
devices provide the universal series interfaces such as the
most common Universal Series Bus (USB). As the ZigBee
protocol is open so we can read from the ZigBee chip directly
in C++ or some other languages, and there are template codes
available, so mastering the interface technology is not so
difficult even for non-professional users.
ISSN: 2231-5381
http://www.ijettjournal.org
Page 1470