Zeszyty Naukowe Wydziału Elektrotechniki i Automatyki Politechniki Gdańskiej Nr 51

XXVI Seminarium
ZASTOSOWANIE KOMPUTERÓW W NAUCE I TECHNICE 2016
Oddział Gdański PTETiS

ANTI-THEFT LAB SECURITY SYSTEM BASED ON RFID

Bartosz MUDLAFF, Sylwia BABICZ, Janusz SMULKO

Gdańsk University of Technology, Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunication and Informatics,

tel.: +48 58 348 6368 email: [email protected]

Abstract: The aim of the project is to design and create

an electronic system, which can be used to protect laboratory 2. RFID ALARM SYSTEM
equipment against theft. The main task of the system is to warn
a person responsible for the facilities about any attempts made to Every RFID system is composed of three main
steal equipment from a laboratory. In a case of an alarm situation, elements: transponders, transmitter/receiver and a controller
the system emits a sound signal (siren). The concept of the anti- [7-9]. The transponder is a data carrier with non-volatile
theft security system based on RFID was developed on the basis of
memory, antenna and, sometimes, with its own power
the analysis of the global market. Methods used to design each
component of the system are described in detail, by presenting source. The reader has an ability to wirelessly read (and
standards and electronic solutions applied in the developed sometimes write) information stored in the transponder.
hardware. Algorithms of the designed software embedded in each The controller, also known as the host, manages the entire
module and computer software are illustrated and explained. system [10].
The method used to run and test the system is described. We underline, that various systems can be proposed
(e.g. a single read/write device (RWD) can communicate
Keywords: RFID, security systems, anti-theft systems. with many protected facilities). Our considerations were
limited to the solution a single RFID and single RWD.
1. INTRODUCTION The configuration is economical in case of small protected
area like the university laboratory. The lower cost and
Increase in a number of large stores that offer widespread availability of modules used in the presented
unrestricted access to various products forces system are the most important advantages comparing with
the manufacturers to develop new solutions in the area of commercial solutions. More advanced systems (like for e.g.
security systems. The main requirement set for all anti-theft Hybrid RFID systems [11], anti-collision systems [12-14]),
systems is to allow a customer to have a direct contact with would be unnecessary financial cost.
the merchandise. One of the most popular anti-theft Today, numerous possibilities offered by RFID
technologies used in commercial buildings is known as technology are reflected in the number of standards
the Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) [1]. Systems developed by industry-leading electronics companies.
based on RFID use the wireless identification functionality The most popular one, the UNIQUE standard [15], was used
[2, 3]. to design the presented system. In UNIQUE standard,
The demand for anti-theft systems is increasing not the RWD (transmitter/receiver) is used only as a receiver.
only in a case of commercial facilities. Along with Because of the fact, that the main functionality of the device
the development of education and technological progress, is getting information from transponders, it can be called
schools and universities use more and more expensive a reader (Fig. 1). Such solution is usually used in simple
equipment, which is directly used by students during identification systems, like e.g. teaching laboratory [16].
laboratory classes. Due to the number of students,
the supervising teacher does not have full control over each
person and device. An anti-theft system that monitors
the presence of laboratory equipment would allow
the teacher to focus more on work with students. The main
aim of the project was to design and create an alarm system
that could protect laboratory equipment against theft.
The anti-theft system based on RFID fulfills the requirement
related to free access to laboratory equipment and can
automatically protect it against theft at the same time.
This technology [4, 5] has already been implemented
Fig. 1. Scheme of a RFID system
in commercial facilities, but it is very expensive
and inaccessible for an average user. The proposed system As an integrated tool, the alarm system needs to
constitutes an alternative to such solutions [6] and retains all guarantee the following functionalities: detection of potential
of their functional features. threats, signalization of an alarm situation and activation of
other subsystems in order to allow for appropriate actions
aimed at the elimination of the alarm situation. Taking RS-485 interface. The sensor module consists of two
the above into account, all system components were components: a MP01611 reader compatible with RFID
designed in accordance to their function. The basic elements UNIQUE 125 kHz, and a logic circuit that receives the data
of the alarm system are presented in Fig. 2. The most sent by the MP01611 reader through the UART interface.
important part of the entire system is an alarm control panel. The control panel is located near the teacher's desk,
It collects information from the detectors, undertakes at a place which is difficult to reach. The state of sensors
decisions about the alarm situation, activates sirens and network is periodically checked by sending requests to each
sends messages to the property/merchandise owner. sensor. Information received from the sensor (read code and
Communication between the user and the alarm control RFID transponder information about the presence of the
panel takes place through a manipulator. protected object) is stored in the memory unit. The control
panel makes a decision about the emergency situation, e.g.
3. CONCEPT OF THE SYSTEM absence of the protected item within the range of one of the
sensors. The alarm situation is signaled via sirens and optical
In order to determine exact technical parameters of cameras, which register the potential thief. The user can
the system and to design its operation, the following access status information and system configuration through
presuppositions were made: a personal computer (PC) application. The main block
1. target area of the system: laboratory room at a technical providing the system functionality is composed of
university; a microcontroller with the integrated headquarters interfaces
2. system administrator: teacher, lecturer; (VCP, RS-485). The microcontroller communicates with
3. protected property: laboratory equipment; the control panel through the sensor network and the PC,
4. operating time: long enough to ensure uninterrupted and controls the operation of other components (e.g. camera,
protection of items during laboratory classes. siren).
It was assumed that the target workplace of The PC acts as a security system keypad. The system
the designed anti-theft system will be a laboratory room at administrator can program the operation of the control panel.
a technical university, where classes with students are held. Moreover, the PC creates a database of unique numbers of
Students have free access to laboratory equipment used for RFID transponders which are used to identify the protected
their ongoing exercises. The person acting as a system objects. The database makes it possible for the PC
manager will be a university teacher responsible for application to inform the system administrator about the
the equipment. The alarm system will protect laboratory protected devices located within the range of the sensors.
equipment during classes, allowing for free access to them at Another purpose of the application is to inform the academic
the same time. The scheme of the system is presented in staff about the cause of the alarm. This way, the teacher is
Fig. 3. able to effectively and quickly identify the stolen property
and the thief. An event of theft, with its date and time, is
4. IMPLEMENTATION recorded in a file. The software allows the teacher to preview
the status of the protected objects, even if they are
The concept of the proposed anti-theft system requires
temporarily absent. PC is connected to the control panel
a modular structure. The sensor is located on a laboratory
through a USB interface configured to emulate a serial COM
station. Protected objects (like e.g. an oscilloscope or
port (Communication Port).
a measurement board) are placed within a range of
The monitored facilities are marked with RFID
the sensor. The sensor periodically checks the presence of
UNIQUE flat stickers transponder. A small communication
the objects and reads the unique codes of their RFID
range (10 cm) enables fast and effective detection of
transponders. After receiving a request sent from the control
undesired changes in positions of the objects. The
panel via RS-485 interface, the sensor sends information
transponder s’ numbers may be read by the PC application.
about the monitored object. The sensors are connected in
a network with a bus topology compliant with a standard

Fig. 2. Basic elements of the alarm system

124 Zeszyty Naukowe Wydziału Elektrotechniki i Automatyki PG, ISSN 2353-1290, Nr 51/2016
 connected to a serial port COM. The entire central panel
module is supplied by 19 V DC.
The central panel software is started through
the initialization of peripherals and both UART interfaces.
Next, the algorithm checks if the flag determining a time
when the request is sent to the next detector is active. If so,
the central panel clears the flag, creates and sends the request
frame to the next detector. If an answer from the detector is
available, the second flag is activated. The flag is checked in
the second step of the algorithm. The frame is received
besides the main loop, by the interrupt handling of the
UART interface. The data from the detector is processed and
stored in RAM memory with a unique RFID number of the
transponder. Moreover, the information about the presence
of the transponder within the detector range is stored. If
the detector does not respond in 30 ms, it means it is not
available. The third flag determines the communication with
the PC. In this case, the frame is also received besides the
main loop, by the interrupt handling of the second UART
interface. If the flag is active, the program clears it and the
data from the PC are processed. The last part of the
algorithm analyzes the data from all detectors and,
potentially, makes a decision about an alarm.
Fig. 3. Blocks of the proposed anti-theft system
The PC application was created in Java in Netbeans
The main element of the system is an ATmega162 IDE virtual machine. Before initialization of the system, it is
microcontroller with an external quartz resonator of 12 MHz necessary to configure the connection settings between
clock rate. The microcontroller has two independent UART the application and the central panel. The application enables
interfaces used to communicate with the MP01611 reader performance of alarm actions and makes it possible to define
and RS-485 network. The power supply of 5 V is provided the type of situation that causes an emergency situation.
by an L7805CV stabilizer. The system can be programmed Such situations include: sensor address mismatch, absence of
with the use of ISP (In-System Programming). the object or sensor or transponder mismatch. Alarm
After initialization of basic peripherals, the situation may be signalized by LEDs or by a buzzer. All
corresponding outputs of the microcontroller are set as actions are stored in a TXT log file, allowing for easy and
inputs or outputs, both UART interfaces are initiated and remote monitoring of the system.
a global flag allowing for the interrupts is activated. Next,
the program checks if the request frame from the control 5. TESTS
panel is received. If so, the answer to the central panel is
The test began with reading the unique RFID numbers
sent. The message contains a RFID number of the
of transponder s. Next, the database with all transponder
transponder recently registered in the detector range and the
numbers and object names was stored in a TXT file. The
status of the protected object.
central panel was configured and programmed in the PC
UNIQUE standard transponder s have a code length of
application (Fig. 4a). Before running the monitoring part of
5 bytes. However, the MP01611 sends 12 bytes.
the PC application, two transponder s were placed within the
The redundancy is caused by the fact that each byte of the
range of the proper detector. The third sensor was not
unique transponder code is represented by two ASCII code
connected and the alarm in this case was switched off. The
digits. Moreover, the reader adds 2 additional bytes that
detected objects were the same as monitored, so their alarm
indicate: CR (Carriage Return) and LF (Line Feed) flags.
status was “OK” (Fig. 4b). Then, the first object was
The algorithm checks if all 12 bytes are received. Next, all
removed from its detector range. Moreover, a wrong object
data are stored in a dedicated table in RAM memory.
was placed within the second detector range. Both cases
If within 0.5 s the next string with the same 12 bytes
resulted in an alarm situation, registered by the PC
appears, it means that the protected object is still present
application and caused the activation of the optical signaler
within the reader range. After that, the system returns to a
(bulb) and siren (Fig. 4c). All operations were written down
state of checking the receiving frame and the procedure is
in the TXT log file (Fig. 4d). The test proved that the entire
repeated infinitely.
system works properly.
ATmega128 microcontroller is the heart of the central
panel. The implemented PCF8586 real-time clock is 6. CONCLUSIONS
supplied with the battery which provides the necessary
power even if the basic supply is disabled. The paper presents a fully functional alarm system for
The communication between them takes place through an academic laboratory. The anti-theft system monitors
I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit) interface. The UART interface laboratory equipment and signals incorrect placement or
of ATmega128 in combination with the MAX487 absence of the monitored objects. Affordable price of the
transceiver enables communication with detectors network. components allows for the use of the system in most
On the other hand, the communication with the PC academic laboratories. Such solution allows the teacher to
application takes place through the FT232RL converter. The fully focus on students and conducted classes.
central panel is recognized by the PC as a new device

Zeszyty Naukowe Wydziału Elektrotechniki i Automatyki PG, ISSN 2353-1290, Nr 51/2016 125
a) b)

c) d)

Fig. 4. View of graphical user interface in: a) programming part, monitoring part, b) non-alarm situation, c) alarm
situation and d) log file.
9. Dębowski L.: Technika RFID i jej aplikacje, Zeszyty
7. REFERENCES Naukowe Wydziału Elektrotechniki i Automatyki
Politechniki Gdańskiej, Nr 22, 2006.
1. Lowe P.: Electronic anti-shoplifting system employing 10. Koślacz G.: Systemy alarmowe, terminologia
an RFID tag, United States Patent number 5,874,896. i klasyfikacja, Elektronika Praktyczna, nr 6/96.
2. Finkenzeller K.: RFID Handbook: Fundamentals and 11. Kozłowski K., Bizewski K., Michałek M., Kulas Ł.,
Applications in Contactless SmartCards, Radio Nyka K.: Hybrid RFID System, 18-th Internacional
Frequency Identification and Near-Field Conference on Microwaves, Radar and WIRELESS
Communication, Wiley, 2010. Communications, 2010.
3. Dębowski L.: Technika RFID i jej aplikacje, Zeszyty 12. Shih S.-H., Sun P.-L. Yen D. C., Huang Sh.-M.:
Naukowe Wydziału Elektrotechniki i Automatyki Taxonomy and survey of RFID anti-collision protocols,
Politechniki Gdańskiej, No. 22, pp. 3136 Computer Communications, 29, 2006.
4. Hunt D., Puglia A., Puglia M.: RFID: A Guide to Radio 13. Cha J.-R., Kim J.-H.: Novel Anti-collision Algorithms
Frequency Identification, Wiley, 2007. for Fast object identification in RFID system,
5. Ranasinghe D. C., Sheng Q. Z., Zeadally Sh.: Unique Proceedings of the 2005 11th International Conference
Radio Innovation for the 21st Century: Building on Parallel and Distributed Systems (ICPADS'05),
Scalable and Global RFID Networks, Springer Science 2005.
& Business Media, 2010. 14. Klair D. K., Chin K.-W., Raad R.: A survey and
6. Dębkowski W., Szlendak M.: System RFID kontroli tutorial of RFID anti-collosion protocols, IEEE
dostępu do pomieszczeń. Praca dyplomowa Communications Surveys & Tutorials, Vol. 12, No. 3,
magisterska. WETI PG, 2011. 2010.
7. Daniel M. Dobkin: The RF In RFID: Passive UHF 15. EM Microelectronic- Marin SA:, EM4102 – Read only
RFID In Practice, Newnes, 2012. contact less identification device, data sheet, 02/2005,
8. Wójtkowicz-Kowalska M., Rebech D.: Wykorzystanie Rev. F., 2005.
technologii RFID do zabezpieczenia zbiorów 16. Noga K.M.: Cyfrowe sterowanie z zastosowaniem
w wolnym dostępie w bibliotece Uniwersytetu układów programowalnych, Zeszyty Naukowe
Papieskiego Jana Pawła II w Krakowie, Kraków, 2013. Wydziału Elektrotechniki i Automatyki Politechniki
Gdańskiej, Nr 40, 2014.

SYSTEM ZABEZPIECZENIA PRZED KRADZIEŻĄ POMIESZCZEŃ TECHNIKĄ RFID

Tematem podejmowanym w pracy jest projekt systemu zabezpieczenia pomieszczeń laboratoryjnych przed kradzieżą.
Na podstawie analizy rynku, opracowano koncepcję systemu alarmowego z zaimplementowaną techniką RFID. W sposób
szczegółowy opisano metody realizacji poszczególnych modułów systemu. Omówiono algorytmy działania oprogramowania
przeznaczonego na mikrokontrolery i komputery osobiste. Przedstawiono przebieg testów działania zrealizowanego sprzętu
oraz sposób obsługi oprogramowania.

Słowa kluczowe: RFID, UNIQUE, system alarmowy, system antykradzieżowy.

126 Zeszyty Naukowe Wydziału Elektrotechniki i Automatyki PG, ISSN 2353-1290, Nr 51/2016