RFID implementation of an ambulance inventory system

• Main Author: Chai, Benjamin Jung Hao
• Other Authors: School of Computer Engineering
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/59141
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is an enabling technology used in many modern applications. These include the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) gantry, attendance taking, inventory systems and complex systems like train speed tracking. Typical RFID systems use 2.4 GHz, 900 MHz or 13 MHz frequency for communication. The RFID tags may also be active or passive. Such systems could cost between several thousand to several hundred thousand dollar. This project focus on developing a low-cost RFID-based inventory management system for usage on an ambulance. Before deployment, the personnel need to populate the vehicle with relevant and sufficient items. This could be achieved quickly using RFID readers to query the RFID tags, parsing these information to the backend server which would then generate a list of existing items, and items that need to be replenished. The RFID reader may be configured for single-tag read or multiple-tags read. Also, an Arduino may be used to control one or more RFID readers. Each Arduino establishes a Zigbee (XBEE) communication link to the server, thereby allowing the RFID readers to be more easily placed in the ambulance.