RFID technology has potential for a number of applications in a wide variety of fields. However, there are several challenges that make it difficult for the technology to be widely deployed; one of it being security. Due to severe resource constraints, it makes it difficult to deploy strong authentication schemes on RFID tags. This result in making the system vulnerable to attacks that in turn causes the loss of confidential and private data. In this thesis, we propose an authentication scheme for RFID that is based on the cellular network authentication principle for the reader and the server and dynamic generation of keys coupled with the use of basic logical operation for the tags and the server. The key generation mechanism for tags involves independent generation of keys along with support for forward secrecy and non repudiation. The proposed scheme removes the drawbacks of some of the previous works done in the RFID field.

Advancements in ubiquitous computing are allowing users to search and add information to the web for surrounding objects from any location at any time. With more and more information being added to the web, it is becoming hard for users to find the information about an object that surrounds the user at a given context. Current web based search engines are putting local organizations and local objects at a disadvantage in many cases. In recent years, a new era of object hyperlink has evolved which connects physical objects to web based content via graphical machine readable tags or automatic identification technology such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). Users can view the obtained information on the mobile device. However, users today may choose to process the obtained information on more than one computing device based on the activity or task that they are performing. The learning curve for transferring the obtained information to different devices is an addition to the information overload problem. In this thesis, a user centered Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) based object hyperlink solution is proposed. First goal of this thesis is to provide users with the ability to easily collect information from any given object hyperlink location. UHyperlink is designed to provide users an ability to store object hyperlinks from different organizations to a central repository where users can analyze and recapitulate the collected information. UHyperlink is also designed to provide users with more than one object hyperlink where relevant links are presented to the user based on context and user request, reducing the information overload problem. From the experimental setup and evaluation of this thesis, it can be said that it is a novel and interactive approach to object hyperlink which provides users with different results based on user requirement.

(...) Die Autorin ist der Ansicht, dass trotz der vielfältigen Vorteile und Stärken der RFID-Technologie auch in Zukunft noch ein paralleler Einsatz von RFID und Barcode in der Praxis anzutreffen sein wird. Vertrauen in die Transponder-Technik muss aufgebaut, das vollständige Nutzenpotenzial teilweise erst noch erkannt werden. Trotzdem wird die Ablösung des Barcodes durch RFID kommen, der genaue Zeitpunkt wird dabei von der Entwicklung der Kosten, der weiteren Standardisierungstätigkeit sowie der Datenschutzregelungen und der allgemeinen Akzeptanz abhängig sein.(...) (author's abstract) / Series: Schriftenreihe des Instituts für Transportwirtschaft und Logistik - Logistik

La forte urbanisation dont le monde est témoin exige une meilleure gestion des villes. Cette gestion améliorée passe par la surveillance et la maintenance des équipements et infrastructures urbaines afin d'assurer plus de sécurité et bien-être aux habitants. Un rôle clé a donc été confié aux TIC à travers les concepts de l'IoT et des Villes Intelligentes. Cette thèse se positionne dans ce contexte et propose l'Identification par Radio Fréquence (RFID) en complément des techniques déjà utilisées. L'adoption de la RFID à grande échelle pour les centres urbains nécessite cependant de résoudre deux principaux problèmes : les collisions de lecture et la collecte et remontée des données. A travers les travaux menés dans cette thèse, nous avons d'abord cherché à identifier les solutions déjà proposées dans la littérature pour réduire les collisions. Sur la base de cette étude, nous avons proposé deux algorithmes distribués d'anticollision de lecture DEFAR et CORA. Ils permettent d'assurer un débit de lecture important en maintenant un taux de collisions et une latence de couverture faible comparés aux solutions de la littérature. Par la suite, nous avons proposé DACAR, un algorithme distribué de collecte des données issues des lecteurs RFID de manière multi-sauts. Il s'adapte en fonction du protocole d'anticollision utilisé et de la position des lecteurs déployés pour fournir un ratio de délivrance des paquets fiable et un faible délai de bout-en-bout. Une version améliorée est ultérieurement proposée pour la priorisation des données et offrir des chemins différents plus appropriés à l'aide d'une combinaison de différents paramètres grâce à la logique floue. / The strong urbanization witnessed by the world requires better management of cities. This improved management involves the monitoring and maintenance of urban infrastructure and equipment to ensure greater safety and well-being for residents. A key role has therefore been given to ICTs through the concepts of IoT and Smart Cities. This thesis is positioned in this context and proposes the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) in addition to the techniques already in use. The adoption of large-scale RFID for urban centers, however, needs to address two main issues: reading collisions and data collection and reporting. Through the work carried out in this thesis, we first sought to identify the solutions already proposed in the literature to reduce collisions. Based on this study, we proposed two distributed anti-collision algorithms DEFAR and CORA. They ensure a high read throughput by maintaining a low collapse rate and latency compared to literature solutions. Subsequently, we proposed DACAR, a distributed algorithm for collecting data from RFID readers in a multi-hop manner. It adapts according to the anti-collision protocol used and the position of deployed drives to provide a reliable packet delivery ratio and low end-to-end delay. An improved version is later proposed for the prioritization of data and to offer more suitable different paths using a combination of different parameters through fuzzy logic.

Enligt Steenken et al. (2004) motsvarar container shipping 60 % av världens transporter över haven. Användningen av containertransporter har ökat med tio gånger sedan mitten av 80-talet. En ökning av containertrafik ställer enligt Steenken et al. (2004) ökat krav på hamnars logistik och styrning samt val av teknisk utrustning. En informationsteknik som flera författare argumenterar för är RFID-tekniken som är en växande teknik som kan effektivisera flera av dessa områden.   Därav är syftet för denna studie att undersöka tillämpbarheten av att använda RFID-tekniken för effektiv hantering av containrar inom containerterminaler i hamnar. För att avgränsa arbetet så har författarna till denna studie valt att inrikta sig på hur RFID-tekniken skulle kunna tillämpas inom containerterminaler med RFID-taggar fästa på godstypen containrar.   Studien har utgått ifrån följande frågeställningar: Vilka är de kritiska faktorerna för en containerterminals lönsamhet? Vilka områden är viktiga att ta hänsyn till vid tillämpning av RFID-tekniken. Vilka förbättringsmöjligheter medför ett tillämpande av RFID i containerterminaler? Vilka problem eller hinder infinner sig i och med tillämpandet av RFID-tekniken i containerterminaler?   För att besvara syfte och frågeställningar har författarna till denna studie utifrån den teoretiska referensramen tagit fram en analysmodell innehållande fem områden som bör undersökas för att avgöra om RFID är av värde att tillämpa för den aktuella hamnen eller inte. Denna modell kommer att appliceras på två fall, Gävle Container Terminal och Zhuhai International Container Terminal Gaolan Limited.   Studien har visat att RFID-tekniken är tillämpbar och kan medföra fördelar i flera områden för containerterminaler men att de samtidigt finns flera barriärer för att lyckas. Dessa är kostnader och standarder. Men studien påvisar även sätt att kringgå dessa, bland annat genom att bygga upp RFID tillsammans med övriga intressenter i kedjan / According to Steenken et al. (2004) container shipping is corresponding to 60% of global shipments by sea. The use of container transport has increased tenfold since the mid80's. An increase in container traffic is according to Steenken et al. (2004) putting increased demands on ports logistics, management and selection of technical equipment. One technique that many writers argue for is the RFID technology which is an emerging technology that can facilitate more of these areas. It is the purpose of this study to investigate the applicability of using the RFID technology for efficient handling of containers in container terminals. In order to define the work, this study chose to focus on how RFID technology could be applied within the container terminal with RFID tags attached to the type of cargo containers. The research questions were: What are the critical factors for container terminals profitability? What areas are important to consider when applying the RFID technology? What opportunities for improvement entail application of RFID in container terminals? What problems or obstacles present themselves in the application of RFID technology in container terminals? To answer the purpose and questions of this study the authors of this study based on the theoretical framework developed an analysis model containing five key areas that should be examined to determine if RFID is adding value to applicable for the surveyed port or not. This model will be applied to two cases, Gävle Container Terminal and Zhuhai International Container Terminal Gaolan Limited. The study has demonstrated that RFID technology is applicable and can generate benefits in several areas of container terminals, but the study also found several barriers to success. These are particularly cost and standards. But the study also shows ways to circumvent them, including through the development of RFID with other stakeholders in the chain

Radiofrequency identification (RIFD) is a significant player in the spread of computation out of the box and into the environment and is becoming a key component in what some have titled the “digital era”. In its capacity to identify and classify material objects often associated with human beings, RFID should also be considered as a mechanism of surveillance. Rather than focusing on the often inflated claims of the transformative power of RFID (from both its boosters and its critics), current applications of RFID are analyzed firstly, through the lens of the digital sublime as employed by Vincent Mosco (2004), and secondly, from the risk society thesis as coined by Ulrich Beck (1992) and explored in light of Bauman’s analysis of the production of fear and its associated capacities (2007). From the viewpoint of the digital sublime, RFID promises revolutionary potential in communication, distribution and efficiency and belief in these properties seems to override actual evidence of the more limited impacts of RFID. In the risk society thesis, RFID is implemented for its perceived contribution to greater security, understood at several levels but is simultaneously feared for its grandeur of capabilities. This critical analysis of RF technologies explores the current understanding of RFID: what the perception is, how the perception was built, and what sustains it, while pointing both to the propensity of RFID to alter time-space patterns and extend surveillance but also to the ways in which both proponents and opponents of RFID may exaggerate this contribution. / Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2011-10-31 13:39:15.157

In large warehouses, there are a lot of articles that needs do be kept track of. As the number of articles grows larger, the administrative complexity increases. Thus, a solution that automatically keeps track of the position of each article in real-time is of interest. That is, if an item in the warehouse is moved, no manual administration should be needed to know the new position of the item. Radio detection and ranging (RADAR) is a ranging technique that doesn’t need to communicate with an object to find the distance to it, instead signals are sent and when they are reflected off the object and returned to the sender, the distance to the object may be calculated. However, you cannot tell two equally shaped objects apart purely based on RADAR techniques. There are many other techniques for ranging, sound navigation and ranging (SONAR) is another example, but they all lack the possibility of detecting the identity of the object. So, in order to find a specific item’s position, some kind of  communication with the item is necessary. Radiofrequency identification (RFID) is a neat technology with which this is possible. An RFID reader can send radio signals out in the air, and objects that are in the vicinity of the reader and are tagged with an RFID tag can receive that signal and respond with it’s unique identification number. This way, the RFID reader can identify the RFID tagged object from a distance. There are also a variety of ways to approximate the distance between reader and tag. Unfortunately this is a rather difficult task, especially in indoor  environments. There are already some existing products on the market that uses RFID for different kinds of positioning. In this thesis, the theory behind positioning, the fundamentals of RFID and different positioning solutions will be analysed and presented. A number of tests were carried out with an RFID system within the ultra-high frequency (UHF) band, which is around 866 MHz. The test system only supported range estimation based on the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and the test results showed that narrowband RSSI measurements are highly disturbed by multipath propagation which make the overall positioning performance insufficient. Further analysis of time based range estimation techniques, such as time of arrival (TOA), time of flight (TOF) and time difference of arrival (TDOA), revealed that better positioning accuracy is possible, especially if ultra-wide bandwidth (UWB) is used.

Zugl.: Salzburg, Fachhochsch., Diplomarbeit

Fachhochsch., Diplomarbeit--Salzburg.

Zugl.: Stuttgart, Hochsch. der Medien, Diplomarbeit, 2006