Design and construction of a laboratory prototype of an intelligent display stand based on RFID technology

Abstract

The intelligent display stand is a product based in pervasive computing technologies embedded in the environment in a non-intrusive way. To do this it is necessary to use “invisible” devices that are unnoticed and connected via networks. RFID technology and wireless communications are examples of technologies that take this concept to reality and that are applied in this project. The project presents a laboratory prototype in its original version. The overall project of the product is enough complex to be divided in two different main parts: hardware and software. On the one hand the hardware that includes design and development of the best solution for antennas that will read the products on the display stand. It must be taken into account that normally the kind of products that are going to be exposed will be cosmetics. The antennas must be able to read a high percentage (between 95 and 99%) of tags regardless of whether the products contain liquids or other components that could affect the levels of coverage. This study is discussed in detail in the final career project of Jose Manuel Jiménez. And on the other hand the software, which is the one that has place in this project. There is the design of a code that is capable to be embedded and executed within the reader without the need for a computer to do that role. The code is able to obtain all data read through the antennas and reports them to a MySQL database that may be found at the central server. The project also provides a web interface that is designed to give visual support to users who wish to see data stored in the database. This web application provides to the intelligent display stand functionalities beyond that of obtaining inventories or product locations, gives the ability to extract key information within advertising campaigns in which it participates.