Week 7

Gantt Chart for Final Year Project 1 and Final Year Project 2

This entry is about my work progress by using a gantt chart. This Gantt chart was produced in Microsoft Excel. Gantt chart is planning and shedule of what i need to do for this project. 

 I find several type to develop system and their details and I need a time to precisely choose the details to this project. So, I need more time and find some information that related to this project. By following the Gantt chart, I can set the deadlines in completing the task given. 

Hence, this Gantt chart is indicates details on how the project will be conducted from my FYP1 and FYP2.

Week 6

Structure of Barcode

A typical barcode consists of the following:

•       Quiet Zone –The minimum required space for bar code scan-ability, preceding the Start Character of a bar code symbol. The quiet zone should be free from any printing and be the same colour and reflectance as the background of bar code symbol. The Quiet Zone should be ten times the width of the narrowest element in the bar code, or 0.25 inch minimum. Also known as Clear Area.
•   Start Code –Indicates the start of the barcode. These are special bar code characters & they signify the start of data to the scanner/reader. Start characters are usually stripped-off and not transmitted to the host. 
•      Data –The actual data the barcode stores.
•     Check Digit –Check digit (not always present) is a mathematical sum that is used to verify the accuracy of the other elements of the barcode. It is the extra digit added at the end of a bar code to allow the scanner to confirm that it read the bar code correctly. It is typically stripped from the data and not transmitted to the host.
•     Stop Code – Indicates the stopping point of the barcode. These characters signify the end of data to the scanner/reader. They are also stripped-off and not transmitted to the host.
•   Trailing Quiet Zone – Another clear space with no printing following the Stop Character.

Barcode Reader or Barcode Scanner

       A barcode reader also called a price scanner or point-of-sale (POS) scanner, is a hand-held or stationary input device used to capture and read information contained in a barcode. 

     A barcode reader consists of a scanner, a decoder and a cable used to connect the reader with a computer. A barcode reader merely captures and translates the barcode into numbers and/ or letters. And the data must be sent to a computer so that a software application can make sense of the data.

What is barcode?

My project is related with two important elements: RFID and Barcode. So this week i would like to share with you what is barcode. 


When you purchase an item from any store, you will notice a label with thin, black lines across it, along with a variation of different numbers. This label is then scanned by the cashier, and the item's description and price automatically come up. 

The word for this is called a barcode, and it is used to read data and information based upon the widths of those small black lines. The barcode has many uses, although most of us think of them as simply a way to price items in the grocery or department store. 

Barcodes are becoming more and more common in just about every facet of consumer life.

The technical definition for a barcode is a machine readable form of information on a scannable, visual surface. They are also often known as UPC codes.

The barcode is read by using a special scanner that reads the information directly off of it. The information is then transmitted into a database where it can be logged and tracked. Merchandisers and other companies must pay an annual fee to an organization called The UCC, or Uniform Code Council, who then generates special barcodes specific to that particular company.

Each number on a barcode has a special meaning, and often these numbers are added, multiplied, and divided in some formula that gives them each their own special individuality. Barcodes are very useful for maintaining accurate information about inventory, pricing, and other important business-related data.

Week 4

 There are some research what should I know about RFID.

RFID stands for Radio-Frequency IDentification. It is a generic term for technologies that use radio waves to automatically identify people or objects.

An RFID system consists of: 

•  a scanning antenna
• a transceiver with a decoder to interpret the data
• a transponder - tag - has been programmed

There are two types of transponder

• passive
• active

                                                            Active RFID                                            Passive RFID

Power	Battery operated	No internal power
Required Signal Strength	Low	High
Communication Range	Long range (100m+)	Short range (3m)
Range Data Storage	Large read/write data (128kb)	Small read/write data (128b)
Per Tag Cost	Generally, $15 to $100	Generally, $0.15 to $5.00
Tag Size	Varies depending on application	“Sticker” to credit card size
Fixed Infrastructure Costs	Lower – cheaper interrogators	Higher – fixed readers
Per Asset Variable Costs	Higher – see tag cost	Lower – see tag cost
Best Area of Use	High volume assets moving within designated areas (“4 walls”) in random and dynamic systems	High volume assets moving through fixed choke points in definable, uniform systems
Industries/Applications	Auto dealerships, Auto Manufacturing, Hospitals – asset tracking, Construction, Mining, Laboratories, Remote monitoring, IT asset management	Supply chain, High volume manufacturing, Libraries/book stores, Pharmaceuticals, Passports, Electronic tolls, Item level tracking

In my project, passive RFID is more suitable because it is much smaller and there is no power needed. Furthermore, passive RFID is cheaper compared to active RFID.