Msc Dissertation

IMPLEMENTATION OF RFID IN EMERGENCY TRANSPORT VEHICLES FOR INSTANT DATA TRANSFER TO A &E COMMAND CENTRES

By MOHAMMED MUSHAHID Submitted to the Faculty of the University of Reading In partial fulfilment of the requirements for The Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE In CYBERNETICS September, 2008

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to thank my Supervisor Prof.Kevin Warwick for the constant support, guidance and encouragement throughout my program. I express my sincere gratitude to Dr.Victor Becerra, the Chair of Cybernetics, for his kind cooperation and guidance that helped me in completing my project. I wish to express my sincere and deepest thanks to Mr.Steve Gould, who has helped me whenever I had any doubts in my project. I extend my thanks to the staff and faculty of the Department of Cybernetics for their help and support. I wish to thank Romana Azam who has been with me at all times and constantly given me encouragement and support in tough times. I also wish to sincerely thank my parents without whom I would have not been writing this, who have helped me every single moment throughout the program.

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ABSTRACT This project is aimed to implement Radio Frequency Identification technology in healthcare industry. The time factor is of high importance in cases of emergency. In emergency rescue operations via road, air or water, the Ambulances, rescue helicopters and boats are the main modes of transporting the injured to the A & E centres. The Radio Frequency system accomplishes the task of reading the patients ID and sending it to the A & E command centre. We have used the persons ID to be read and sent to the command centres and then we are retrieving the patient’s data from the global database. The Module RWD Quad Tag is the Radio frequency IC which is a read and write module, where data can be written into and read from the transponder. This module reads the persons ID stored in the memory of the transponder using 125 KHz magnetic field generated by the antenna attached to the reader module. The ID is then sent to the A & E command centre where the injured person’s information is retrieved from the database and kept ready when the emergency transport vehicle arrives at the centre. The serial communication is done using the Max 232 IC, which is the serial RS 232 communication chip and it displays the ID on the computer hyper terminal screen.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION Radio Frequency Identification technology clearly gives the layman an idea of what the technology is about, as the name suggests it has something to do with the frequency ,Identification and waves. 1This technology has been with us from a long time, since 1940’s. The early Radio frequency technology was used for military purposes. The aircrafts were identified as friendly or enemy aircrafts, and this was identified by radar and the aircraft broadcasted its unique identity using radio signal. 2Radio Frequency technique was invented by Leon Theremin in 1946 and for the Soviet Union as an espionage tool. This was a vague form of radio frequency technology. The first originator of modern RFID was Mario Cardullo from the United States in 1973. It included the passive radio transponder with memory. Cardullo’s patent (Patent No: 3713148) covers the use of RF, sound and light as the medium of transmission. The technology has moved from just being used for military purposes to being used commercially. Now a day we see RFID being used everywhere, from super markets to hospitals. The applications of this technology are numerous in almost all the sectors. The few major areas where it is being used are Logistics, Healthcare industry, Commercial, Industrial and Retail. 1 2

RFID: The promise of a Strategic Technology by Steven Shepard Wikipedia: Radio-Frequency identification

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My project is mainly focussing on one major sector which is the healthcare industry. How this technology can be helpful and can save peoples lives can be witnessed in many hospitals and centres. The media have reported many cases of inaccuracy and sheer negligence by the hospitals caused by human errors. These included false patient identification and performing surgery on wrong patients, wrong blood being used in transfusions and administering of wrong medicines. All these can be reduced, if not completely stopped, by using the radio frequency technology for identification and verification procedures. My project involves the implementation of RFID module in Emergency transport vehicles like ambulances, rescue helicopters, rescue ships and boats. If we think about one of the main things to be considered in cases of emergencies and accidents, it is the time. Time is of prime essence when ever any rescue operation is carried out. Few seconds delay might mean a matter of life and death. So, I have developed this model of the RFID module which is a simple cost effective model and is very efficient. It basically involves the use of the reader, transponder and the antennae. The reader is a device which basically is the functioning unit, and provides the power to the transponder in this application.

1.1. Literature Review 3

A similar project has been done by some engineers in Japan where they

have done the project “Triage with RFID Tags” and this project has been 3

Sozo Inoue and Akihiko Sonoda; Graduate School of Information Science and Electrical Engineering,Kyushu University, Japan Ken’ichiro OKA;Security Department,Fukuoka Fire Prevention Bureau Shin’ichiro Fujisaki;RFID Project Department, Telecom & Information Division,Marubeni Corporation, and Marubeni Information Systems Co., Ltd

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mainly targeted for larger scale of disasters and accidents, when the injured toll reaches a larger number. The concept is different as the tags have to be written at the site of the accident. And then this information is sent to the hospitals. The procedure is followed in steps, when at the site of the accident or disaster, the mass of injured people are immediately identified into four bands of deceased, Immediate, minor and delayed. This is the first triage. Then they are taken to the first aid area which is the second triage and here the information of the people is collected as much as possible. Then the injured people are decided upon which hospital to be taken and the information is written into the tags. In the ambulances also the information is being collected and written onto the tags. There are A & E personnel at the hospital awaiting the injured people carrying transport vehicle and they take the data from the readers memory and the emergency transport vehicle repeats the procedure after going back to the site.

Image courtesy of Google images

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Another implementation of the RFID technology in a similar triage system

is tested by the Seattle Fire department .This system uses wireless method for mass casualty incidents and states that the triage time takes less than 10 seconds. The use of manual writing of data and recording people’s information using writing boards took 30 seconds per patient and the triage system was slowed down. This new RFID technology was much faster and saved time which is very crucial in these situations. 1.2. Criterion There are some major criterions which I have considered and are as follows: 1. Every individual will have an ID card very much like NI cards and credit cards, which will hold the individuals health information and vital details. 2. There will be a global database which will store all the people’s vital medical information and can be accessed by the Healthcare command centres. 3. The emergency transport vehicle from any hospital or Emergency centre can take the patient on board and transfer the patients ID to the command centre and the centre can access the patient’s information. 4. The codes for each memory page which is used for user data storage are to be followed by the emergency rescue personnel.

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http://epsfiles.intermec.com/eps_files/eps_cs/SeattleFireDept_cs_web.pdf

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2. RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION: EXPLAINED Many of us have heard about RFID and have seen it but a few of us know about the technology itself. It is a very exciting and simple data logging technology. The concept of RFID is similar to other technologies which automatically identify and record the data. 5The most common AIDC (automatic identification and data capture) technology we have all come across is the bar code technology. We have seen the cashiers scan the items at supermarkets and the bar code is read using the light .This is reliable and less expensive than the non automated techniques. But the RFID technology has its own advantages over bar code technology. RFID uses radio frequency for information exchange unlike light for AIDC technologies. The issue of line of sight does not affect RFID, as the radio waves can penetrate many objects. Speed is enhanced when using RFID for reading data. Antennae can be designed for reading over greater distances. 2.1. Building blocks of RFID The main components which constitute the RFID system are the Reader, Tag and antenna. The design of reader basically is done according to the 5

NIST: National Institute of Standards and Technology; U.S Department of Commerce

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application being used. 6It comprises of the receiver and transmitter module, a control unit and the interface for serial communication (RS 232, RS 485). The transponder is the tag which has memory, microcontroller and control unit along with the antenna circuit. The antenna frequencies of both the reader and the transponder should be same when used in an application. The antenna can be designed based on the distance and the recommended standards. The reader also called the interrogator can be a Read device or can perform both Read/Write operations. The transponder holds the information to be read.

ANTENNA CIRCUIT

CONTROL UNIT

RF

AN T

CONTROL

MEM

UNIT ORY UNIT

MODULE

Fig: Typical Reader and Transponder unit The figure above describes the communication taking place between the Reader and the Transponder. The Reader field powers up the transponder which is passive. The transfer of energy is called Inductive coupling.

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RFID HANDBOOK; Klaus Finkenzeller

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3. RADIO FREQUENCY: CLASSIFICATION 7

Radio frequency is the frequency within the range of 3Hz-300 GHz. Radio

Frequency usually refers to the oscillations in the electrical circuits or electromagnetic radiation. The table below shows the different frequency categories and the wavelengths associated. The Applications are also highlighted. The Red marked frequency category is the frequency category which I have used in my project. I have used the Low frequency range of 125 KHz. Table 1: Frequency classification Name

Symbol Frequency

Wavelength

Applications

Extremely low frequency

ELF

3 to 30 Hz

10,000 km to 100,000 km

directly audible when converted to sound, communication with submarines

Super low frequency

SLF

30 to 300 Hz

1,000 km to 10,000 km

directly audible when converted to sound, AC power grids (50 hertz and 60 hertz)

Ultra low frequency

ULF

300 to 3000 100 km to 1,000 directly audible when converted to sound, Hz km communication with mines

Very low frequency

VLF

3 to 30 kHz

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10 km to 100 km

directly audible when converted to sound

Radio Frequency: Wikipedia

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Low frequency

LF

30 to 300 kHz

1 km to 10 km

international broadcasting, navigational beacons, lowFER

Medium frequency

MF

300 to 3000 kHz

10 m to 1 km

navigational beacons, AM broadcasting, maritime and aviation communication

High frequency

HF

3 to 30 MHz 10 m to 100 m shortwave, citizens' band radio

Very high frequency

VHF

30 to 300 MHz

Ultra high frequency

UHF

300 to 3000 10 cm to 100 MHz cm

broadcast television, mobile telephones, wireless networking, remote keyless entry for automobiles, microwave ovens, GPR

Super high frequency

SHF

3 to 30 GHz 1 cm to 10 cm

Wireless networking, satellite links, microwave links, Satellite television, door openers.

Extremely high frequency

EHF

30 to 300 GHz

1 m to 10 m

FM broadcasting, broadcast television, aviation, GPR

microwave data links, radio astronomy, 1 mm to 10 mm remote sensing, advanced weapons systems, advanced security scanning

3.1. Frequency Ranges 8

The RFID systems generate and radiate electromagnetic waves and care

must be taken that they do not cause interference or disturbance to other radio services. The table below shows the frequency ranges and the data transfer technique specification for different ranges. For my application, the frequency range used is <135 KHz and it falls under the low frequency category. Frequency Range 8

Frequency and power

Transmission power

http://rfid-handbook.com

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technique Low frequency,

72 dBµA/m max

Inductive coupling Medium frequency,

42 dBµA/m

< 135 KHz 3.155- 27.283 MHz

Inductive coupling 433 -928 MHz

Ultra High frequency,

10-100 mW

2.4-5.8 GHz

backscatter coupling SHF,

500 mW Europe

backscatter coupling

3.2. Inductive Coupling For this range, usually the power transfer is done using the Antenna of the reader which activates the passive transponder by means of mutual inductance between the two circuits. This transfer of energy through mutual inductance is called inductive coupling. 9

Inductive coupling is a technique used to supply power to the transponders

which are passive. They use the power from the radiated field of the reader. The reader’s antenna must provide the necessary electromagnetic field which must be strong enough to activate the transponder circuit.

The

electromagnetic field between the reader and the transponder antennae may be considered as a

magnetic alternating field, since the distance between

the reader and the transponder is far lower than the wavelength of the frequency used i.e. for 125Khz: 2400m. When the magnetic field from the 9

RFID HANDBOOK: Klaus Finkenzeller

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reader antenna enters the transponder antenna coil, a voltage is generated in the transponder antenna’s coil by 10inductance. This generated voltage has to be rectified to provide a DC source required to power all the functions on the chip and if necessary clamped to avoid dangerous and high voltage .The antenna at the reader is connected to the capacitor in parallel, the capacitance value is selected such that it works with the inductance of the coil to form a parallel resonant circuit with a resonant frequency that corresponds with the transmission frequency of the reader. At the transponder also, the capacitor at the transponder also forms a resonant circuit with its antenna and is tuned to the transmission

frequency of the reader. The two coils can be

interpreted as transformer coupling with the reader coil being the primary and the transponder coil being the secondary. 3.3 Modulation techniques Modulation is the process in which the message signal is transmitted to the destination using a carrier wave. The characteristics of the carrier can be varied according to its amplitude, phase and frequency. The carrier wave is the high frequency sinusoidal waveform. In simple terms, the message is modulated with the carrier wave and sent through the transmitting antenna and it is received at the destination and demodulated, where the message signal is separated from the carrier wave. Now, the main aim of modulation is the transfer of data or bit stream over a channel. We use analog modulation to transfer analog sinusoidal signal like audio or TV signal through an analog band pass channel. In my project since we have to transfer data bits, we are using digital modulation schemes. The different digital 10

Electric current flowing through a circuit gives rice to magnetic field which produces magnetic flux. The ratio of magnetic flux to the current is called inductance.

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modulation schemes are: 11ASK, FSK and PSK. In digital modulation, the analog signal is modulated by the digital bit stream. This is a brief explanation of the techniques which are used for data transfer in the project. In ASK, the amplitude of the analog carrier signal varies with the digital signal which are the bit stream (modulating signal), the level of amplitude is used for representing binary 1 or binary 0. If the bit is high then data transmitted is 1 and if it is low then it is 0. This can be called as an ON/OFF switch. The modulated signal will have logic 0 when the carrier is off and logic1 when the carrier is on. In FSK, the frequency of the carrier wave is used for data transmission. The frequency can be high for transmitting 1 and low when transmitting 0. IN PSK, the change in phase of the carrier wave could be used to transmit data.

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ASK: Amplitude shift keying; FSK: Frequency Shift Keying; PSK; Phase Shift Keying

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4. PROJECT HARDWARE DESCRIPTION The main components and modules used in the project are: a. MicroRWD 125 KHz Quad Tag module b. Hitag 2 Transponder c. Antenna 125 KHz d. MAX 232 CPE e. Power supply f. Connectors ( Serial communication ) g. Cables(Serial communication) 4.1. RWD Quad tag module 12

The MicroRWD chip module is a complete RF transponder /contactless

smart card read and write system on a single chip and is very cost efficient. MicroRWD RFID reader device is a fully integrated 125 kHz read/write solution for Philips Semiconductors Hitag, EM Martin and Microchip RF passive transponders. It is completely housed in a 24-pin DIP package and only requires a 700 micro Henry antenna coil to be connected and the power supply of 5v DC to function properly. The MicroRWD device has a built in TTL level RS232 serial interface for host communication and a number of 12

ib technology datasheets http://www.ibtechnology.co.uk

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input and output pins for reading switch inputs, driving indicator LED’s and other output devices such as relays etc. The MicroRWD has two modes of operation: The Standalone mode and the remote mode are as described below. The module in the standalone mode has some built in serial numbers which identify the transponder when it is brought near the field and shows green light. This gives the module the ability to act as a mini access control system without the need of any other external circuitry. Fig: Standalone mode

ANTENN A

MICRO RWD CHIP

Standalone mode with Internal EEPROM holding authorised Tag codes.

In the Remote mode the module is connected to the PC or a host system using the 9600-baud serial interface RS 232. The data is read and displayed on the hyper terminal screen on the PC.

Fig: Remote mode

ANTENN A

MICRO RWD CHIP

RS 232 Serial Comms

HOST SYSTEM

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4.1.1. MicroRWD block diagram and description The MicroRWD is essentially a proximity system and a Read/Write range of up to 20 cm can be achieved with the same level of reliable communication and EMC resilience. The unique AST (Adaptive Sampling Technique) feature allows the RWD to continually adjust and retune the sampling to allow for inductive changes in the RF field, an essential feature for realworld reliability and robust operation. The communication protocol with the tags can achieve 4k bits/second of data transfer and the total time to read a 32 bit page takes less than 50ms. 13

The MicroRWD module is made up of an RF ASIC (Application specific

integrated circuits) IC (modulator /demodulator), a microcontroller IC and a number of resistive and capacitive passive elements, all of which are powered from an external 5-volt DC supply. A single 4 MHz crystal provides the oscillator-clocking signal for both ICs. The RF ASIC internally divides this to produce the 125 kHz carrier frequency, which under control of the microcontroller is turned ON and OFF according to polling duty cycle. (Default setting- 100 ms OFF/10ms ON with no tag in field and 100ms OFF/50ms ON reading a tag in field). Because the RF field is normally turned off and is effectively only on for short periods of transponder communication, the average power consumption of the MicroRWD is very low compared to other modules. The 125 kHz carrier frequency drives a pair of FET transistors, which are connected, to an antenna coil of 700 µH inductance (7-10 cm diameter wound coil) with a 2 nF capacitor in series. Under optimum conditions this forms a resonant circuit at the 125 kHz fundamental frequency and 100v peak-to-peak and 200ma peak currents are created in the coil. This radiated 13

www.ibtechnology.co.uk: Data sheets

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carrier field has sufficient strength to power passive transponders in close proximity (10-15cm range)

Fig: Block Diagram of Reader module

ANTENNA DRIVERS

700 µ H ANTENN A

OSCILLATOR

MODULATOR CONTROL UNIT

SYNCHRON DEMODUL ATOR

Band pass Filter Amplifier and Digitiser

Phase

Control Register

Measurement

Serial Interface

5v DC Supply

Microcontroller IC

4 MHz Crystal

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Four output TTL level RS232 Signals

interface

LED output signals

4.2. Transponder The transponder is also called the tag and mainly comprises of the memory unit, control unit and the antenna circuit. The memory unit stores the data and this data is to be sent to the reader using the antenna. So the data is modulated and sent to the coil which transmits the data and the reader detects the incoming data and demodulates it. This is the basic and simple operation principle. Now for my project I have used the Hitag2 transponders (Hitag 2 is a trademark of Philips Semiconductors) which are basically the transponders in which the information is protected against interrogation and copying using the password exchange system. The transponder derives its power from and communicates using the Reader antenna 125 kHz RF field .They can use various communication schemes as I have described earlier. Also the tags have different memory options as it depends on the application. Some of the transponders also use encryption and password authentication techniques to provide communication and data security. 4.2.1. Transponder circuit: Block diagram The figure below shows the general layout of the transponder circuit. Modulation

Fig: Transponder circuit: general

Encoding

C Rectification

ANTENN A

EEPROM 19

Power control

Control Logic

The tags used in the earlier times were READ ONLY and the ID was fixed by the manufacturer. Then came the tags which could be used many times, in the sense EEPROM was being used. This 14EEPROM lets us write into the tag many number of times. The transponder circuit above is just a basic idea of the main components and processes involved. The antenna is connected to the capacitor C in a parallel arrangement which forms the 15parallel resonant circuit. 16

LC circuit is also called the resonant circuit or tuned circuit consisting of

an Inductor (L) and the capacitor(C). When they are connected together, an electrical current can alternate between them at the circuits’ resonant frequency which is 125 kHz. Why are LC circuits used? LC circuits are used for either generating signals at a particular frequency, or picking a signal at a particular frequency from a complex signal. Thus we know now why the parallel resonant circuit arrangement is done in RFID. This arrangement generates the necessary power required to power up the internal circuit. This project uses Hitag 2 transponders which have 256 bits (32 bytes) of read/write EEPROM memory arranged as 8 partitioned 32 bit pages. An area of 128 bits (16 bytes) is open for general user data. The Hitag 14

EEPROM: Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory: Uses UV light to burn into the memory. 15 Resonant circuit is also called LC circuit. 16 LC circuit : Wikipedia

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2 transponders are configurable for different modes of operation and the MicroRWD H2 version supports the high security PASSWORD mode only. This feature uses two password codes stored both in the H2 transponder and the RWD that are mutually exchanged when a tag is brought into the RF field; the tag is only unlocked for read/write operations if these codes exactly agree. The diagram below explains the memory classification in the transponder EEPROM. Fig: Memory classification of Hitag 2 transponder.

SERIAL PASS WORD RWD PASSWORD RESERVED CONFIG, TAG PASSWORD

AGE/GENDER/NAT/BLOOD GROUP

PERSON ID

16 bytes =4 pages EMERGENCY CONTACT

Of 32 bits each. (USER DATA)

NUMBER

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4.3. Antenna Specification (125 kHz) The antenna for this project is made of 67 turns of copper wire for the antenna size of 7 cm internal diameter as shown in figure below. Fig: Antenna

The copper wire is enamelled so it has to be de enamelled at the ends before connecting it to the circuit. This antenna gives a maximum range of 10-15 cm with the Hitag 2 transponders. The antenna used in this project is a simple coil of 700 micro Henry inductance. The antenna is connected to a 22 ohm resistor in order to provide the necessary optimum signal-to-noise ratio and Q value. The antenna when activated produces the magnetic field and the communication takes place via the magnetic flux linkage. The more flux which interacts with the transponder antenna, the better the performance it gives. The antenna coil is round and circular as it gives a uniform distribution of flux.

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The problems faced with the tuning of the antenna have been taken care of by using capacitors of 47 Pico farads at pins 9 and 12 of the RWD module.

4.3.1. Tuning the antenna Tuning the antenna is done after it is connected to the module Micro RWD and the power is applied. An oscilloscope is connected between the pin AN2 which is pin 12 of the Micro RWD module and the Ground pin. Without the transponder in the field, we will get a pulsed 125 kHz sine wave. The antenna resistor of 22 ohm which is connected to pin 9 of the RWD module limits the peak to peak voltage to the range of 110-120 v. The waveform below shows the tuned antenna with minimal interference and noise. Fig: Waveform with minimal noise in antenna (sine wave)

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4.4. RS 232C: Serial communication 17

RS- 232 stands for Recommended Standard number 232. Most of the

computers use the sub version of the RS232 version which is the male 9 pin connector. The full RS 232 is a 25 pin “D” connector of which 22 are used. The figure below shows the 9 pin D connector and its pins:

9 5

8 4

7 3

2

1

6

Fig: RS232 connector

Pin1: Data Carrier Detect Pin2: Receive Data from DCE Pin3: Transmit Data to a DCE 17

http://www.taltech.com/TALtech_web/resources/intro-sc.html

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Pin 4: DTR (Data Terminal Ready) Pin 5: Signal Ground Common reference point Pin 6: Data Set Ready (DSR) Pin 7: Request to Send (RTS) Pin 8: Clear to Send (CTS) Pin 9: Ring Indicator (RI); Incoming signal from the modem For this project I have shorted pins 1, 4 and 6. Pin 2 is transmission pin and Pin 3 is receiving pin. Pin 5 is ground and Pin 8 is clear to send signal which is high. The MicroRWD Quad Tag module when connected to the PC using the RS 232, its software is obtained from the company developed files. The RWD Quad tag supports 4 types of transponders which are: Hitag 1/s, Hitag2, H400x/4102 mode and MCRF 200/123 mode. The transponders used in this project are Hitag 2 mode transponders.

When these transponders are

brought near the antenna field, the Green LED glows indicating the tag being accepted and identified. This signal is transmitted to the PC when the READ TAG button is pressed on the software screen. The Read Tag activates the reading of the card. 18The automatic identification of the tag is not possible in the RWD QT module as it is supporting 4 different transponder types and this application could make it complicated. However, the MicroRWD MF (Mifare) LP (Low Power) module can be used in the auto identification mode. I have used the TI (Texas Instruments) module for the data transmission using the putty serial communication display screen on

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Information from ib technology technical department: Mr. Ian Evans: 08707775964

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the PC as the module MicroRWD QT does not support the auto identification of the transponder.

5. PROJECT APPLICATION The project details mentioned till now have covered the basics of RFID including hardware and design aspects. The project has its application in the area of data identification and transmission to the destination. This project is focussed towards identifying the individual’s ID and sending this ID to the hospital. As mentioned in my 19criterion list, everyone will carry their Health ID cards with them which will have the individual’s number. This Number can be looked on the Global database of people and their health information and conditions can be processed for the doctor’s use. Only the Doctors and surgeons can access these details in emergency cases only. The process of card reading and writing into the transponder (ID card) is a simple procedure. The cards used in this project are Hitag 2 transponders as described earlier. These cards have four pages of memory space for user data, each page having 4 bytes. The display of Hitag 2 software on the PC screen will show the data contained in the last four pages as described below: Page 04 : Page 04 is the first page of the memory reserved for user data. This page will contain the basic information in each of its byte. The first byte will contain the information about the age of the individual.

The second byte will

indicate the gender. The third byte will be the nationality and the last byte will indicate the Blood group of the individual. 19

1.2 .Criterion

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Let us consider for example any individual, for instance my ID card is read, it will display my information in page 04 as: Page 04: 24 01 91 A1: USER DATA

Where: 24: Indicates the age 01: Indicates the gender which is 01 –for male and 02 – for female and 03 – for other 20

91: Indicates the nationality which is based according to the table of

nations. A1: Indicates the blood group which is A1 for A + and A0 for ASimilarly for other blood groups, the notations used are:B1 for B+ B0 for B – A2 for AB + A3 for AB – 01 for 0 + 02 for 0 – This data can be useful for the personnel in the emergency transport vehicles who are carrying out the emergency rescue operation at the site. Page 05: Page 05 is the second data page reserved for the user to program. This memory page of 4 bytes is used for storing the individual health ID of people. This ID has to be sent to the A & E command centre for recognition 20

Country codes according to the International phone codes. Ex: UK- 0044, INDIA-0091 etc

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and identification of the person being brought in the emergency transport vehicle. This ID will be looked up in the global database and the person’s health conditions and other vital information can be accessed and reviewed by the doctors and health personnel. The page 05 will be seen on the screen as:

Page 05: 00 00 01 07: USER DATA

This ID is sent to the A & E command centre which receives it and retrieves the person’s information from the global database. For example: ID 00 00 01 07 Name: Mushahid Mohammed Address: 78 A Christchurch Road, Reading, UK, RG2 7AZ D.O.B: 12-03-1984 Emergency contact no: 00447877665433 Medical Condition: Healthy Allergies: Penicillin Minor Surgeries: Nil Major Surgeries: Nil Diabetes: NO Asthama: NO Other conditions: Under any current medication: NO Last medical checkup: 18 April 2007

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This above detailed information will be in the global database which will be accessible to the health personnel in cases of emergency situations. All the major pieces of information are immediately known to the doctors attending the injured people. Page 06 and 07: (8 bytes) The page 06 and 07 will together make use of the 8 bytes which will be 16 bits to hold the persons kith and kin contact number. It will show the screen as:

Page 06: 00 44 78 77: USER DATA Page 07: 55 27 18 00: USER DATA

Now, let us consider that If became injured in an accident and I am carrying the ID card with me. The card will read my details as soon as I m taken into the emergency transport vehicle and display it onto the screen as shown below:

Page 0: Page 1: Page 2: Page 3: Page 4: 24 01 91 A1: USER DATA Page 5: 00 00 01 07: USER DATA Page 6: 00 44 78 77: USER DATA Page 7: 55 27 18 00: USER DATA 29

The advantage of this would be that the emergency personnel will immediately know my details and can start emergency procedure on me and can inform my closest relatives about me.

It will be helpful to the

emergency personnel as well as the hospital which receives my ID and gets the details from the data base.

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6. CONCLUSION This project is a basic project which reads the data when it is prompted by the user. The MIFARE model of QT model has the auto read option which reads the data from the transponder as soon as it is brought under the magnetic field influence. Further improvements and developments could mean designing transponders which can hold the entire patients history rather than storing just the ID. This would mean that the hassle of maintaining the database and retrieving procedures could be eliminated. The memory used in this project is only 256 bytes; this could be increased in future to hold more information. The major difficulties faced in developing this project were synchronising the transponder to the Reader, and Transmitting data through HyperTerminal or putty terminal. The main advantages of this project can be realised to their full scale if this is implemented and piloted. The project can help save peoples lives and can be a major future medical breakthrough. This project can be a global success iff all the countries participate and every individual globally cooperates. One simple implementation area for this project could be tourism, as it can be very useful for tourists who visit different places and if they come across any situation involving accident or such cases, then their medical information can be gathered immediately without any hassle and their families can be informed and updated. As technology keeps on developing at a rapid rate, it

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will be no wonder to see this global database thing to be a reality and we can consider the whole world as a single community.

Bibliography 1. Finkenzeller, Klaus ,RFID Handbook, John Wiley and Sons,2003 2. Ahson, S.A., Ilyas.M. (RFID Handbook: Applications, Technology,

Security, and Privacy; CRC Press,2008. 3. RFID systems, Texas Instruments. 4. J. D. Kraus, Antennas, 2nd Ed., McGraw Hill, 1988 5. R. E. Collin, Antennas and radiowave propagation, McGraw Hill,

1985. 6. Banks, Hanny, Pachano and Thompson, RFID APPLIED-Everything

you need to know to implement and fully leverage RFID technology, Wiley. 7. Manish.B.,Shahram.M , RFID Field Guide: Deploying Radio

Frequency Identification Systems, Prentice Hall Websites 1. www.A1-RFID.com 2. www.rfidjournal.com 3. www.zebra.com 4. www.technovelgy.com 5. www.industrial-embedded.com 6. www.nhs.com 32

7. www.automation.siemens.com/rfid/en/competence-in-rfid.html 8. www.wipro.com/retail/coe/rfid.htm

9. www.infosys.com/RFID 10. http://hardware.silicon.com/storage 11. http://www.dits-uk.com/news.htm

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