Maria Laura Stefanizzi

Performance Evaluation of UHF RFID Tags in the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

The item-level tagging is one of the main challenges in the pharmaceutical distribution in order to improve track and trace systems. The RFID technology will play a very important role in development of auto-identification solutions. In this chapter, we focus on the use of passive UHF tags, in order to analyze a performance comparison between near field and far field UHF RFID systems. Some different passive UHF tags, suitably chosen, have been tested at item-level, i.e., on each single medicine package, simulating each stage of the pharmaceutical supply chain in a controlled laboratory environment. The obtained experimental results, in terms of successful read rates, have shown that the use of passive far field UHF tags represents an advantage solution to guarantee high performance in an item-level tracing system in the whole supply chain.

Integration of RFID and WSN technologies in a Smart Parking System

In this paper, a Smart Parking System (SPS) based on the integration of Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and IEEE 802.15.4 Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) technologies is presented. The system is able to collect information about the occupancy state of parking spaces, and to direct drivers to the nearest vacant parking spot by using a customized software application. Such application also leverages an NFC-based e-wallet system to allow users to pay for the parking fee. Furthermore, a software application based on RESTful Java and Google Cloud Messaging (GCM) technologies has been installed on a Central Server in order to manage alert events (e.g. improper use of a reserved space or expiration of the purchased time). In such a case, it promptly informs the traffic cops through an Android mobile app, which has been designed ad hoc for the considered scenario. A proof-of-concept has demonstrated that the proposed solution can meet the real requirements of a SPS.

An RFID-Based Tracing and Tracking System for the Fresh Vegetables Supply Chain

The paper presents an innovative gapless traceability system able to improve the main business processes of the fresh vegetables supply chain. The performed analysis highlighted some critical aspects in the management of the whole supply chain, from the land to the table of the end consumer, and allowed us to reengineer the most important processes. In particular, the first steps of the supply chain, which include cultivation in greenhouses and manufacturing of packaged vegetables, were analyzed. The re-engineered model was designed by exploiting the potentialities derived from the combined use of innovative Radio Frequency technologies, such as RFID and NFC, and important international standards, such as EPCglobal. The proposed tracing and tracking system allows the end consumer to know the complete history of the purchased product. Furthermore, in order to evaluate the potential benefits of the reengineered processes in a real supply chain, a pilot project was implemented in an Italian food company, which produces ready-to-eat vegetables, known as IV gamma products. Finally, some important metrics have been chosen to carry out the analysis of the potential benefits derived from the use of the re-engineered model.

A Smart Parking System based on IoT protocols and emerging enabling technologies

Enabling a sustainable mobility is one of primary goals of the so-called Smart City vision, and the development of intelligent parking systems represents a key aspect. To this purpose, this paper presents a novel Smart Parking System based on the jointly use of different technologies, such as RFID, WSN, NFC, Cloud, and mobile. It is able to collect, in real time, both environmental parameters and information about the occupancy state of parking spaces, and to direct drivers to the nearest vacant parking spot by using a customized software application. This last one leverages a NFC-based e-wallet system to allow users to pay for parking fees. Furthermore, a customized software application, installed on a cloud platform, is able to manage alert events (e.g. improper use of a reserved space or expiration of the purchased time). In such a case, it promptly informs the traffic cops through an Android mobile app, which has been designed ad hoc for the considered scenario.

Integration of UHF RFID and WSN technologies in healthcare systems

This work describes a Smart Hospital System (SHS) based on the integration of Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and IEEE 802.15.4 Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) technologies. SHS is able to provide patient localization, tracking, and monitoring services within hospitals or nursing institutes through the deployment of a heterogeneous network of RFID-WSN nodes relaying data to a central server. A set of software applications based on RESTful Java and database Push Notification (PN) technologies has been designed, implemented, and installed on the central in order to manage alert events (e.g. patient falls) and promptly inform the nursing staff through an iOS mobile app which has been designed ad hoc for the smart hospital scenario.

Vertical Handover Algorithm for Heterogeneous Wireless Networks

Recently, there has been much effort to integrate heterogeneous wireless technologies in order to make overlay networks able to provide mobile users with ubiquitous Internet access. Handover management is still one of the most challenging issues to be solved for seamless integration of wireless networks. In this paper, an algorithm for vertical handover with QoS guarantees between IEEE 802.16e and IEEE 802.11e networks, without computational complexity added on mobile nodes, has been proposed. It uses a decision mechanism based on the following metrics: the available bandwidth, the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and the access delay. Its characteristics are perfectly compatible with the guidelines specified in the IEEE 802.21 standard. The effectiveness of the defined algorithm has been evaluated, using the ns-2 tool, in terms of Packet Loss Rate (PLR), satisfaction of minimum applications requirements and number of useless handovers. The performance of the defined algorithm has been compared with that obtained by using the algorithm suggested by IEEE 802.21 standard that exploits only the SNR in the decision procedure.

Performance evaluation of end-to-end security protocols in an Internet of Things

Wireless Sensor Networks are destined to play a fundamental role in the next-generation Internet, which will be characterized by the Machine-to-Machine paradigm, according to which, embedded devices will actively exchange information, thus enabling the development of innovative applications. It will contribute to assert the concept of Internet of Things, where end-to-end security represents a key issue. In such context, it is very important to understand which protocols are able to provide the right level of security without burdening the limited resources of constrained networks. This paper presents a performance comparison between two of the most widely used security protocols: IPSec and DTLS. We provide the analysis of their impact on the resources of embedded devices. For this purpose, we have modified existing implementations of both protocols to make them properly run on our hardware platforms, and we have performed an extensive experimental evaluation study. The achieved results are not a consequence of a classical simulation campaign, but they have been obtained in a real scenario that uses software and hardware typical of the current technological developments. Therefore, they can help network designers to identify the most appropriate secure mechanism for end-to-end IP communications involving constrained devices.

A smart remote elderly monitoring system based on IoT technologies

The aging population phenomenon is more and more increasing. In this context, the elderlys behavioral analysis through the Internet of Things technologies can help to prevent Mild Cognitive Impairment and frailty problems. In particular, since movements and body motility are good indicators of behavioral changes, this work aims to define a reliable system for controlling the position and the body motility of the elderly in unobtrusive, low-cost and low-power way. The system represents the basis of a complete architecture for behavioral analysis and risk detection developed within the City4Age project, funded by the Horizon 2020 Programme of the European Commission.

RFID-based efficient method for parking slot car detection

Enabling a sustainable urban mobility is one of primary goals of the so-called Smart Cities vision, and the deployment of smart parking systems represents a key aspect. The proper operation of these systems heavily depends on their ability to automatically detect the presence of vehicles in the parking spaces. To date, this problem is solved by expensive wireless/wired systems. As the car presence is only one bit of information, with importance of knowing the ID of a slot, in this paper we consider the possibility of using Battery Assisted Passive (BAP) tags for those purposes. Specifically, the considered system uses a BAP tag, with the battery replaced by a solar cell. Once the light level is below some thresholds (ensured by car on top of it), the tag stops transmitting the data, and the system recognizes the slot as occupied. The feasibility of the proposed solution is experimentally verified, and first results are reported.

A new vehicle-to-grid system for battery charging exploiting IoT protocols

The continuously rising demand for electricity has prompted governments and industries to research more effective energy management systems. The Internet of Things paradigm is a valuable add-on for controlling and managing the energy appliances such as Plug-in Electrical Vehicles (PEV) charging stations. In this paper, we present a Demand Response implementation for PEV charging stations able to use Wireless Sensor Network technologies based on the Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP). We developed a self-service kiosk system by which the user can autonomously swipe his/her credit card and choose the charging station to enable. When a user plugs his/her vehicle to the station, s/he subscribes his availability to share a portion of its energy. When the grid requests a contribution from the PEVs, the kiosk sends a CoAP message to the available stations and the energy flow is inverted (Vehicle-to-Grid). At the end of the charging process, the users credit card gets charged with a discounted bill.