Post on 25-Jun-2015
Tracking Airline Baggage with RFID Technology
Peter DobbsRon Fresta
Mike JohnsonCraig Zeleznick
Drew Witoslawski
Why Track Baggage?
Baggage is lost in airports on a large scale.– An average of 10,000 bags were lost every day in
2005.
Lost baggage creates large revenue losses:– Airlines can be held accountable for up to $2,500
per piece of lost luggage.– That’s up to $25,000,000 per day!
Or $9,125,000,000 per year!
The Problem Grows
Philadelphia International Airport is the 9th busiest airport in the world.
US Airways and Delta Airlines lost the most baggage individually in 2005.
Customers and airline employees named lost baggage the #1 problem in airlines.
Is There A Solution?
There is! An RFID system can easily solve this
problem.– RFID tracking systems are already being used on
a much larger scale—with great success!– Wal-Mart and the DoD require their suppliers to
use RFID systems to track and locate lost packages.
What Would an RFID System Do?
Integrate seamlessly with and augment the existing baggage system.
Allow instantaneous location of lost baggage. Allow employees to easily determine where a
lost bag belongs.
What Would an RFID System Do?
Function Inputs Outputs Functional Requirements
External Interface
Update customer data Edited data Query to update database; updated data in editable form
Query database and update necessary data
Terminal, scanner, database must be compatible
Associate RFID # in database
Unique RFID tag # Query to update database; updated data in editable form
Query database and update with RFID tag #
Terminal, database must be compatible
Create RFID tag Customer data and RFID tag #
Physical RFID tag attached to physical barcode
Acquire customer database info and transfer to RFID tag; creation program; print out barcode with RFID tag attached
Terminal, database, printer must be compatible
Scan luggage tag Acquire RFID signal Unique data which identifies luggage and its destination
Acquire passive tag signal; receive data from tag; query database with data
Customer database
Update database Update database query Database updated, message in form reader understands
Acquire query; execute query; return whether successful
RFID reader station
Scan RFID tag during sorting
Acquire RFID signal Database query containing customer data
Acquire passive tag signals & associate with database to determine where luggage will be sent
Customer database; Flight database
What Needs To Be Done?
The slides you are about to see display a high-level overview of the project.
Refer to the accompanying project report for a more detailed task analysis.
How Does it Work?
Baggage Association:
Baggage Sorting: Reader determines what terminal to send luggage to
Luggage routed through conveyer
system
Luggage scanned at terminal
Luggage loaded on to cart
Customer initiates check-in
Employee verifies customer information
Chip is created and embedded
Baggage enters system
What Needs To Be Done?
1. Planning Phase
1.1 Initial Research
1.2 Site Specific HW/SW Research
1.3 Process Model
1.4 System Architecture
1.5 Cost-Benefit Analysis
1.6 Revision
2. Contract/Design Phase
2.1 Write Contract
2.2 Blueprint Design
2.3 Diagram Walkthrough/Signatures
2.4 Contract Begins
3. Gathering Materials Phase
3.1 Get materials for database storage system
3.2 Get materials for RFID hardware
3.3 Get materials for computer software
4. Software Development Phase
4.1 Develop user interface
4.2 Develop database
4.3 Integrate interface and database software
What Needs To Be Done?
5. Implementation Phase
5.1 Installing RFID scanners
5.2 Installing new database/computer hardware
5.3 Installation of new software
5.4 Setup of RFID tag organization system
6. Integration Phase
6.1 Integration of databases
6.2 Integrate old software dependencies
6.3 Train employees on use of new system
7. Alpha Testing Phase
7.1 Initial testing
7.2 Secondary testing
7.3 Final testing
7.4 Project completion
PERT CHART
2
51
6
Start
4
3
F
7
Contract Design Phase
PlanningPhase
Gathering Materials
Phase
SoftwareDevelopment
Phase
Implementation Phase
Integration Phase
Alpha Testing Phase
11d, 2hrs
3d, 4h
rs
3wks
7 wks
6 w
ks
8 wks
9 w
ks
0 days
What Needs To Be Done?
Great! How Much Will This Cost?
The total estimated cost for this project is $15.9 million.
The same amount of money could be spent on just 6,400 pieces of lost baggage.
Nearly twice this amount of items are lost every day worldwide.
What About Delays and Problems?
A Risk Mitigation Strategy has already been prepared for this project.
What About Delays and Problems?
RFID tags are damaged, lost, or ripped off– Research ways to improve tag durability in extreme
conditions, such as cold temperatures and low pressure. RFID readers do not work
– Have spare readers on hand to replace broken ones.– Testing can be done to test if placement of the readers on
planes causes trouble. Shipping delays for product delivery
– Order early– Allow plenty of time to allow for possible delays.– Order replacement parts to avoid a second delivery
process.
Recap
Lost baggage is a major problem in airports. Customers overwhelmingly named lost
baggage the #1 problem in airports today. An RFID tracking system is a simple, cost-
effective solution to this issue. Implementing RFID technology will drastically
reduce the amount of time and money lost to baggage mistakes.
That’s All, Folks!
Thank you for your time! Are there any questions?