A RFID-based Material Tracking Information System

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is the next generation wireless communication technology applicable to various areas. For the beneficial features of RFID, we integrate RFID readers into the Material Tracking Information System. In this paper, we propose the function and solution architecture for the system. Two methods for the client application to communicate with the RFID readers are introduced, one of which is to build a RFID middleware server. The design of the RFID middleware is discussed. RFID reader and back-end database both help to automatically record and store the circulation history and current status of a tracked object, and they cooperate to synchronize the information flow and material flow. Prototypical intelligent RFID guided vehicle used in the warehouse is presented in the paper. Then the flowchart for one tracking subsystem is given and web server is built to provide convenient verbal and graphic interface for tracking.