RFID is abbreviation for Radio-Frequency Identification. It is the form of wireless communication which incorporates nature of electromagnetic pairing in addition to the radio waves of the electromagnetic spectrum. This combination assists us to construct innovative solutions for wildlife or humans.
RFID system utilizes electromagnetic fields to electronically detect stream of codes connected to different items or equipment. Radio waves have higher wavelength above rest, hence they are used in RFID system. The RFID and tag does not require to be facing each other as it can be read from a distance of few meters as well. Over the period of time, RFID systems have seen advancements that their reading rate has almost attained perfection. The numerous characteristics of RFID are required to be considered for the implementation of efficient systems. One such system is RFID based automatic parking system or RFID based automatic parking management.
RFID incorporate 3 main parts:
RFID TAG – The silicon microchip implanted on a plastic or glass material which is attached to small antenna. In parking system, this is usually in the form a card such as a credit card or a chip permanently attached to the vehicle.
The Reader – The device which reads the signals from the Tag is the reader. It consists a scanner and an antenna to perceive the radio signals. In parking system, this is situated on the boom barrier where customers scan their RFID Tags to open the barriers.
The Processor or the Controller: It is the controlling device of the system which houses the devices to process the signals and information received from the reader to operate the equipment. In parking system it is housed somewhere safe to ensure smooth running of the system and can be accessed by experts in the event of a fault.
Due to above mentioned qualities of the RFID system, it is amply used in the automatic parking systems for the vehicles. These can be implemented in different places such as residential buildings, gated complexes, commercial buildings, educational institutes and many more.
The initial step in RFID installation is fitting the RFID tags to all the vehicles using the particular parking complex. Subsequently, readers are installed at the entry and exit gates of the parking area. When vehicles reach the entry gate, the tag fitted to the vehicle is detected by the reader at that point which transmits the signal to the reader.
The transmitted signal is then passed on the computer system which processes the date and grants access to the vehicle and stores their information for further processing at the time of exiting the parking.
The advantages of implementing the RFID system in parking complexes are:
• 24*7 fully automated system
• Minimal human effort required
• Fully remote management
• Multiple locations can be operated from single centralized place
• Cost saving in parking expenses
• Economical in long run
• Enhanced parking security