oDect: an RFID‐based object detection API to support applications development on mobile devices

The RFID technology is becoming ever more popular in the development of ubiquitous computing applications. A full exploitation of the RFID potential requires the study and implementation of human–computer interaction (HCI) modalities to be able to support wide usability by the target audience. This implies the need for programming methodologies specifically dedicated to support the easy and efficient prototyping of applications to have feedback from early tests with users. On the basis of our field‐working experience, we have designed oDect, a high‐level language and platform‐independent application programming interface (API), ad hoc designed to meet the needs of typical applications for mobile devices (smart phones and PDAs). oDect aims at allowing application developers to create their prototypes focusing on the needs of the final users, without having to care about the low‐level software that interacts with the RFID hardware. Further, in an end‐user developing (EUD) approach, oDect provides specific support for the application end‐user herself to cope with typical problems of RFID applications in detecting objects. We describe in detail the features of the API and discuss the findings of a test with four programmers, where we analyse and evaluate the use of the API in four sample applications. We also present results of an end‐user test, which investigated strengths and weaknesses of the territorial agenda (TA) concept. The TA is an RFID‐based citizen guide that aids—through time‐ and location‐based reminders—users in their daily activities in a city. The TA directly exploits EUD features of oDect, in particular concerning the possibility of linking detected objects with custom actions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Agent-based Gateway Operating System for RFID-enabled ubiquitous manufacturing enterprise

Capturing and processing of real-time manufacturing shop floor field data is essential in improving the performance of shop floor planning, execution and control. Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) has enabled real-time information visibility and realized ubiquitous manufacturing enterprises with proper functionalities of Enterprise Information Systems (EISs). This paper presents a flexible, modularized and re-configurable framework for the new generation RFID middleware system, named Gateway Operating System (GOS). It is an overall software solution designed and proposed not only to address basic functions of RFID middleware system, but also to overcome the particular challenges and requirements for real-life manufacturing scenarios. GOS aims to provide an easy-to-deploy, simple-to-use and affordable RFID middleware solution for manufacturing applications. A multi-agent based model, named gateway smart agent manager, is designed to enable the heterogeneous RFID devices in a “Plug and Play” fashion and to cope with the changes from these connected hardware devices. To guarantee the versatility and scalability of GOS, an XML (eXtensible Markup Language) based message exchanging protocol is designed to fulfill the communication and interactions between applications and devices. Based on this protocol, an easy-to-deploy and simple-to-use application manager is built to manage, configure and use the connected devices as well as deployed applications. The proposed GOS will provide a new referenced framework for the development of lightweight RFID middleware system for manufacturing environment.     

基于SOA的RFID中间件集成应用

RFID 中间件的出现有助于实现RFID设备与企业应用系统之间的集成。该文提出一种基于面向服务体系架构的RFID集成应用方案,使企业应用系统能够通过服务接口层调用RFID中间件提供的服务,实现应用系统与RFID系统的松耦合集成。应用实例验证了该项方案的可行性。     

基于RFID中间件技术的第三方小额移动支付平台研究

RFID中间件技术是物联网发展的一个重要因素.通过对支付平台现状的分析,研究了RFID中间件技术应用到第三方移动支付平台的优势,进而设计了一个基于RFID中间件技术的第三方小额移动支付平台.     

基于.NET精简框架的嵌入式RFID服务组件

嵌入式射频识别(RFID)中间件技术发展缓慢,严重阻碍了RFID技术在企业级移动管理平台中的大规模应用。该文研究和开发了一种可应用于多种应用场景并支持多种平台调用的嵌入式RFID服务组件EmbedMid,提出了基于EmbedMid的移动管理平台架构,指出EmbedMid存在的不足和今后的研究方向。     

Utilizing architectural styles to enhance the adaptation support of middleware platforms

ContextModern middleware platforms provide the applications deployed on top of them with facilities for their adaptation. However, the level of adaptation support provided by the state-of-the-art middleware solutions is often limited to dynamically loading and off-loading of software components. Therefore, it is left to the application developers to handle the details of change such that the system’s consistency is not jeopardized.ObjectiveWe aim to change the status quo by providing the middleware facilities necessary to ensure the consistency of software after adaptation. We would like these facilities to be reusable across different applications, such that the middleware can streamline the process of achieving safe adaptation.MethodOur approach addresses the current shortcomings by utilizing the information encoded in a software system’s architectural style. This information drives the development of reusable adaptation patterns. The patterns specify both the exact sequence of changes and the time at which those changes need to occur. We use the patterns to provide advanced adaptation support on top of an existing architectural middleware platform.ResultsOur experience shows the feasibility of deriving detailed adaptation patterns for several architectural styles. Applying the middleware to adapt two real-world software systems shows the approach is effective in consistently adapting these systems without jeopardizing their consistency.ConclusionWe conclude the approach is effective in alleviating the application developers from the responsibility of managing the adaptation process at the application-level. Moreover, we believe this study provides the foundation for changing the way adaptation support is realized in middleware solutions.     

A SCADA oriented middleware for RFID technology

Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) has emerged as the new technology paradigm for acquisition and information management. RFID can be used to improve significantly the efficiency of business processes by providing the capability of automatic identification and data capture. This technology introduces new challenges on data and process information management in current systems. RFID data are time-dependent and dynamically changing. In addition, data carry implicit semantics. The homogeneous data processing of such implicit semantics allows us to propose RFID middleware as a WHO–WHEN–WHERE data problem. This paper presents DEPCAS, a new middleware for RFID information based on the SCADA architecture for control systems. An application of DEPCAS is the resolution of heterogeneous situations, which solves the WHAT or context-aware to apply the auto identification data received from RFID systems in business applications.     

基于多层数据处理的嵌入式RFID中间件系统开发

针对大规模RFID应用环境特点,研究了具有流数据处理和语义分析功能的中间件体系结构及信息处理关键技术,在处理海量电子标签数据的基础上,融合了数据感知、事件处理和嵌入式Web服务功能。在嵌入式应用环境下提出了资源任务调度优化策略,为上层应用提供统一的标准服务和运行环境,来实现对不同硬件资源的屏蔽,有针对性地解决多层数据处理中存在的难点,以便于未来RFID业务的部署和更新。     

RFID中间件技术研究

现阶段RFID技术发展迅速,在物流仓储、商品防伪、交通运输、医疗卫生、国防军事等方面得到了广泛应用。其中,RFID中间件被喻为RFID的神经中枢．它可以加速关键应用的问世。该文首先论述了目前RFID中间件的研究状况及进展,接着根据其中的不足设计了一种新的RFID中间件平台．最后给出了今后RFID中间件技术的发展趋势。     

RFID中间件技术研究

现阶段RFID技术发展迅速,在物流仓储、商品防伪、交通运输、医疗卫生、国防军事等方面得到了广泛应用。其中,RFID中间件被喻为RFID的神经中枢,它可以加速关键应用的问世。该文首先论述了目前RFID中间件的研究状况及进展,接着根据其中的不足设计了一种新的RFID中间件平台,最后给出了今后RFID中间件技术的发展趋势。     

An indoor location tracking based on mobile RFID for smart exhibition service

Recently, various smart application services have been developed using GPS (Global Positioning System), RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) and sensor networks. The GPS has been successfully applied for outdoor location tracking by many applications, but it might still be insufficient in an indoor environment where GPS signals are often severely obstructed. The RFID technology has been utilized to play an important role in location tracking for indoor smart applications. Therefore, in this paper, we present the scenario and architecture of an indoor location tracking service for things or space in an exhibition environment based on mobile RFID. The RFID tags of things or spaces are identified as the locations of point being passed and we obtain the spatial data from the tags using mobile RFID readers, Web server and Database server. We have designed and implemented the prototype of location tracking system for exhibition scenario using Microsoft .NET framework. Additionally, we have verified the functionality of this system so various other indoor smart services may be provided using the proposed system.     

基于Jini技术的RFID中间件平台

随着社会生产力的发展,科学技术的不断进步,射频识别（Radio Frequency Identification,RFID）技术近年来由于其显著的优点得到了广泛的应用,为了让作为RFID系统神经中枢的RFID中间件可以更好、更快地得到应用,使其能适应更多的应用需求,对现有的RFID中间件进行改进与优化是十分必要的,本文研究基于Java的分布式系统—Jini,给出基于Jini的RFID中间件平台的总体架构,利用RMI通信方式,实现RFID设备（虚拟的设备）在Jini环境下的自动识别、RFID中间件在Jini环境下的自动配置和管理以及RFID设备的＂即插即用＂的功能,同时对RFID中间件在Jini环境下的管理进一步地进行优化,使得基于EPCglobal标准的RFID中间件的设备配置与管理能在分布式环境下高效地运行。最后在实验中验证RFID中间件在Jini平台中的＂即插即用＂性。本文为RFID中间件与现代技术的结合提供思路和方法参考。     

Seamless User-Level Handoff in Ubiquitous Multimedia Service Delivery

Advancing mobile computing technologies are enabling ubiquitous personal computing environment. In this paper, we focus on an important problem in such environment: user mobility. In the case of user mobility, a user is free to access his/her personalized service at anytime, anywhere, through any possible mobile/fixed devices. Providing mobility support in this scenario poses a series of challenges. The most essential problem is to preserve the user's access to the same service despite changes of the accessing host or service provider. Existing system-level mobility solutions are insufficient to address this issue since it is not aware of the application semantics. On the other hand, making each application to be mobility-aware will greatly increase the development overhead. We argue that the middleware layer is the best place to address this problem. On one hand, it is aware of application semantics. On the other hand, by building application-neutral mobility functions in the middleware layer, we eliminate the need to make each application mobility-aware. In this paper, we design a middleware framework to support user mobility in the ubiquitous computing environment. Its major mobility functions include user-level handoff management and service instantiation across heterogeneous computing platforms. We validate the major mobility functions using our prototype middleware system, and test them on two multimedia applications (Mobile Video Player and Mobile Audio Player). To maximally approximate the real-world user-mobility scenario, we have conducted experiments on a variety of computing platforms and communication paradigms, ranging from T1-connected high-end PC to handheld devices with wireless networks. The results show that our middleware framework is able to provide efficient user mobility support in the heterogeneous computing environment.     

EPCglobal应用层事件引擎设计与实现

射频识别中间件的推出很好地解决了将物理基础架构收集到的信息传递给企业应用程序并且被企业应用程序所使用的技术与成本问题,加速了射频识别技术的推广使用。该文介绍了一个支持EPCglobal应用层事件规范的射频识别中间件引擎,引擎由内核模块、设备管理模块、事件过滤模块和配置模块组成,将应用程序和设备接口分离,过滤和处理读卡器捕获的原始观测值,提供设备管理和查询的应用程序级接口等功能。阐述该服务器的功能结构、设计和实现。     

MobileRMI: upgrading Java Remote Method Invocation towards mobility

Code mobility is recognized as a promising design technique, able to improve flexibility, adaptability and bandwidth utilization in mobile computing applications. To promote and facilitate its use, researchers argue that code mobility should be made available to programmers in combination with, and not as an alternative to, more traditional programming models. This paper describes the design and implementation of the MobileRMI toolkit which, unlike agent-based systems, enables mobility-based programming within a widely accepted middleware platform, Java Remote Method Invocation (RMI). Our toolkit provides a set of mobility primitives that allow programmers to create, clone and move remote objects across a network. To preserve location transparency we implemented a novel, efficient scheme for automatically updating remote references by exploiting the distributed garbage collector. Programming examples are given and a case study where an adaptive application uses logical mobility to minimize communication over a mobile ad hoc network is presented. Experience from using MobileRMI confirmed the benefit of designing both static and mobile applications within the same programming framework. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Combining heterogeneous service technologies for building an Internet of Things middleware

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is a technology that allows ordinary objects to be uniquely identified by “smart tags” which are also capable of storing small quantities of data. The term Internet of Things was originated from a vision strongly coupled with supply-chain concerns and RFID tagged objects. However the idea of such Internet of Things has evolved in a wider sense, referring now to a ubiquitous object society combining RFID, sensor networks and pervasive computing technologies. This scenario involves different requirements such as heterogeneity and dynamicity of objects, sensors, applications and protocols as well as the need for allowing the dynamic evolution of such applications. These issues seemed to be easily addressed if the principles of service-oriented computing (SOC), like loose coupling and heterogeneity, are used for constructing such architectures and applications. In this paper we underline what benefits SOC can offer to constructing a middleware for the Internet of Things. These concepts have been applied in a service-oriented middleware that tries to leverage the existing Internet of Things architectural concepts by using SOC principles in order to bring more flexibility and dynamicity. We describe the approaches used in that middleware and the lessons learned from that experience. This middleware was initially tested on an application for tracking and monitoring supply-chain objects, and later extended to target wider application domains that are also described in this paper. The project described here has become part of the OW2 AspireRFID open-source project.     

基于ARM的RFID中间件系统设计

提出一种基于ARM的支持多通信平台（如Internet、GSM/GRPS和CDMA）的RFID中间件系统设计。这种中间件可通过标准的接口（如RS-232接口、RS-485接口、以太网接口）连接不同厂商、不同类型的读写器（13.56MHz和915MHz）,屏蔽了RFID硬件设备的多样性和复杂性,为上层企业应用系统提供统一的、强大的硬件管理支撑,并通过多通信平台实现中间件之间的通信,为更广泛、更丰富的RFID应用奠定了基础。     

Pervaho: A specialized middleware for mobile context-aware applications

The concept of context-awareness offers a great potential for the future of mobile applications. In order to be developed in an optimal way, mobile context-aware applications need appropriate middleware services. This paper introduces Pervaho, an integrated middleware aimed specifically at supporting the development and testing of mobile context-aware applications. To illustrate the use of Pervaho, we walk through the development of a concrete mobile application and show how it can be built on top of Pervaho’s location-based publish/subscribe service. We also illustrate how a specialized mobility testing tool significantly simplifies the process of testing proximity-based semantics. We then present the implementation of Pervaho, which is based on a set of communication protocols geared at mesh networks. Finally, we provide a performance analysis of our implementation.     

基于语义分析的嵌入式RFID中间件研究

本文在嵌入式射频识别(RFID)中间件中提出一种基于语义分析的方法,动态的支持不同业务需求,使RFID原始事件与后端应用软件得到很好的转化。这样企业应用软件开发人员可以专注于业务逻辑的开发,无需过多地关注底层RFID原始事件,对RFID应用软件开发具有重要意义。     

支持扩展的自适应移动中间件模型及其设计

为了满足移动计算的要求,提高移动应用系统的扩展性和自适应性,移动中间件被引入到移动系统的开发中.分析了移动中间件必须满足的要求,提出了面向服务的移动中间件模型,该模型将分布在移动计算系统中的若干个中间件组织成中间件服务器来提高系统的扩展能力,介绍了该模型的体系结构及其设计,并对其性能进行了深入讨论.