A 2G-RFID-BASED E-HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

Title of journal : A 2G-RFID-BASED E-HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

Authors : MIN CHEN, SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

SERGIO GONZALEZ AND VICTOR LEUNG, UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
QIAN ZHANG, HONG KONG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
MING LI, CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FRESNO


Reported by : YUSAIRAH BINTI HAMZAH 13433

  A report and proposal by Min Chen from Seoul National University, he propose an evolution from first-generation RFID systems 1G-RFID-Sys to second-generation RFID systems (2G-RFID-Sys), which main distinctive feature is the introduction of dynamic rule encoding stored in RFID tags, instead of placing them in databases as is currently done in 1G-RFID-Sys.

   According to Min Chen, he said that we have seen a great increase in the demand for e-healthcare management system in recent years. Overloaded healthcare system contributes to an ongoing decline in the quality of services. With RFID technology, it is now possible to design new systems that help collect and monitor patients’ health conditions. To address this issue, he proposed an evolution from 1G-RFID-Sys to second-generation RFID systems1 (2G-RFID-Sys).

Compared to 1G-RFID-Sys, tags in 2G-RFIDSys would store not only passive but also active information encoded in the form of mobile codes that reflecting the up-to-date service requirements:

if {condition (environmental parameters)}

then {<action1 (parameter1)>, <action2

(parameter2)>…},

Compared to 1G-RFID-Sys, 2G-RFID-Sys has the following features:

i) Freedom for backend systems. Relieving the processing, communication, and storage load.

ii) Flexibility and intelligence. Accommodate various functions with specific requirements

iii) Transferring the action specification from the backend system to the object itself, information on the object’s requirements is always available.

iii) During dynamic environment, the tag’s mobile code is updated according to the user’s requirement, and not by means of the backend system. Much more scalable system that can accommodate a significantly larger number of applications without having to perform many changes to the existing infrastructure.

  The figure shows the functional components of the proposed 2G-RFID-Sys, including a predefined tag message format, a code information manager, an identification filter, a code interpreter, an environmental parameters manager, a processing module, and an action manager, as detailed next.

1) Tag Message Format

With the latest developments in RFID technology, tags can be rewritten millions of times. The amount of memory they possess is much larger than before. As shown in the figure, the message format contains four fields: identification, description, mobile codes’ space, and action priority. The identification and description information is passive, and unchanging. The mobile codes and action priority can be updated dynamically according to application requirements. 

2) Code Information Manager

When the tag’s content is received by the RFID reader, the data is first fragmented into its passive information and codes information fields. The codes information will be forwarded to the code information manager. However, if an ID-filter is employed by the reader, the codes are held until the object’s identity clears, and they are subsequently forwarded to the codes interpreter. Otherwise, the codes are discarded by the code information manager.

3) Codes Interpreter

The codes interpreter comprises an incoming codes queue and a codes parser. The codes with higher action priority will be forwarded to the codes parser first.

4) ID-Filter

ID information is first checked by the ID-filter, which has two main functionalities:

a) It decreases unnecessary system load by discarding the tag information read by the RFID reader when unknown/unassociated objects appear in its proximity

b) Enhanced security by maintaining IDs that represents either the approved or unapproved tags.

5) EPC Network

The Electronic Product Code (EPC), designed by the EPC Global Network. It enabling automatic and instant identification of items in the supply chain and sharing the information throughout the supply chain. The EPC is a unique identifier of a physical object stored in an RFID tag.

6) Environmental Parameters Manager

Retrieve the environmental parameters that facilitate the processing module’s decision making task. For example, in order to get the environmental temperature and humidity, a notification is sent to the sensor nodes in the region to sense the environment in advance. 

7) Action Manager

It carries out the desired tasks in accordance with the decision made. If an action/service is requested, the action manager executes the necessary processes to perform such an action. The output of an action can vary according to the different types of systems.

   One example of the application is 2G-RFID-Sys-based E-healthcare system. In this system the medical conditions of a patient can be monitored as determined by the corresponding healthcare system, and subsequently updated in the database by means of a cell phone, a Wi-Fi connection, depending on the patient’s location. Advanced 2G RFID components being used are:

1) RFID Tag

Design the mobile codes for the doctor and the users. For instance, the doctor’s mobile codes would encompass the required directives related to up-to-date diagnosis and necessary medical treatment. Similarly, the patient’s mobile codes can specify the level of service expected (low, medium, or high priority), access permissions, and so on. This makes it easier for the local RFID readers to determine whether a patient is receiving the service he/she needs, whether the patient is in the correct location within the medical facility, and so on, without having to rely on the central database.

2) WBAN

Tiny sensors attached to patient’s body (arms, legs, etc.) to form a WBAN.  They convey the physiological signals (e.g., body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate) conveys useful health condition information on a person who needs to be remotely monitored on a constant basis by a qualified healthcare practitioner.

3) Cell Phone and Communications Gateway

The link of the personal communications devices, patient’s monitoring subsystem with different components of the E-healthcare system through one or more communication interfaces. For example, a Zigbee-enabled WBAN can readily send the patient’s physiological signals to a cell phone, which can in turn forward this along with GPS information to locate the patient in an emergency situation as needed. 

   The proposed 2G-RFIDSys can provide including improvements in system scalability, information availability, automated monitoring and processing of sensitive information, and access control. As being informed, these benefits can be achieved by employing RFID tags with more memory to encode information-rich data along with action scripts that can be interpreted by the corresponding subsystems to automate a number of processes.

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