Application of Tracking Technology to Access-control System

OVERVIEW: An access-control system that applies tracking technology to control the movement of people and goods inside buildings has been developed. This system — whose key components are a newly developed, ultralow-power-consumption infrared transmitter/receiver and a weakradio-wave RFID (radio-frequency identification) tag that can handle infrared and RFID signals at the same time — can precisely detect the passage direction of each tag carried by individual people or fixed to items moving in a line. Applying this system to access control has made “handsfree” room access possible. As regards conventional systems utilizing smart cards and biometrics, it is a concern that their security level and user convenience are conflicting issues. In contrast, placing no burden on the convenience of the user at all, the developed hands-free access-control system can provide efficient access control at higher precision. With the aim of promoting new physical-security technologies that have been unavailable till now, the current paper first overviews the main features of the system and then describes two examples of its implementation.