Project #1: A Prototype to Detect Luggage Electronically Based on US Patent 7 535 358 B2

Introduction

Luggage security for airline passengers remains a major concern. According to the Wall Street Journal, 11,700 baggage theft and damages were reported to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in 2009.  The 2010 report from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) states that lost baggage costs the air industry more than US $2.5 billion every year, which equates to more than 25 million mishandled bags globally. Having recognized this problem, the goal of this project is to build a prototype of US patent 7 535 358 B2, method and apparatus for electronically tracking luggage. The patent states that the device would utilize the Global Positioning System (GPS) to both track and record the specific times and places that a piece of luggage is opened. Furthermore, the device needed to relay the location data along with a notification to the owner of the baggage in real-time. This alert would ensure that the owner would know that the bag had been compromised prior to its arrival at the destination. The unreliability of communications in transit requires that the device also have an onboard logging mechanism that would ensure that the conditions undergone by the bag during its transit timeline could be analyzed. In addition to the design details specified in the patent, data analysis tools were also need to be developed in order to digest the recorded information. These tools include web-based and smart-phone applications. 

Design

Several aspects of the design were considered: tracking, logging, transmission of data, receipt of data, and the analysis of data. Having researched various hardware options to closely resemble the desired functions, two options were proposed as solutions to the design problem. Option 1 shows a possible design without the use of GPS and SMS capabilities whereas Option 2 has SMS and GPS capabilities. Option 1 ensured that the bag open/close conditions would be logged on-board when external communications, or notification capabilities are unavailable. Option 2 was a full system with logging and notification capabilities, and is the design that most closely resembles the patent. In this project, Option 2 where wireless communication is assumed feasible has been implemented. The recent relaxations in the laws pertaining to the use of wireless communication devices onboard aircrafts, would enable the deployment of luggage detection devices with wireless capabilities.

Data Analysis Tools

The data analysis tools had three parts: web-based tools to view the logged data, a Twitter feed to log data sent in real-time, and an Android app to view the Twitter data. All these tools ensured that the user had ample resources to view the status of the bag in transit, and to view the SD card data once it had reached its destination. The figure below illustrates the analysis tools. The figure is broken into two parts: real-time and post flight. The real-time data that is relayed to the Twitter feed is scrubbed by the Android app and thus would give the user the capability to view the last known location of the bag. The app was developed to provide an easy to use interface for the user that can be summoned at any time to view the bag status. The web-based, post-flight tool allowed the visualization of the logged SD card data in graphical form along with important data pertinent to the transit timeline of the bag.

Data Analysis Tools

Implementation

Hardware Implementation

In the implementation stage of the design, several key factors had to be considered in order to ensure the device performed to specification. The primary concern was that of power. The device had to function continuously for a period of at least an hour for demo purposes while continually logging the sensor and GPS data along with the occasional SMS transmission. Another consideration was that of form factor. The device had to be compact and discrete in the bag. The components had to also be housed in a durable enclosure to ensure that rough handling of the baggage would not destroy the device. The following section details the various components utilized in the prototyping of the device.

Parts List

Part	Function
Arduino Uno	Microprocessor
Sparkfun GSM cellular module with patch antenna	Wireless communications
Adafruit SD Logger Shield	Logging of data on SD card
EM-406A GPS Module	GPS latitude and longitude data
Photocell	Light sensor
Reed Switch	Bag flap contact sensor
6 NiMH AA Rechargeable batteries	Power supply
Otterbox	Enclosure

Overall Device Topology

Software Implementation

Flow Chart

Web SD Data Analysis

A custom website was created to allow for the analysis of the data logged on the SD card.  After arriving at destination, the traveler would insert the SD card into their computer and summon the webpage. The website has an up-loader tool which allows the user to browse to the location of the SD card, and upload the most recent logged file. Once uploaded, the webpage would automatically parse the data and present the data in graphical form. Two graphs would be presented: light sensor, contact sensor. The presented data would indicate if the bag had been compromised in transit. Beneath the two graphs, a table will appear consisting of only the data that indicates the luggage might have been opened. We wanted to make our website very user-friendly so this way the user can look at the graphs to check if the bag has been opened and look at the table for all the specifics.

Web Analysis Tool

Testing And Results

Once the hardware assembly was completed, various functional tests were carried out to ensure the proper operation of the bag security device. The sensors were tested to ensure that the light and contact sensor readings were being recorded accurately on the SD card. The device was successfully initiating a SMS on a bag open event. The data logged on the SD card was corroborated with the twitter feed to ensure accuracy. The picture below displays a screenshot of the Twitter feed with updates on when the bag was opened.

It must also be noted that there is a delay of about 2 minutes between the bag open event and the notification being posted on twitter. This can be attributed to propagation delays in the twitter system and various other transmission delays beyond control. The bag was also driven in a car while creating bag open events to test the accuracy of the latitude and longitude data that was acquired. The error in the GPS was about 15 feet which was the typical value for consumer GPS devices.

Conclusion

The accomplishments of the project surpassed expectations and the prototype was successfully developed and tested according to the functions stipulated in the patent. Having developed a working prototype, the device could be marketed to luggage manufacturers as an enhancement to their products to provide a layer of security for their luggage. As per the current design solution, there are no sleep mechanisms or ways to remotely cycle the power states. In any event, the project demonstrated the feasibility of such a device and the overall cost effectiveness of prototyping such a device.