DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF AN

INTELLIGENT CLASS ATTENDANCE SYSTEM USING RFID CARD AND

BIOMETRICS

BY

AYANWALE OLUWATOSIN GRACE

2013/1/47160EE

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING

FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY MINNA,NIGER STATE.

2018.

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 CHAPTER 1

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY

In this present period of globalization and propelled innovation, effective record

keeping can not be overemphasized. The educational institution is one sector that has

necessity for this record keeping. In schools and different establishments or

associations, attendance is utilized for a few purposes which incorporate appraisal of

student’s qualification for term or special exams, evaluation of staffs' dedication toward

their activity, and record keeping for workers. Attendance can be characterized as being

accessible either at a gathering or a specific place at a given time. It can also be viewed

as the repeat with which a man is accessible or the number of people exhibit [1]. The

current traditional attendance framework expects students to physically sign the

attendance sheet each time they go to class, test or exam. This manual framework has

deficiencies like time pointlessly devoured by the students to discover and sign their

name on the attendance sheet, pantomime, and removal of attendance sheet. Along these

lines, there is a requirement for a system that would wipe out these issues.

A Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a remote innovation which utilizes

electromagnetic waves for correspondence between RFID per user and RFID tag.

Automated attendance frameworks utilizing divider mounted RFID swipe card

frameworks have been utilized as a part of the past however it couldn't defeat the issue

of pantomime [2]. This can be expanded by the utilization of fingerprint module as there

are no two same fingerprints on the planet utilizing a unique finger impression sensor

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module.

Along these lines, an inserted framework containing RFID and Fingerprint innovation

will be planned and actualized for observing student participation guaranteeing

validated outcome.

1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT

The conventional manual attendance system has drawbacks, hence making it an

inefficient system. It consumes time in that it is a slow system and causes the students to

expend more energy, therefore losing concentration on what is been taught in class at

the present time. The manual attendance system has no way of authenticating the

information provided by the students as those present in class can put down the

attendance of a student who is absent thereby providing false attendance. The manual

system also lack backup for the attendance records and once the lecturer accidentally

loses the attendance sheet, the records are gone forever which can be hazardous for

evaluation purposes.

In the analysis of overall performance of students at the end of session or term, one of

the factors contributing to poor performance of the students is the poor attendance of the

student to class. Without a proper tracking of student’s attendance, reviewing and

analysing it as a factor causing the poor performance will be difficult to do.

This project takes care of these issues using both RFID and Fingerprint innovation

to eliminate manual attendance free from errors and its limitations.

1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES

The aim of this project is to design and construct a computerised system which will be

able to perform the functions of an attendance register daily.

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 The objectives of this project include the following:

1. To design and implement an intelligent attendance system.

2. To provide a means of capturing and recording a student’s attendance detail

when they attend class.

3. To generate report detailing a student’s attendance details over a certain period

of time (typically over a semester).

1.4 METHODOLOGY

This system comprises of two parts i.e. the hardware unit (the embedded system)

as well the software (the database system). The hardware mainly consists of the power

supply unit, the display unit, a microcontroller, the Ethernet shield, the Fingerprint

module, the RFID reader, and the Wi-Fi module. On the other hand, the software would

be developed on Personal Computer with the aid of microcontroller.

The microcontroller networks all the procedure engaged with the gathering of data and

its communication with the database through the guide of a program composed and

incorporated into it. The Ethernet shield is mounted on the microcontroller board which

interfaces the correspondence between the board and the database. It helps in sifting and

getting of information keeping in mind the end goal to refresh the attendance of each

enlisted student. The Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) shows the advance of the on-going

tasks. The framework has on it’s the fingerprint sensor and the RFID peruser. During

the time spent taking the attendance, the framework demands the student to swipe the

card first and when it is verified, the student is required to put his or her thumb on the

unique finger print sensor. When it has been affirmed to be the correct thumb, it at that

point authenticates the user and if there is a match, the attendance is taken else it rejects

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it. These tasks are controlled with the guide of a composed program on the

Microcontroller and the outcome is imprinted in tabular form.

1.5 SCOPE OF THE PROJECT

The scope of this project is to build up an intelligent student attendance system through

the RFID innovation and unique fingerprint sensor. The framework will have the

fingerprint and RFID assessing the number of students present in class and generate a

report of the overall attendance. The purpose of carrying out this system is to overcome

the current problems in their current attendance system faced by the university.

1.6 PROJECT ORGANISATION

This project report comprises of five chapters. Chapter one consists of background to

the study and general introduction to the project work. Chapter two of this work gives

the literature review of other related works. Chapter three explains the detailed step by

step design and construction procedure adopted while the result was discussed in

chapter four. Chapter five concludes the project with recommendation for further

improvement on the system.

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 CHAPTER TWO

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction

In this chapter, the historical background of an attendance management system is

discussed. Additionally, the reviews of some of the literatures are also summarized as

well as the theoretical background of components used in the construction work.

2.2 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

2.2.1 Overview of Student Attendance Management System

In time past, attendance management system which is used as a medium of managing

the daily student attendance in educational institutions was just manually putting pen to

paper the names of students present and keeping the attendance sheets carefully for

further usage. As innovation increased, the attendance management system took to

computerization which included developing software to serve the same purpose so as to

replace the traditional manual method thereby reducing paper work cost and the time

processing (Student Attendance Management , Dhanashree A. G., 2011) [3].

2.2.2 Overview of RFID Based Attendance System

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a promising, developing and propelled

innovation which can naturally recognize a physical object without line‐of‐sight

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interaction [4]. RFID innovation gets and exchanges information from a piece of

hardware to a peruser by means of radio signals within a specific read range. In recent

years, the applications of RFID technology have been engaged in various and

sophisticated trends beyond ships and airplanes operations. Lately, the utilizations of

RFID innovation has been seen in different and advanced patterns past boats and planes

activities. A typical RFID framework is a compartment of segments including a tag,

radio cable, peruser and programmed software. A RFID tag is connected to an object

which should be distinguished and tracked. The tag can transmit data concerning the

object of the RFID peruser by means of antenna. At that point, the reader peruses the

stored data and uploads it over a suitable correspondence channel, for example, a

system, to application programming running on a computer. Numerous associations

have now acknowledged the use of RFID innovation. The RFID based attendance

system used in a part of academic institution comprise of the peruser naturally

identifying the student attendance and recording it by means of the RFID card been

placed close to the RFID reader which implies it engages the non-contact kind of reader

and passive sort of card. The attendance system utilizing RFID innovation is vastly

improved than the conventional attendance system in schools as nearly the entire system

is done in automation and with high accurate process (RFID Based Attendance

Management System, Microtronics Technologies, 2013) [5].

2.2.3 Overview of Biometric Attendance System

The biometric innovation can be characterized as a computerized arrangement of

identifying man in light of the individual's physical or behavioural qualities. The basic

biometrics with respect to physical or behavioural feature that an individual has

includes: Face, Iris, Retina, Voice, Handprint, Fingerprint and Signature. Biometric

innovation has now turned into a possibility for ID application as opposed to the

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utilization of physical card, records, passwords or ID numbers. The fundamental

procedure of the biometric innovation includes getting and saving the data at enrolment

stage and after that comparing at a later verification stage. Gunjan et al (2013) [6]

reports that fingerprint identification proof is the oldest technique that has been

effectively utilized in different applications. Each of the ten fingerprints differs from

one another and from those of every other person. Indeed, even indistinguishable twins

have exceptional fingerprints. That makes them perfect for individual recognition proof.

A fingerprint is made of a progression of edges and wrinkles on the surface of the

finger. The uniqueness of a fingerprint is dictated by the pattern of edges and wrinkles

and in addition the minutiae points. Minutiae points are local ridge characteristics that

occur when a ridge splits apart or a ridge ends. For attendance, the student puts his/her

finger over the fingerprint gadget and the student’s registration number is sent to the

database as having attended class. Towards the end of the semester or academic year,

reports are produced to enrol the name of students that are qualified for exams and

number of times the students for lecture.

2.3 REVIEW OF RELATED WORKS

2.3.1 Student Attendance Management

Dhanashree A. G., 2011[3], the author introduces an attendance system software that

would substitute the current manual attendance method causing a decrease in the cost

and time processing. The computerized system required just the need of the desktop

computer or laptop which would have the software application installed on it with a few

highlights that enable the users to manage their student attendance all the more

effortlessly and viably. The system did framework did exclude the utilization of

exceptional equipment, (for example, fingerprint scanner, cell phone, standardized tag

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scanner) in order for software to work. According to the journal paper, there are two

modules presented which is administrator module for dealing with the classes and report

module for creating the attendance report. This system is basic requiring just a nearby

database to store the student’s attendance data; however, it just modernizes the system

with the end goal that saving and recovering of data needs to even now be done

physically likewise the key-in of student attendance by the instructors.

2.3.2 RFID Based Attendance Management System

According to Arulogun et al (2013) [7], student attendance system has been being used

for as far back as years and will further be used in light of its significance to academic

institutions. Every student is given a card which fills in as an identification card and

attendance card. The student swipe the card which peruses over a peruser the tag on the

card and compares with the data saved in the database and on the off chance that it tally,

it takes the attendance and updates the database. During the course of study, it was

discovered that the reading of the tag was not as fast as would have been preferred due

to low frequency reader utilized and the system was choosing a portion of the cards

because of absence of alignment between the card and the whole system. The system is

aimed at monitoring the attendance of students controlled by arduino uno board utilising

only an RFID reader and these system does not have the ability to completely confirm

the student character because of fake exercises joined by the utilization of just RFID

peruser to monitor screen attendance of student.

Also, an RFID based systematic student attendance management system was proposed

by Hanisah (2010)[8]. It tracks a student utilizing RFID. The proposed system installed

coordinated Radio Frequency circuits in students identification cards with the end goal

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of tracking them automatically. The developed system gives continuous access to

attendance reports by means of the web. The utilization of installed chips on

identification card guarantees that every student is confirmed and set apart for

identification safely and genuinely. The system is accordingly not reasonable for usage

in remote regions where there is constrained access to web. Likewise, the cost of web

access is high, along these lines, expanding the cost of usage. Radio Frequency

interferance can likewise extensively influence the exactness of attendance saved by the

created solution.

Microtronics Technologies, 2013[5], the author reports that attendance should be taken

in varying places like school, college, and work environments. It is aimed at

overcoming some existing problems present in the traditional attendance system with

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. The work comprises of two

modules which includes reader module and RFID module where each student must have

a valid RFID card of RFID tags with them in order to communicate with the RFID

reader placed in their school. The RFID reader will naturally distinguish the student

attendance and record it as the RFID card gets closer to the RFID reader which implies

the non-contact kind of reader and passive type of card is utilized. This system is

constrained by a security issue called "buddy signing" which is the scenario at which a

student swipes a card for another student in the absence of that student.

2.3.3 Bar Code Scanner Based Student Attendance System (SAS)

Subramaniam H. et al, 2013 [9] reports that student attendance and participation among

a class is critical in accomplishing great scholarly result of a student and school. The

author presents the utilization of barcode scanner innovation in which every student

will be issued an identity card with the barcode imprinted on the card for the purpose of

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scanning each time they attend the class lecture. Student attendance status will be

consequently registered and recorded with the system once the lecturer examines their

identity card with barcode scanner. The barcode scanner system additionally gives an

important function which is if the student does not meet the attendance prerequisites;

the system will naturally produce a caution letter to the student. It is a cost effective

system yet does not take care of the issue of a false attendance been generated.

2.3.4 Integrated System for Monitoring and Recognizing Students during Class

Session

The system presented in [10] is an Integrated System for monitoring and recognizing

students during class session using face recognition technology as the author proposed it

to be more efficient, accurate and fastest method among the biometric attendance

system. It works by having the image of the whole class taken by classroom’s camera

and uploaded to the system to do face filtering. Afterwards, the attendance of the

student will be checked automatically by the system once the face matching of a student

is effectively performed. The framework additionally enables the lecturer to move their

student's photo into the system if the system fails to recognize their student’s face.

The system trashes out cases of false attendance to a certain extent yet is limited by the

cost as it requires the utilization of CCTV equipment and additional computer for

execution and in the event of having twin in the class, the system will be more inclined

to match the wrong student identity.

2.3.5 Wireless Attendance Management System based on Iris Recognition

In [11], the wireless attendance management system based on Iris recognition was

implemented. The system will utilize image of the iris acquired from the student and

stored in the database after undergoing several processes by the system. The journal
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paper reports the implementation of wireless systems (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi) as opposed to

the wired-based which helps in lessening the danger of breakdown of the background

wired-based machine as the iris-acknowledgment will be performed remotely. The

greatest advantage of this method is that iris recognition is irreplaceable and it is unique

for everyone. The system is limited by the start-up cost for implementation as the

equipment gadgets for the iris recognition is very costly in contrast with some other

biometric recognition gadgets. Moreover, implementation of wireless technique requires

high transmission speed of network in order to verify the student’s identity.Without the

high transmission speed, it will take time to verify the student’s identities as the data

will continuously transmit between the data server and the device for attendance

verification.

2.3.6 A Low-cost Remote Attendance Tracking System for Developing Regions

Reda A. et al., (2011) [12], developed a low-cost remote attendance tracking system for

developing regions. The system sought to track both students and lecturers likewise

through the combination of voice recognition technology and location tagging in

obtaining their attendance. The system was developed in mobile platform thereby

diminishing the hardware cost in obtaining the attendance of the remote agents. It was

aided with location tagging tools implemented to the system so as to track the location

of the remote agents while making verification for their attendance. It was reported that

among all the forms of biometric, voice recognition can be known as the less privacy-

sensitive form of verification. The system is limited such that not everyone has a smart

phone and Global Positioning System (GPS) which will make use of cellular network

for the location tracking will sometimes be out of network coverage making it

troublesome for attendance to be verified. Other than that, it is still possible for error to

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 occur in voice recognition technology as one’s voice can be easily affected by the body

condition therefore there is no guarantee of permanency of data.

2.3.7 Wireless Fingerprint Based College Attendance System Using Zigbee

Technology

ZigBee is a wireless ad hoc Personal Area Network (PAN) with low power and low

data rates based on the IEEE 802.12.4 standards conceived in 1998, with the

standardization in 2003 and revised in 2006 by the ZigBee Alliance. Talaviya G. et al.,

(2013) [6], the author opined that attendance system using fingerprint recognition is

more proficient as it saves time and fastens report generation. The fingerprint

recognition technology expects students to enrol their fingerprint into the database for

future matching while they make themselves available for every class. The system is

viable but does not create manual key-in feature in their attendance system which means

students who come late to class with bonafide reason will still be considered absent

since manual key-in is not included in the system.

The analysis of the various related projects as discussed above is succinctly

described by Table 2.1 depicting their comparative weaknesses and strengths and the

proposed project [14].

Table 2.1 Table comparatively explaining the Existing solutions and Proposed solution

Systems Unique Eliminate Student Accurate Save Report

Identifier Buddy- Time
Signing Lateness and Generat

Detection efficient ion

attendance

records

Student Attendance NO NO NO NO NO NO
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Managements
RFID Based NO NO YES YES YES NO

Attendance

Management System
Bar Code Scanner NO NO NO YES YES YES

Based Student

Attendance System

(SAS)
Integrated System for YES YES NO NO NO YES

Monitoring and

Recognizing Students

during Class Session

Wireless Attendance YES YES NO YES YES NO

Management System

based on Iris

Recognition
A Low-cost Remote YES NO NO NO NO YES

Attendance Tracking

System for Developing

Regions
Wireless Fingerprint YES YES NO YES YES NO

Based College

Attendance System

Using Zigbee

Technology
RFID and YES YES YES YES YES YES

Fingerprint Student

Attendance

Management System

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(Proposed System)

2.4 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

This section presents the theory behind the components used in achieving this project

work.

2.4.1 Arduino

Arduino is an open source hardware platform created to assemble an advanced

computer equipped for detecting, communicating and controlling more than the normal

desktop computer in light of a microcontroller board and an Integrated Development

Environment (IDE). Arduino is essentially a cross- prototyping platform that can at the

same time go about as sensors and actuators. Different forms of arduino exist and they

include Arduino Uno, Arduino Nano, Arduino Leonardo, Arduino Lilypad, Arduino

Mega, Arduino Mini, Arduino Mini Pro, Arduino Duemilanove and Arduino BT [15].

An Arduino is depicted in Plate 2.1.

Arduino Uno which is the reference model for the Arduino platform consists of 14

digital I/O pins (input/output) and is a microcontroller based on the ATmega328P

working at a voltage of 5V. Of the 14 digital I/O pins only 6 of the pins can function as

PWM (Pulse Wave Modulation) pins with 6 analogue pins, a power jack, a reset button,

a 16MHz crystal oscillator and an ICSP (In Circuit Serial Programming) Header; the

recommended input voltage range is 7- 12V , however, has a limit of 6-20V and can be

powered through the Arduino USB (Universal Serial Bus), through an external power

supply, or battery [16].

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 Plate 2.1 Arduino

Shields are attachable modules used to increase the capabilities of the Arduino PCB

(Printed Circuit Board). Arduino shields incorporates yet not solely Xbee (permits

multiple Arduino boards to communicate remotely), Motor Control (controls DC

Motors and read encoders), Button Shield (comprises of 32 buttons and other

peripherals transforming the Arduino into a handheld, convenient microcontroller

computer), DDS Shield (for generating steady and controllable RF (Radio Frequency)

Signals) [17]. Arduino IDE implores the use of C and C++ programming languages

which output sketches that are computer programmes to programme the Arduino

microcontroller.

2.4.2 Wi-Fi Module

ESP8266 Wi-Fi Module is a highly integrated chip designed for the needs of a new

connected world. It offers a complete and self-contained Wi-Fi networking solution,

allowing it to either host the application or to offload all Wi-Fi networking functions

from another application processor. WiFi is a technology for wireless local area

networking with devices based on the IEEE 802.11 standards. The ESP8266 Arduino

15
compatible module has a Micro Controller Unit which gives the possibility to control

I/O digital pins via simple code like programming language (Hayes command set). WiFi

compatible devices can connect to the Internet via a WLAN and a wireless access point

(or hotspot) with a range of about 66 feet in indoors. It has a 32-bit RISC

microprocessor core running at 80 MHz, 64 KiB of instruction RAM, 96 KiB of data

RAM, up to 16 MiB external QSPI flash, integrated TR switch, balun, LNA, power

amplifier, WEP or WPA/WPA2 authentication or open networks, 16 GPIO pins, SPI,

software implementation of I²C, I²S interfaces with DMA (sharing pins with GPIO),

UART on dedicated pins, additionally a transmit-only UART can be enabled on GPIO2,

10-bit ADC (successive approximation ADC). The Wi-Fi module is shown in Plate 2.2

Plate 2.2: ESP8266 Wi-Fi Module

2.4.3 FINGERPRINT SENSOR

A fingerprint sensor is an electronic device used to capture a digital image of the

fingerprint pattern. The captured image is called a live scan. This live scan is digitally

processed to create a biometric template (a collection of extracted features) which is

stored and used for matching. There are two main technologies used which include

optical and capacitive scanners. An optical scanner works by shining a bright light over

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the fingerprint and taking what is effectively a digital photograph. The scanner uses a

light-sensitive microchip (either a CCD, charge-coupled device, or a CMOS image

sensor) to produce a digital image. The computer analyses the image automatically,

selecting just the fingerprint, and then uses sophisticated pattern-matching software to

turn it into a code. The capacitive scanner measures finger electrically. When the finger

rests on a surface, the ridges in the fingerprints touch the surface while the hollows

between the ridges stand slightly clear of it. In other words, there are varying distances

between each part of the finger and the surface below. A capacitive scanner builds up a

picture of the fingerprint by measuring these distances. The device is shown in Plate

2.3.

Plate 2.3: Fingerprint Sensor

2.4.4 LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY (LCD)

LCD screen (16X2) works as interface between the user and microcontroller. The LCD

display Module is built in a LSI controller, the controller has two 8-bit registers, an

instruction register (IR) and a data register (DR) [18]. The main function of the LCD is

to display the instruction and output information. It is a flat-panel display or other

17
electronic visual display that uses the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals.

Liquid crystals do not emit light directly. LCDs are available to display arbitrary images

(as in a general-purpose computer display) or fixed images with low information

content, which can be displayed or hidden, such as preset words, digits, and 7-segment

displays as in a digital clock. They use the same basic technology, except that arbitrary

images are made up of a large number of small pixels, while other displays have larger

elements. This is shown in Plate 2.4. This unit shows the output of all commands

carried out in the system and the LCD is responsible for this display.

Plate 2.4: Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)

2.4.5 RFID READER

A radio frequency identification reader (RFID reader) is a device used to gather

information from an RFID tag, which is used to track individual objects. Radio waves

are used to transfer data from the tag to a reader. RFID is a technology similar in theory

to bar codes. However, the RFID tag does not have to be scanned directly, nor does it

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require line-of-sight to a reader. The RFID tag must be within the range of an RFID

reader, which ranges from 3 to 300 feet, in order to be read. RFID systems can be

classified by the type of tag and reader. The types include a Passive Reader Active Tag

(PRAT) system and an Active Reader Passive Tag (ARPT) system. RFID technology

uses digital data in an RFID tag, which is made up of integrated circuits containing a

tiny antenna for transferring information to an RFID transceiver. The majority of RFID

tags contain at least an integrated circuit for modulating and demodulating radio

frequency and an antenna for transmitting and receiving signals. Frequency ranges vary

from low frequencies of 125 to 134 kHz and 140 to 148.5 kHz, and high frequencies of

850 to 950 MHz and 2.4 to 2.5 GHz. The Reader is shown in Plate 2.5.

Plate 2.5 : RFID Reader

CHAPTER 3

3.0 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

3.1 Introduction

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 In this chapter, the step by step methods used in achieving Intelligent Class Attendance

System is presented. It comprises of the hardware and the programming which runs on

the microcontroller device and the development of the software application.

The design consists of an ATMEGA328 microcontroller device, RFID reader, Wi-Fi

module, Finger print module, Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), PC software program, web

server, and power supply, as shown in Figure 3.1

UNIT
POWER SUPPLY UNIT
UNIT

DISPLAY
MICROCONTROLLER
RFID READER UNIT
WEB
SERVER

CLOUD
FINGER-
Wifi
PRINT
Module
MODULE

Figure 3.1 Block Diagram of the System

3.2 Hardware System Design

The hardware consists of the following sub-units:

1.Power unit

2. Control unit

3. Display unit

4. Communication unit

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3.2.1 Power Unit

The power unit is made up a 12 V battery source. This 12 V is stepped down to 5 V

through 5 V voltage regulator (7805). This magnitude of regulated voltage is sufficient

enough to power the relay and controller respectively. The circuit of the power supply

unit is shown in Figure 3.2.

7805

Figure. 3.2: Power Supply Circuit

3.2.2 Control Unit

This unit comprises of an ATMEGA328 microcontroller which is basically an

Advanced Virtual RISC (AVR) microcontroller of good performance and low power

consumption which supports data up to eight (8) bits. The instructions performed mostly

execute in a single machine cycle. ATmega328 has 1Kbyte EEPROM, 2Kbytes SRAM,

Flash memory of 32Kbytes capacity, a programming lock with security purposes and

real time counter with separate oscillator. Atmega328 can work on a maximum

frequency of 20MHz. Plate 3.1 depicts the ATmega328 microcontroller.

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 Plate 3.1: ATmega328 Microcontroller

Plate 3.1 shows a pictorial view of a typical ATmega328. The ATmega328 is a 28 pin

microcontroller; it has 23 I/O (input/output) lines which are divided into three ports

designated as PORTB, PORTC and PORTD. ATmega328 has various in-built

peripherals like TWI, USART, ADC, Analogue Comparator and SPI. The following

Figure shows the pin description of ATmega328.

Figure 3.3: ATMEGA 328Pin Diagram

3.2.3 Display Unit

This unit is accomplished by utilizing an LCD (liquid-crystal display) in conjunction

with an I2C (Inter-integrated communication protocol) bus. The LCD screen (16X2)

functions as interface between the user and microcontroller. It has an inbuilt register to

store the data and commands given to the LCD display; it also has two modes, one is

22
READ mode and the other is WRITE mode. The I2C bus is a high performance serial

bus which has bus ruling and high or low speed device synchronization function

required by multiple-host system. I2C uses only two bi-directional open-drain lines,

Serial Data Line (SDA) and Serial Clock Line (SCL) pulled up with resistors. The I2C

which is a communicator between one master and multiple slaves helps to solve the

downside of using only an LCD to a microcontroller which is the multiple connections

usage.

This unit describes the output of all commands carried out in the system and the LCD is

responsible for this display. The circuit connection to the microcontroller is shown in

Plate 3.2.

Plate 3.2: LCD’s Connection to a Microcontroller

3.2.4 Communication Unit

This unit consists of the RFID, Fingerprint and Wi-Fi modules.

3.2.4.1 RFID Module

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The RFID card is the Identification card used in this project. The RFID system is a

technology that uses digital data in an RFID tag which comprises of integrated circuits

having a micro antenna for transferring information to an RFID transreciever. An RFID

reader is the major section in identification process. It is known as a reader module. An

RFID system always comprise of two components:

 The transponder: Also known as RFID tag is located on the object to be

identified.

 The interrogator or reader, which, depending upon the design and the technology

used, may be a read or write/read device.

A reader is a device connected via network which utilizes radio frequency waves to

transmit signals that activates the tag. It has an extra interface (RS 232) that enables it to

forward the received data to another system (PC, robot control system). The transponder

consists of a microchip, memory and antenna which when activated sends a wave back

to the reader where it is translated into data. Plate 3.3 shows the image of the RFID card

and RFID Module.

Plate 3.3 RFID Module and RFID Card

3.2.4.2 Fingerprint Module

The fingerprint module is a type of biometric security technology that utilises the

24
combination of hardware and software techniques to identify and authenticate the

fingerprint of an individual. It consists of a DSP (Digital Signal Processing) chip that

does the image rendering, calculation, feature-finding and searching. The module

implores two processes which are the fingerprint enrolment and fingerprint matching.

The fingerprint enrolling means assigning ID’s to each fingerprint and storing the data

while the fingerprint matching involves searching for similarity between the fingerprint

and the already-stored prints. If there is a positive match, it will display and if

otherwise, it will reject it. This module is directly interfaced with the microcontroller

UART which works within voltage 3.3V-5V. Plate 3.4 shows the fingerprint module

connection to the microcontroller.

Plate 3.4: Fingerprint Module Connection to a Microcontroller

3.2.4.3 Wi-Fi Module

ESP8266 is a low-cost Wi-Fi SOC (System on a chip) designed to provide full internet

connectivity in a small package. It has full TCP/IP capability and Microcontroller unit

integrated giving it a possibility to control I/O digital pins via programming language.

The module allows the microcontroller unit to connect to Wi-Fi network and create

simple TCP/IP connections. The module comes with factory installed firmware which

can be then controlled by standard AT commands. It is IP addressable and is used to

host a web server. Plate 3.5 shows the pictorial representation of this module.

25
 Plate 3.5: ESP8266 Wi-Fi Module

3.3 Circuit Diagram

Figure 3.4 shows the circuit diagram of an Intelligent Class Attendance Management

System.

26
 Figure 3.4 Circuit Diagram of the System

3.4 Flow Chart

The software of this project is for ATmega328 microcontroller. The ATMEL Studio

IDE (integrated development environment) was implored in writing the basic software

program using the C language programming. The choice of C language programming

was because it enabled the program to be in a compressed format and enhanced faster

execution. The flow chart of the system in Figure 3.5 is a pictorial algorithm depicting

the logical operation of the system.

Start

Swipe Master Card

Add User Take Attendance Delete User

Fingerprint Swipe ID card Swipe ID card

enrolment

Delete

Is there Is she a NO
fingerprint registered
matching? student?

Place fingerprint
NO
User Registered
27

Is there
 Attendance taken

Stop

NO

Figure 3.5 Flow Chart of the System

3.5 Software System Design

In this work, several factors were taken into consideration during implementation.

These factors include:

 Correctness: The implementation was carried out with the aim of the final

product addressing the user’s need.

 Robustness: Robustness is the quality of being able to withstand stresses,

pressures or changes in procedure or circumstance. Defensive programming

techniques were applied. Strict checking procedures were included to eliminate

the possibility of unacceptable effects on system response.

 Performance: Software performance is the extent to which a product meets its

constraints with regard to response or space requirements. Performance

optimization especially as regards speed / response time and appropriate search

techniques were employed to ensure good response time.

The prerequisites for maximum and effective execution of the task by the system

software are:

3.5.1 Hardware Requirement

28
The hardware requirements for the development of the software application are as

follows:

1. System unit

2. Monitor (VDU)

3. Uninterrupted power supply (UPS)

4. Random Access Memory (RAM 12GB)

5. Compact Disk Read Only Memory (CD ROM)

6. Hard disk capacity of 1TB

3.5.2 Software Requirement

The software requirements for this work include the following:

1. Windows Operating System

2. Sublime Text

3. Laravel

3.5.3 Choice of Programming Language

The software was developed using the Hypertext Pre-processor (PHP), Hyper Text

Mark-Up Language (HTML), Cascaded Style Sheets (CSS) and Java script

programming language. The reason for this was because the PHP which has its roots in

C and C++ programming languages permits its application to be run across various

platforms not minding the operating system being used and it provides a quick loading

of the website page. It works with Html to display dynamic elements on a web page.

Html is the most search engine friendly and its combination with Java script enhances

the webpage to be colourful. Java Script has very high user interface interactivity. CSS

is a style sheet programming language used to detail the presentation of a web page’s

mark-up language (HTML).

29
Thus, the combination of the four programming languages produced a highly dynamic

and interactive website capable of storing data hosted on the URL:

attendance.iconet.com.ng.

3.6 Constructional Details

In having the construction of this project done, the various components required for the

system were assembled together. The construction of this project involved putting

together several methods for which the design is to be implemented. It entails the proper

electrical fabrication of the remote controlled automatic voltage guard proposed. The

construction of this project followed through various stages which were carried out

based on the outline of the design analysis. The construction layout was executed in the

following stages:

 Layout design

 Component assembly and placement

 Soldering

3.6.1 Layout Design

The project layout design has to do with planning the way in which the overall outcome

of the project should appear. The first consideration put in place at the start of making

plans for the layout design of this project was the possibility of having compact size to

guarantee that the project is as portable as possible. All the required components were

within reach before beginning the layout design so that assessment of space can be

made. The circuit design layout was done with Proteus software.

3.6.2 Component Assembly and Placement

30
 The assembly and placement of components refers to the way in which the various

components are arranged on the board based on the design layout. It is converted into

Printed Circuit Board (PCB) through a method called etching. The component

placement design is shown in Plate 3.6.

Plate 3.6: Component Placement on Printed Circuit board

3.6.3 Soldering

The process of mechanically fixing all the various components onto the board is known

as soldering. It refers to the strategy by which different electrical parts are mechanically

held together on the board to frame an electrical circuit. Soldering kits were used to

carry out soldering operation and the soldering operation is conducted taking necessary

precautions.

3.6.4 Casing

The casing refers to the external housing of the project. Plastic polyvinyl chloride

(PVC) is the casing used for this project. The external dimension for the project

casing is 30cm x 20cm with provisions made for the termination points of the output

and a provision for ventilation, the push buttons and the input cables for the project.

Plate 3.7 and 3.8 illustrates the casing for the project respectively.

31
 Plate 3.7: Project’s Casing

Plate 3.8: Project’s Enclosure

32
 CHAPTER FOUR

4.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION OF RESULTS

4.1 Introduction

This chapter gives a concise report on how the performance of all units were put

to test, the tabulated results obtained from the tests and the physical implications of the

various results obtained for all the units/sub-systems.

4.2 Testing

This was achieved by carrying out some test on the various units of the system. The

different units of each section were tested to ensure that the output generated is actually

the required output and that they function properly. The approaches used to achieve this

are discussed below.

4.2.1 Power Supply Unit

Each unit supply of power was measured starting from the output pin of the voltage

regulator, to every component that makes up the entire system. This was accomplished

with the aid of a multi-meter.

Table 4.1: Shows the Readings obtained during Testing of the Power Supply Unit

S/NO MEASURED QUANTITY READINGS (Volts)

1 Input voltage into the regulator 11.82
2 Output voltage from the regulator 4.87
3 Voltage supplied to the microcontroller 4.89
4 Voltage supplied to the fingerprint module 3.25
5 Voltage supplied to the LCD 4.85
6 Voltage supplied to the RFID module 3.27

4.2.2 Display Unit

33
Authenticating this unit included the commands being sent and received to be compared

with what the LCD displayed. Furthermore, the desired contrast was obtained by

adjusting the variable resistor.

4.2.3 Fingerprint Test

The fingerprint was examined by scanning a correct thumb and a wrong thumb when

the fingerprint of the user was requested. The table 4.2 shows the test result;

Table 4.2: Fingerprint test results

S/NO INPUT RESULT

1 Correct Fingerprint Image found with ID No: 000
2 Wrong Fingerprint Image not found in the database

4.2.4 Overall System Result

The overall system results are shown in the Plates 4.0 to 4.7 in this section.

Plate 4.1: Results for initialising the system

34
 Plate 4.2: Result for inputting student ID

Plate 4.3: Result for scanning the correct finger

Plate 4.4: Results showing the initialization of attendance taken

35
 Plate 4.5: Result showing the initialization of uploading data to the server

Plate 4.6: Result showing the uploaded data on the server

4.3 Discussion Of Result

The result obtained as shown in Plate 4.1 to Plate 4.5 showed that the Attendance

Management System is capable of capturing student’s attendance, recognize once an

impersonation is about to take place and provide double authentication of the student.

These records gotten are detailed via the Internet with the website

attendance.iconet.com.ng serving as the GUI as shown in Plate 4.6. The performance of

each and every unit in this project was analyzed and obtained within tolerable ranges for

effective reliability. Therefore, the aim and objectives of this project were achieved that

is to design and construct an intelligent system capable of collecting and managing the

student’s attendance per semester.

36
 CHAPTER FIVE

5.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

5.1 Introduction

This chapter summarizes the work done on the system and the various

recommendations for future purposes in order to improve the quality of the project.

5.2 Conclusion

An intelligent class attendance management system has been designed in this project.

The system has been tested and evaluated, and the results show that it is highly efficient,

reliable and available for deployment. Furthermore, it comprises of an RFID reader,

fingerprint scanner as well as a concomitant software application to maximize its afore-

stated objectives.

5.3 Recommendations

In the event of further research, the following recommendations should be put into

consideration:

1. A better casing with improved packaging should be used;

2. Better secured webpage should be used in future applications in order to

enhance security from outside invasion;

3. More intelligence features should be incorporated in the system like camera to

capture the impersonator’s face.

37
 REFERENCE

[1] Ahmed, O. M. Olaniyi, J. G. Kolo, and C. Durugo “A Multifacator Student Attendance Management

System Using Fingerprint Biometrics and RFID Techniques”, Department of Computer

Engineering, Federal University of Technology Minna, Nigeria. International Conference on

Information and Communication Technology and Its Applications (ICTA 2016) November 28 –

30, 2016

[2] D. E. Mshelia, A. H. Alkali, S. Isuwa, D. E. Dibal, C. Onogwu “An RFID and Fingerprint Automated

Attendance System” Computer Engineering Department, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria. IOSR

Journal of Computer Engineering (IOSR-JCE) e-ISSN: 2278-0661,p-ISSN: 2278-8727, Vol.19,

Issue 4, Ver. VI, pp. 75-84 July-August, 2017.

[3] Dhanashree Amit Gupta, “Student attendance management”, International Journal of Scientific and

Engineering Research, Teerthanker Mahaveer University, Vol. 2, Issue 11, ISSN 2229-5518,

November 2011.

[4] Kwok, S.K., Tsang, H.C., Cheung, C.F. and Lee, W.B, "Advanced Radio Frequency Identification

(RFID) Technology: Counterfeit Prevention, Physical Asset Management and Business

Applications," Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering of The Hong Kong Polytechnic

University, Hong Kong, 2007.

[5] Microtonics Technologies. (2013, June 4). “RFID Based Attendance Management System”. Available

at: <http://www.projectsof8051.com/rfid- based-attendance-management-system/> [Accessed 21

March 2018].

[6] Gunjan Talaviya, Rahul Ramteke, A. K. Shete. “Wireless Fingerprint Based College Attendance

System Using Zigbee Technology.” International Journal of Engineering and Advanced

Technology (IJEAT), 2(3),pp.201 – 203, 2013.

[7] Arulogun O. T., Olatunbosun A., Falolujo O. A., Olaniyi O. M. “ RFID-Based Students Attendance

Management System”. International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research. 4(2) pp.1 – 9.

2013.

[8] Hanisah Binti Hamid , “RFID based systematic student's attendance management system”, 2010.

38
[9] Hema Subramaniam, Marina Hassan, Setyawan Widyarto, “Bar Code Scanner Based Student

Attendance System (SAS)”, Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, Universiti

Selangor Malaysia, 2013.

[10] Mohammad A. Alia, Abdelfatah Aref Tamimi, Omaima N. A. AL-Allaf. “Integrated System for

Monitoring and Recognizing Students during Class Session”. Faculty of science and Information

Technology, Al Zaytoonah University of Jordan. The International Journal Of Multimedia and Its

Applications (IJMA) December, 2013.

[11] Seifedine Kadry, Khaled Smaili “Wireless Attendance Management System based on Iris

Recognition” Scientific Research and Essays Vol. 5 (12) pp. 1428-1435, 2010.

[12] Reda Azarias, Panjwani Saurabh, Cutrell Edward “Hyke: A Low-cost Remote Attendance Tracking

System for Developing Regions”, in Proc. The 5th ACM Workshop On Networked Systems For

Developing Regions, pp. 15-20, 2011.

[13]. Gunjan Talaviya, Rahul Ramteke, A. K. Shete. Wireless Fingerprint Based College Attendance

System Using Zigbee Technology. International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology

(IJEAT), 2(3),pp.201 - 203 ,2013.

[14] Liew Ken Nam “Fingerprint Recognition Student Attendance Management System” Faculty of

Information and Communication Technology, University Tunku Abdul Rahman, May 2015.

[15] T. E. Murphy, H. Dao and C. Williams, Introduction to the Arduino Microcontroller, Shangai, Jian

Jong: Shanghai Jiao Jong University, 2012.

[16] P. B. Patil, R. R. Patil, R. V. Patil and A. R. Telepatil, "Home Automation System Using Android

and Arduino Board," International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and

Technology, vol. 5, no. 4, 2016.

[17] E. Ferro and F. Potorti, "Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Wireless Protocols: A Survey and a Comparison,

Wireless Communications," IEEE, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 12-26, 2005.

[18] LCD CFAH1602B-YMI-JP Data Sheet, Spokane Valley, WA: Crystalfontz America, Inc., 2014.

39
 APPENDICES

APPENDIX A: HARDWARE C CODES FOR THE MICROCONTROLLER

void loop() {

// put your main code here, to run repeatedly:

//Serial.println("SMART ATTENDANCE SYSTEM");

//Serial.println("Swip Master Card to Begin Attendace");

if (EEPROM.read(1) != 143) {

addmaster();

lcd.clear();

lcd.setCursor(0, 0);

lcd.print("SWIP MASTER TO");

lcd.setCursor(0, 1);

lcd.print(" START ATTENDANCE");

lcd.setCursor(0, 1);

delay(1000);

while (!getID()){

if(checkTwo(readCard,masterCard)){

//Serial.println("master Card Swiped");

lcd.clear();

lcd.setCursor(0, 0);

lcd.print("SWIPPED");

delay(1000);

lcd.clear();

lcd.setCursor(0, 0);

40
lcd.print("SELECT ACTION ");

lcd.setCursor(0, 1);

lcd.print("TO PERFORM");

int select = 0;

while(!select){

if(analogRead(0) < 50 ){

delay(1200);

if(analogRead(0) < 50 ){

sendattendance();

select = 1;

}else{

lcd.clear();

lcd.setCursor(0, 0);

lcd.print("Starting Attendance");

//Serial.println("Starting Attendance");

if(attendanceids = ""){

firsttry = 1;

startattendance();

select = 1;

else if(analogRead(1) < 50 ){

//Serial.println("Adding user");

addnewuser();

select = 1;

41
 else if(analogRead(2) < 50 ){

//Serial.println("deleting user ");

delay(1200);

if(analogRead(2) < 50){

lcd.clear();

lcd.setCursor(0, 0);

lcd.print("KEEP HOLDING ");

lcd.setCursor(0, 1);

lcd.print("TO REFRESH SYSTEM");

delay(1200);

if(analogRead(2) < 50){

refreshsystem();

select = 1;

else{

deleteauser();

select = 1;

else {

lcd.clear();

lcd.setCursor(0, 0);

lcd.print("SWIP MASTER CARD");

delay(2000);

42
}

APPENDIX B: SOFTWARE DATABASE CODES

<?php

namespace App\Http\Controllers;

use Illuminate\Http\Request;

use App\attendanceID;

use App\attendance;

use App\student;

use App\course_student;

use App\preattendance;

use App\lecturerdevice;

use Auth;

class attendancecontroller extends Controller

//

public function __construct()

$this->middleware('auth');

public function getattendance($id){

$attendanceids = attendanceID::where('course_id' , $id)->get();

$attendance = attendance::where('course_id' , $id)->get();

$studentss = student::all();

$students = course_student::where('course_id',$id)->get();

foreach ($students as $student) {

# code...
43
 foreach ($studentss as $data) {

if($student->student_id == $data->id){

$student['name'] = $data->name;

$student['matric_number'] = $data->matric_number;

$student['department'] = $data->department;

$totalattendance = attendanceID::where('course_id' ,
$id)->get();

$userattendance = attendance::where(['course_id' => $id ,

'student_id' => $student->student_id])->get();

$totalattendance = count($totalattendance);

$userattendance = count($userattendance);

$percentage = $userattendance/$totalattendance * 100;

$student['percentage'] = ceil($percentage);

return view('home.attendance',['course_id' => $id, 'attendance' => $attendance ,

'attendanceids' => $attendanceids , 'students' => $students]);

public function preattendance($course_id){

$lecturerdevice = lecturerdevice::where('lecturer_id' , Auth::user()->id)->first();

if(count($lecturerdevice) > 0){

$device_id = $lecturerdevice->device_id;

$attendances = preattendance::where(['status' => 'pending', 'device_id' =>

$device_id])->get();

$students = student::all();

foreach ($attendances as $attendance) {

# code...

foreach ($students as $student) {

44
 # code...

if($student->id == $attendance->student_id){

$attendance['name'] = $student->name;

$attendance['matric_number'] = $student-
>matric_number;

$attendance['department'] = $student->department;

return view('home.preattendance', [ 'attendances' => $attendances, 'course_id' =>

$course_id ]);

else

return redirect()->back();

public function registerattendance($course_id){

$lecturerdevice = lecturerdevice::where('lecturer_id' , Auth::user()->id)->first();

if(count($lecturerdevice) > 0){

$device_id = $lecturerdevice->device_id;

$attendances = preattendance::where(['status' => 'pending', 'device_id' =>

$device_id])->get();

if(count($attendances) > 0){

$course_students = course_student::where('course_id' , $course_id)-

>get();

$attendanceid = new attendanceID;

$attendanceid->course_id = $course_id;

$attendanceid->save();

foreach ($attendances as $attendance) {

# code...
45
 $valid = 0;

foreach ($course_students as $course_student) {

if ($attendance->student_id == $course_student->student_id) {

$valid = 1;

$attend = new attendance;

$attend->student_id = $attendance->student_id;

$attend->attendance_id = $attendanceid->id;

$attend->course_id = $course_id;

$attend->save();

if ($valid){

$attendance->status = 'registered';

$attendance->save();

}else

$attendance->status = 'invalid';

$attendance->save();

session()->flash('message','attendance added successfully');

return redirect('/attendance/'.$course_id);

else{

return redirect()->back();

46
 return redirect()->back();

47