Designing a Smart Parcel Tracking System

Global logistics companies often face challenges when a parcel is delivered but the digital system does not show the update. Parcels may pass through various networks, including third-party systems, where traditional tracking methods can fail. In addition, manual scanning processes are prone to errors, delays, or omissions, leading to inconsistencies between the physical and digital status of shipments. In this regard, the logistics industry is progressively moving towards the adoption of smart labels to enhance shipment tracking and visibility [1,2]. However, the widespread implementation/adoption of these technologies is currently constrained by the need for advancements in materials engineering. In the meanwhile, there is a need for cost-effective, lightweight, and reusable tracking solutions that can bridge the gap based on existing hardware/software, to provide reliable shipment monitoring without imposing additional costs on customers.

This thesis involves developing a low-cost RF (Radio Frequency) prototype, targeting a cost of 3-5 EUR, that can serve as a simple RF beacon [3]. Such a device can, for example, be powered by a coin cell battery and be attached to objects/parcels [3]. It must include a simple logic to (i) identify the parcel to which the prototype is attached, and (ii) interact with a central transmitter (i.e., controller) for activation and deactivation. Then, the controller may onboard more complex logic such as geofencing support for automatic state transitions [4-6]. The prototype may use a periodic "keep-alive" mechanism to ensure tracking continuity and reliable updates during transport [4-6].

Objectives

Driven by the project description, the main goals are outlined as follows:

• Investigate the feasibility of creating an RF tracking circuit within the specified cost constraints.
• Conduct a review of academic literature [2-8] and analyze existing solutions (example [9-11]) to identify suitable components and technologies that align with the budget limitation.
• Design a lightweight, low-cost prototype that supports activation, keep-alive communication, and deactivation based on geofencing or proximity.
• Use an iterative approach to build and refine a prototype, integrating a simple microcontroller, and an RF module, following power-efficient design principles. Low cost and low power consumption should be prioritized.
• Evaluate the prototype’s integration into a logistics workflow, focusing on metrics such as battery consumption, operational reliability, and responsiveness.
• Perform real-world tests in logistics scenarios, monitoring energy efficiency and communication stability under real-world conditions. Reliability assessments may use typical cases, such as onboarding to parcels (activation) and interaction with geofencing (deactivation) [7,8].

Expected results

The project is expected to deliver a functional prototype of a low-cost RF tracking device capable of operating in real-world logistics environments. It should achieve a target cost of $3–$5 per unit, observing its impacts on battery life while providing consistent tracking updates. We aim to demonstrate and check the feasibility to enhance shipment visibility and operational efficiency while minimizing costs and simplifying deployment.

Key references

1. DHL. Smart Printables: What the Future of Smart Labels Means for Logistics. URL: https://www.dhl.com/global-en/delivered/innovation/from-smart-labels-to-smart-printables.html

2. Fernández-Caramés, Tiago M., and Paula Fraga-Lamas. "A Review on Human-centered IoT-Connected Smart Labels for the Industry 4.0." IEEE Access 6 (2018): 25939-25957.

3. Paul, Bryan, Alex R. Chiriyath, and Daniel W. Bliss. "Survey of RF Communications and Sens-ing Convergence Research." IEEE Access 5 (2016): 252-270.

4. Lin, L. C. "An Integrated Framework for the Development of Radio Frequency Identification Technology in the Logistics and Supply chain Management." Computers & Industrial Engineering 57, no. 3 (2009): 832-842.

5. Hightower, Jeffrey, and Gaetano Borriello. "Location Systems for Ubiquitous Computing." Computer 34, no. 8 (2001): 57-66.

6. Chung, Sai-Ho. "Applications of Smart Technologies in Logistics and Transport: A Review." Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review 153 (2021): 102455.

7. Rajab, Husam, Husam Al-Amaireh, Taoufik Bouguera, and Tibor Cinkler. "Evaluation of Energy Consumption of LPWAN Technologies." EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking 2023, no. 1 (2023): 118

8. Liang, Bo, Purui Wang, Renjie Zhao, Heyu Guo, Pengyu Zhang, Junchen Guo, Shunmin Zhu, Hongqiang Harry Liu, Xinyu Zhang, and Chenren Xu. "{RF-Chord}: Towards Deployable {RFID} Localization System for Logistic Networks." In 20th USENIX Symposium on Networked Systems Design and Implementation (NSDI 23), pp. 1783-1799. 2023.

9. Jorjepan. “Wireless Communication Using Cheap 433MHz RF”. URL: Modules. URL: https://www.instructables.com/Wireless-Communication-Using-Cheap-433MHz-RF-Modul-1/

10. PIC Microcontroller. “433MHz Radio Frequency (RF) transmitter and receiver using PIC12F1822”. URL: https://pic-microcontroller.com/433mhz-radio-frequency-rf-transmitter-receiver-using-pic12f1822

11. Lastminuteengineers. “How 433MHz RF Tx-Rx Modules Work & Interface with Arduino”. URL: https://lastminuteengineers.com/433mhz-rf-wireless-arduino-tutorial