I'm currently planning a system for traffic management inside a factory (of its wheel kind machines). Typically, I would use an inductive sensor which would react and indicate the vehicle presence. However, since I can't open up the ground to use these inductive sensores, I was thiking about using technologies such as RFID or NFC. In general, my idea would be sending a 5V signal whenever the presence is detected (using arduino, raspberry pi, microcontroller,etc). However, since I never used this kind of technology, I'm kind of reluctant due to false presences born from tags that are far from the receiver but still being detected. Has anybody done something like this? Thanks
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\$\begingroup\$ What kind of machines? What kind of factory for that matter. You haven't given us much to go on. \$\endgroup\$– user98663Commented Apr 3, 2017 at 11:59
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\$\begingroup\$ ANd where would you place the RFID receiver, if you can't dig into ground? \$\endgroup\$– Marko BuršičCommented Apr 3, 2017 at 12:35
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\$\begingroup\$ Thinking aloud: paint large QR codes on the factory floor and have a camera on the front of each truck. Every time a truck scans a code it pokes a server over WIFI and reports its status and the contents of the QR code. \$\endgroup\$– user98663Commented Apr 3, 2017 at 12:39
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2\$\begingroup\$ You're going to use Raspberries and Arduinos in a factory? Do you expect to pass a certification of some sort afterwards? \$\endgroup\$– Dmitry GrigoryevCommented Apr 3, 2017 at 12:56
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\$\begingroup\$ @MarkoBuršič I can fix them in the wall or the ceiling of the factory \$\endgroup\$– kohhworlwideCommented Apr 3, 2017 at 13:22
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I've used RFID sensors and tags in a product. The RF tags we used are for short-range stuff but the UHF tags are used for detecting objects from further away. So this is detecting containers on lorries from 15 m away, the same sort of thing you're looking at.
The UHF readers are off-the-shelf and readily available. I don't know if you could mount the equipment above or to the side of the vehicle detection zone - you obviously want to be close enough to not falsely detect the vehicle behind. But you are getting a code from each tag so you can tell vehicles apart.
I don't know enough about your application but obviously the RFID route needs the compliance of the vehicle i.e. they have to agree to carry it and they might lose it. The metal-detecting route doesn't have that disadvantage. I'm sure you've already weighed these factors up.
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\$\begingroup\$ Thanks for your answer. The detection would need to be nearly 3M from the vehicle. Detections could be happening from 3 different spots at the same time, so working with RFID do you think that the system can be made so that information isn't lost along the way? What time of readers/tags would you recommend? Since this information would have to be processed ( 3 readers at 3 different lanes ) would you use a webserver or such to link the information? \$\endgroup\$ Commented Apr 3, 2017 at 13:29
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\$\begingroup\$ @kohhworlwide, no need to thank me, you can use the upvote if it helped you :-) \$\endgroup\$– TonyMCommented Apr 3, 2017 at 13:32
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\$\begingroup\$ I didn't finish the answer but wrongly sent it. haha \$\endgroup\$ Commented Apr 3, 2017 at 13:47
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\$\begingroup\$ @kohhworlwide, this is an industry in itself so it's a product are for you to investigate, same as if I'd advocated a VGA monitor. Search the Interweb for 'UHF RFID', I've check that you'll find mountains there. Good luck. \$\endgroup\$– TonyMCommented Apr 3, 2017 at 13:57