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Automatic asset information management solution for mobile engineering vehicle tools based on RFID technology

I. Solution Background

With social progress and the application of technological means, electrical energy has become an indispensable part of daily life. The scale of power grids continues to expand, and power applications are increasing.

When a power failure occurs, it affects everything from industrial production to household life. The longer the outage, the greater the loss. Therefore, power emergency repair is critical.

During the repair process, engineers may not have sufficient knowledge of tool information—tools may be damaged and scrapped but still in use, causing delays; or tools and equipment may be inadvertently lost after construction, making subsequent repairs more difficult, resulting in "penny wise, pound foolish."

After decades of development, RFID technology has been widely applied in various industries, including asset information processing and real-time product tracking. By combining RFID tags with products, enterprises can automatically, real-time, and intelligently achieve asset management and inspection.

Currently, RFID technology has become an important technical means for units such as State Grid, telecommunications, and IoT to improve asset management levels, reduce management costs, enhance service capabilities, and increase work efficiency.

RFID technology can digitize the entire lifecycle of asset tools from "manufacturing, allocation, requisition, outbound, inbound, and anti-loss," providing real-time dynamic tracking and query throughout the process, realizing information processing, system operation, and business operation monitoring and management.

II. Solution Objectives

In response to the above situation, a vehicle-mounted equipment management system needs to be added to achieve digital management of tools, equipment, and common materials. By attaching, installing, or hanging RFID tags to manage the real-time status of tools, equipment, and devices on the vehicle, the following objectives are achieved:

  • Equipment asset manufacturing, commissioning, addition, idle, scrapping, repair
  • Inventory, inbound/outbound management, alarm settings, annual inspection validity management

    • After installing electronic tags, asset information is written into the tag. Each time an asset management operation is performed, the reader reads the electronic tag and sends the information to the vehicle-mounted industrial computer server for processing, achieving asset tracking management.

    1.21 Accurate tool ID number

    Use RFID tags bound to tools. Asset information is written into the tag, accurately numbering the tool ID.

    1.22 Strengthen tool asset information precision

    Manage the real-time status of equipment, covering the full lifecycle including manufacturing, commissioning, addition, idle, scrapping, repair, inventory, inbound/outbound management, alarm settings, and annual inspection validity management.

    1.23 Anti-loss for inbound and outbound

    Due to emergency repair time constraints and human factors, tools may not be returned in time or may be lost during repair. The anti-loss problem of tools needs to be solved.

    III. System Architecture

    Based on the design characteristics of RFID tags, a secure information system management scheme is proposed by implementing a power emergency repair tool management, outbound, and inbound information management system, focusing on key elements and technical processes during electronic repair dispatch and other phases.

    Integrate all aspects of power emergency repair dispatch, outbound, inbound, and real-time tool information through RFID technology to achieve:

  • Save manpower and costs
  • Prevent tool loss
  • Solve the problem of incomplete tool information that prevents unified management

    • Planning and design must consider:

  • Real-time and accurate data collection
  • Massive data processing and concurrent processing at each node
  • System stability and accuracy
  • Compatibility with other software
  • System interface requirements and remote data communication requirements

    • This solution uses RFID tags for identification and management. The system architecture is shown in the figure below:

    系统架构图

    IV. Solution Operation Flow

    (I) System Operation

  • Set up a primary server. The client enters the task location and task name.
  • Install a vehicle-mounted engineering computer in the tool truck. When there is a task, the task can be downloaded on the industrial computer.
  • The vehicle-mounted industrial computer connects to the card reading device and stores all tool data carried on the vehicle. After the repair starts, engineers perform electronic registration and select the repair task.
  • The industrial computer starts running the repair task project and automatically begins the repair timer.
  • Automatically run the reader for tool scanning, scanning the entire vehicle every 10–30 milliseconds (configurable). If a tag is read five consecutive times or at intervals not exceeding 10 seconds, the tool is judged to be in the vehicle. If not read for more than 20 seconds, it is judged as requisitioned, automatically generating an outbound report.
  • When the engineer returns a tool, the reader automatically reads the tag. If the tag is read continuously for 10–20 seconds, the tool is judged as returned, generating a requisitioned tool return inbound record.
  • After the repair is completed, confirmation must be made on the industrial computer. If any tool is not returned, an alarm will be issued and completion cannot be submitted.
  • If a tool is lost, the handheld terminal can be used to search at the construction site. When the tool is found and placed back in the vehicle, the alarm automatically stops, and it is considered as inbound.
  • When handing over after repair, the industrial computer automatically uploads the task record to the primary server for archiving and future inspection.

    • (II) Binding Tool Tags

    Select UHF RFID tags, anti-metal tags, and the method of combining tags with repair equipment tools (adhesive, hanging, screws, etc.).

    After combining RFID tags with tools, the information must be entered into the computer for tag-tool software binding.

    #### 2.32 Tag Initialization

    A blank RFID tag itself represents nothing. The primary task of the application system is to associate each RFID tag with a unique ID to the actual tool one by one, binding the tag ID with the tool identity so that each tool has its own unique identity. In subsequent processes, tool-related information can be obtained by reading the RFID tag.

    The tag initialization software operation flow is shown in the figure below:

    标签初始化流程

    (III) Tag Data Management

    Tool tag data is entered from the repair information entry workstation into the server database. New tools are also entered. When new tools are allocated, they can be assigned to each numbered repair truck at the server end, and the on-board industrial computer downloads and updates the tool database.

    V. Hardware Equipment Selection

  • UHF RFID Tags
  • Anti-metal RFID Tags
  • FineJoin D2184 RFID Fixed Reader
  • FineJoin M11 Handheld Terminal
    • 硬件设备 硬件设备 硬件设备 硬件设备
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    FAQ

    In smart manufacturing, RFID is used for process tracking, tool management and production error-proofing. Fuen's HF and LF industrial readers are installed at production stations to read tags on trays and carriers in real time, automatically recording process steps and verifying parameters to prevent wrong material or sequence. Typical applications include PV ingot factory process management, automotive body tracking and non-standard automated inspection lines.
    RFID enables automatic inbound registration, outbound verification and real-time inventory. Fuen's UHF readers with gate portals (G15) batch-read tags as goods pass through without individual scanning. Combined with forklift retrofit solutions, location updates are completed during handling. Fuen has successfully implemented forklift RFID retrofit projects for Shen International Logistics Port, improving inbound efficiency by over 60%.
    RFID upgrades manual one-by-one verification to batch automatic inventory, significantly reducing missed inspection rates and labor costs. Fuen's mobile engineering vehicle tool management solution uses handheld terminals for full-vehicle inventory in one scan — 10 seconds versus 1 hour manually. In power grid asset lifecycle management, RFID tags attached to equipment enable full-process tracking from procurement to deployment to retirement.
    RFID anti-counterfeiting uses encrypted electronic tags on products combined with backend databases for item-level full-chain traceability. Fuen's fragile anti-transfer tag (UT203) is destroyed once removed, preventing tag reuse. Typical applications include live pig supply chain tracing and pharmaceutical anti-counterfeiting systems, providing full visibility from production through distribution to end consumption.
    RFID enables rapid receiving, smart inventory and anti-theft management in chain retail. Handheld terminals batch-scan inbound goods, completing full-store inventory in minutes. Fuen's clothing store solution combines HF tags and UHF handhelds for full-chain visibility from distribution center to store shelf, improving inventory accuracy to over 99%.
    RFID in smart cities mainly applies to vehicle management and public safety. Fuen's intelligent vehicle positioning and speed measurement system uses active tags for long-range identification and speed detection; e-bike anti-theft solutions track tagged vehicles via intersection readers for rapid recovery; parking management enables non-stop passage and automatic billing. These solutions are deployed in multiple cities.