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Fingerprint attendance system for classroom needs

Conference Paper · December 2012

DOI: 10.1109/INDCON.2012.6420657

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Fingerprint Attendance System for classroom needs
Mohamed Basheer K P
Dept. of Electronics and Communications Engineering,
National Institute of Technology Calicut,
Kerala, India
Email: mohamedbasheerkp@gmail.com
Abstract—Fingerprint attendance system aims to automate
the attendance procedure of an educational institution using
biometric technology. This will save time wasted on calling out
names and it gives a fool-proof method of attendance marking.
A hand-held device is used to mark the attendance without the
intervention of teacher. The device can be passed and students
can mark attendance during the lecture time. Students would be
made to place their finger over the sensor so as to mark their
presence in the class. It can communicate with a host computer
using its USB interface. This device operates from a rechargeable
battery. GUI application in host computer helps the teacher to
manage the device and attendance.
Index Terms—Fingerprint, Classroom attendance, Portable
attendance system
I. I NTRODUCTION
Conventional attendance system followed in an educational
system where the teacher call out the name of each and every
student and mark the attendance causes time wastage during
lecture time. This becomes more and more severe especially in
the current scenario where number of students in a class is very
large. Managing the attendance data of such a large group is
also very difficult. Another disadvantage of present system is
the chance for the student to mark fake attendance. Fingerprint
based devices are being used in corporate environments. These
devices use computer to store and verify fingerprints. It can
be ported to academic environment with modifications.
A. Motivation
Educational institutions still use attendance registers for
managing student attendances. The teacher has to call out
names during the lecture time. Increased number of students
causes wastage of reasonable amount of time from the valuable
lecture time. To save this time, some teachers follow the
method of marking attendance by signing on a paper which
is passed to the class during the lecture time. Here there is
a chance of cheating by the students by putting signature of
a absent person. These issues motivate the design of a new
system.
B. Field survey and Literature survey
In an institution like NIT Calicut, average student count in
one classroom is 100. Students have to mark their attendance
in every hour. Using conventional method of calling out names
for attendance, it takes approximately 5 to 10 minutes for
marking attendance of entire class. Then in a 42 hour subject
Raghu C V
Dept. of Electronics and Communications Engineering,
National Institute of Technology Calicut,
Kerala, India
Email: raghucv@nitc.ac.in
Fig. 1. Portable fingerprint attendance system
(which is the normal duration of a subject), approximately 7
hours is used for marking attendances. Some faculty members
use signature method(explained before) also for attendance
marking.
Many organizations use fingerprint attendance system for
marking attendances of their employees. These are computer
connected devices in which database of employees are stored
in computer and these are fixed at specific location. But the
situation in a classroom is different. Students cannot come
near the device to mark the attendance in a class room.
The concept of fingerprint attendance system has been pro-
posed by several research groups. L. Jian-po et al. developed a
system using wireless technology [1]. They created a database
in remote system and the fingerprint data transmitted to the
computer using Zigbee wireless technology. It can provide 30
to 70 meters range if there is no barrier. So if the class room
is not in the range of Zigbee, students cannot use this device.
A. Kassem et al. developed a attendance system using
RFID technology for university applications [2]. Students have
to carry RFID tags to mark the attendance for university
processes. The database of the system is implemented in
computer and student has to carry the RFID tag near to the
reader. In this type of device, students cannot mark their
attendance during the classroom. Also students can cheat this
device using proxy method. So this type of device also cannot
be implemented in classroom.
II. P ROPOSED SYSTEM
The proposed system comprises two sections, one portable
device and a host computer. Fingerprint attendance device is
a hand-held device which can be carried to the classroom. A
 Fig. 2. System Architecture
Graphical user interface application in the host computer helps
the faculty to manage the device. He can perform tasks like
add students, import and export attendance data etc.
After feeding the student list to the device, faculty can take
the device to the classroom. Faculty can authorize and select
the batch from a menu. In the first class, students have to
register their fingerprint by selecting roll number and placing
their finger. From second class onwards, they can mark their
attendance. Faculty can take the device to his room after class
hour and it can be connected to the computer. The attendance
details can be updated using the GUI application.
A. Portable device
It is a hand-held device and works from a rechargeable
battery. Fingerprint Module is the heart of the system. Mi-
crocontroller controls the entire system, which consists of
the fingerprint module, Real Time Clock (RTC), buttons and
Graphic Liquid Crystal Display (GLCD). Various options
can be selected using buttons. Device can communicate with
the host computer using USB interface. LCD displays the
status and details of each student during the enrolment and
attendance marking processes. It also displays time and status
of battery. RTC keeps track of time and can be synchronized
with host system and date is stored with every attendance
sessions. LEDs are used for status indications.
B. Host Computer
A Graphical User Interface application in the host computer
helps to manage attendance of students. Students list can be
transferred to the device using this application. The computer
can read the details of attendance through USB interface and
stores it in a database. The data can be accessed by only
authorised person. It needs authentication using password or
fingerprint. The data entered in the device can be synchronized
with the host computer.
Fig. 3. Microcontroller part
Fig. 4. Battery charge measurement
III. D ETAILED HARDWARE DESIGN
A. Main circuit
A modular design approach is used. Connectors are used
to interface different components wherever possible. This
helps for better assembly, easy repair etc. The microcontroller
used in this design is PIC18F4550 [3]. Fingerprint module
is connected to the UART interface. It connects transmitter
and receiver pin of the module with that of microcontroller. A
double colour LED shows the status of fingerprint authentica-
tion. Menu button is used as user input switch. Graphic LCD
data connectors, control signals connector and power signals
connector is interfaced to the microcontroller circuit. The
backlit of Graphic LCD is controlled through microcontroller
port. So the backlit can be controlled whenever needed. The
USB type-A female connector is connected to PIC using USB
module.
The system uses RTC DS1307 for keeping track of time.
The chip is interfaced with PIC using I2 C protocol. There is
a 3V CMOS battery CR2032 as a backup.
1) Microcontroller: The controller used in this device is
PIC18F4550. This microcontroller is a low power type and it
supports USB, UART, I2 C and SPI standards. The flexible
oscillator structure helps portable devices to save battery
charge by allowing microcontroller and USB module to run
at different frequencies.

Fig. 5. Li-ion battery pack charger
2) Fingerprint Module: The heart of the fingerprint at-
tendance system is Fingerprint module. The system is using
MIAXIS SM630 [4] fingerprint module. SM630 is an opti-
cal fingerprint verification module. It can support functions
such as fingerprint addition, deletion, verification, upload and
download. The current consumption in the active mode is
only 80mA, so it is suitable for portable devices. Because
of integrated design, the size of the module is very small. It
uses TTL level standard serial interface at 57600bps baud rate
and it can store up to 768 fingerprints.
3) Graphic LCD: JHD12864E [5], a 128x64 graphic LCD
is used as a display in the system. This LCD is based on
Samsung KS0108 controller.
4) Memory: The attendance details are to be stored in
external memory. A 1Mbit E2 PROM AT24C1024 [6] is used
for this purpose. This is interfaced to microcontroller using
I2 C protocol.
5) Buttons and Switches: The device is using a push button
as its main input which is called as Menu button. This can be
used to select different options in the device. If the press in
menu button is less than 1 sec, cursor will change to next
option. If it is more than 1 sec, the highlighted option will be
selected. The device also have a power ON button and reset
switch which is placed with batteries.
6) Status LEDs: The Device is using two LEDs for status
indication. A power LED is used to give indication about
power status. There is a status LED which would indicate
the fingerprint status.
B. Charger circuitry
Two Li-ion batteries having typical voltage of 3.7V is
connected in series, so that together they produce more than
7.4V. A voltage regulator is used to convert this voltage to 5V.
The supply is controlled by a power ON switch and the power
status would be notified by a LED. The circuit in Fig. 4 is used
to monitor battery voltage. This circuit conserves the power
by turning ON it only when required. When the transistor Q2
is turned ON, then it will turn ON the PMOS also. Then the
battery voltage is fed to the PIC through a internal ADC and
is processed to monitor battery critical functions.
The circuit in Fig. 5 is a charger for Li-ion battery pack
of 2 batteries. The adjustable voltage regulator LM317 is
regulated to 8.4V. The transistor BC337 will cut off the ground
connection when the current is zero. This circuit provides 1.2A
charging current. So it takes less than 2 hours for charging a
battery pack.
The device is using two 1.4Ah Li-ion batteries for power.
Battery charge is measured using the circuit in Fig. 4. The
battery charge is displayed and if the battery charge is below
the specified level, microcontroller will switch to internal
oscillator mode.
C. Power conservation
Since it is a hand-held device, power consumption is an
important issue to be addressed in the design. To minimize
this, low power components are selected and the design is
optimized for low power consumption. Also following mea-
surements are taken to minimize power consumption. The
back-lit of the display will turn off if the voltage is below
a certain level. The backlit is controlled using a transistor. If
the low battery condition occurs, microcontroller will turn off
the transistor and backlit would be off.
PIC18F4550 can work from both internal and external
oscillators. USB communication requires external oscillator
to work properly. It will work from internal oscillator 8MHz
when it is not using USB communication. During the USB
communication, it will switch to external 20MHz oscillator.
The battery charge of the system is monitored by using the
circuit Fig. 4. This circuit will read the charge from battery
whenever it is necessary thus saves the charge being drained
out.
D. Mechanical Design
Since the device is used by the students in teenage, it has
to withstand rough and careless handling. It uses a rugged
enclosure which is made up of plastic. In order to protect
the fingerprint sensor from dust and moisture, it is placed in
a inner cabinet. Only the sensor part would be visible and
finger can be placed through the open part of that cabinet.
Status LEDs are protected with LED caps. The USB port and
DC adapter port is placed on left side.
The menu button is placed on the front side of casing. There
is a separate battery cabinet which can be opened and closed
by a lid. The reset button and power button is placed in the
battery cabinet. So these would not accessible to students.
Only teacher can use these buttons. The power status LED is
placed on the upper right corner of the casing. The fingerprint
status LED is placed along with Menu button.
IV. GUI A PPLICATION
The host computer can communicate with the device using a
GUI application called Fingerprint Attendance Data Manage-
ment(ADM). The application is designed using Visual basic
2010 express edition [7].
A. Features of Fingerprint ADM
1) Installation file: Installation file would be provided to
install in any Windows based system. It can be installed in
any Windows XP and above systems. It requires .NET Frame-
work version 4 to operate. During installation of Fingerprint
Attendance Data Management software, it will automatically
check for .NET and installs if it is not already installed.

Fig. 6. Graphical User Interface application
2) Excel file importing and exporting: It can be used to
import a list of students to the application and this data can
be transferred to the device through USB. Visual Basic uses
Microsoft’s Excel interface class to interface with Microsoft
Excel. It can read Excel file and can create new workbook
without opening Microsoft Excel application. Using Visual
Basic, the software can read cell by cell details and write new
data into it.
3) Automatic detection and data transfer through USB:
The software will automatically detect the device when it is
connected to the USB port. Students’ lists can be transferred to
the device using USB bus. Attendance data can be transferred
to the computer using Human Interface Device mode of USB
standard.
4) Device notifications: When the USB is connected to the
Computer, it would be notified in system notification area of
Windows operating system. The status will be displayed in the
GUI also.
B. Help documentation
The software provides two help documents, one for software
help and other for device usage. They are compiled in to
popular Compiled HTML(CHM) format. There is another help
file on how to install and configure the device. ABEE CHM
Maker [8] is used to compile different HTML help files to a
single CHM file.
V. D EVICE OPERATION
A. Device features
1) Device security: Device is secured from unauthorized
access by fingerprint authentication. Only authorised person
can access the device. He has to setup the device and select the
batch for attendance marking. The reset and power switch are
placed in inner cabinet of the device, so they are not accessible
to students.
Fig. 7. Front panel
2) USB notifications: The Device would show the USB
connection status in the display top bar when it is connected
to the host computer using USB cable.
3) Battery charge indicator: The device monitors battery
and display charge status graphically.
4) Menu button for all: Menu button would be used to se-
lect, change and other operations. This reduces the complexity
of the usage.
B. Installation and configuration
The software, Fingerprint Attendance Data Management,
is to be installed before using the device. Both device and
software is to be configured after installing software.
1) Software installation: The first step to use the device is
installing Fingerprint Attendance Data Management Software.
A Start menu group along with Desktop shortcut would be
created along with installation of the software. The software
can be uninstalled using the shortcut provided in Start menu.
2) Configuring the device: After the installation of soft-
ware, connect the device to the computer using the USB cable.
Then the HID driver will be automatically installed.
C. First time operation
After configuring device, faculty has to do following oper-
ations.
1) Authentication: Faculty has to authenticate using pass-
word for opening the software.
2) New admin registration: This option is used for regis-
tering new fingerprint of the faculty. It is required because
the same fingerprint is used for logging in to Fingerprint
attendance system while usage.
D. Transfer students list
For transferring students list, the faculty has to create an
Excel file containing students’ name and roll numbers.
1) Import Excel file in to the software: First step is import-
ing the Excel file.
2) Send the saved list to the Device: After the successful
connection notification, software can be used to send the
student’s details to the device. After sending lists, faculty can
take the device to the class room for registration.
 Fig. 8. Registration Menu

Fig. 10. A sample exported Excel file opened using Microsoft Excel

Fig. 9. Attendance marking and status LED

E. Registration
For registration, faculty has to authenticate using his regis-
tered fingerprint and select the batch for registration. In the
registration menu, list of roll numbers and a NEXT menu
would be displayed. In a single window, six roll numbers
would be displayed. Remaining lists can be accessed by
selecting NEXT.
After selecting a roll number, device would ask to place
finger for registration. By placing the finger, student can
register.
1) Registration on different days: All the students need not
be registered on the first class. There is a provision to register
on different days. Fig. 11. The device prototype model

2) Add additional students after registration: Faculty can

add additional students using the software. If a student is
added, fingerprint registration of that student can be done.
F. Batch Selection
The system supports up to 3 batches at a time. Faculty can
select the batch using the menu button. After batch selection,
system checks whether all students on this batch are registered
or not. If any students are not registered, device will ask to
select registration or attendance taking.
1) Multiple classes in one day: If there is more than one
class in same day, there is a provision to mark different
attendance on different hour on the same day.
G. Attendance Marking
Students can mark attendance after faculty selects the batch
name. Students can place their finger and attendance would be
marked if they haven’t marked their attendance already. The
status LED would display colors according to the status of the
attendance marking. It displays RED for no match, GREEN
for fingerprint match and ORANGE for already marked. The
attendance marking menu will be displayed until the device is
switched off.
H. Transfer of attendance details
1) Transfer attendance details to the computer: Device can
store one semester’s complete attendance details. These stored
details can be transferred to the computer using Fingerprint
Data Management software. This is possible multiple times
in a semester and new data will be appended to the old. The
system can transfer the attendance details at any time.
2) Export attendance details as Excel file: The transferred
attendance data can be exported as an Excel file. Fig. 10 shows
an exported Excel file which is opened using Microsoft Excel.
The excel file can calculate and display total days, number of
present days and percentage of attendance.
VI. R ESULTS
A prototype level implementation of Fingerprint attendance
system is completed as in Fig. 11. This is a hand-held device
which can be carried to the classroom. The device can be
handed over to students and they can mark their attendance.
The device is tested with students and it worked without any
error. Fingerprint Attendance Data Management software is
designed and created a setup file for the installation. It is
provided with a help file for installation and configuration.
The software is tested and was working perfectly.
 Fig. 12. Software setup with help file

VII. C ONCLUSION
The Fingerprint attendance system and Fingerprint Data
Management Software has been successfully designed. The
designed fingerprint attendance system solves these issues by
the following means.
1) No time waste as the attendance is taken during lecture
without intervention of teacher
2) Mangaging the attendance is automated
3) No chance for fake attendance marking
One of the future enhancements possible is reducing the
size of the device by using SMD components. An option may
be provided to download whole fingerprint templates to the
computer from the device. So the students need not register
in another semester. Faculty can transfer the stored fingerprint
templates along with student list. The GLCD can be replaced
by touch screen GLCD so that buttons can be removed. So
push buttons can be removed. The current fingerprint module
uses a unique protocol and hence cannot be replaced with
similar modules from different companies. In order to make
a general purpose device, the system can be designed using
a fingerprint image sensor and a powerful DSP processor.
This enables the replacement of fingerprint image sensor from
another manufacturer.
R EFERENCES
[1] L. X. LI Jian-po, ZHU Xu-ning and Z. Zhi-ming, “Wireless fingerprint
attendance system based on zigbee technology,” in 2nd International
Workshop on Intelligent Systems and Applications (ISA), May 2010, pp.
1 – 4.
[2] Z. C. A. Kassem, M. Hamad and S. E. Dahdaah, “An rfid attendance and
monitoring system for university applications,” in 17th IEEE International
Conference on Electronics, Circuits, and Systems (ICECS), 2010, pp. 851
– 854.
[3] “Pic18f4550 datasheet,” Microchip corporation, USA.
[4] “Sm-630 manual,” Miaxis Biometrics Co., China.
[5] “Jhd12864e datasheet,” JHD Electronics Co., Ltd, China.
[6] “Two-wire serial eeprom at24c1024,” Atmel Corporation., USA.
[7] “Visual basic express edition 2010,” Computer software, Microsoft Cor-
poration, USA, 2010.
[8] “Abee chm maker,” Computer software, AbeeTech, Belarus, 2008.

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