CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
With the industrial revolution that led to the discovery of electricity and a general improvement in technology in the 19th century [1], following various experiments coupled with the advent of computers, saw a huge breakthrough in home security. This was because closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems in conjunction with stationed long focal length cameras were powered on to view home intruders. Though, this made possible to view remote ends for any non-confrontational crimes to get the offenders identified but it equally suffers a lot of hiccups as the intruders could get away with the valuable property without immediate arrest.
Thereafter, most crimes of burglary, which are non-confrontational property crimes, occur when we are not at home. The most common threat to our home is burglary. So, protection of home and family from criminal hit should be high on our list of priorities.
In correlation to the aforementioned security consciousness, one can emphatically say that security of homes and properties has been in existence for a long time, but the methods of applying and achieving it have been changing from time to time. Modern security approaches greatly rely on the activities of the intruders which may reveal their presence to a computer-controlled system. First of all, the intruder must enter the building; a door or window is the most logical means of criminal entry point. Sensors are set to detect use of these entrances, an alarm can be triggered when intruder passes or interacts with sensor devices such as microwave detectors, photo-electric beams, glass break detectors, magnetic field detection, electrostatic- field detectors, microwave barriers systems, ultrasonic sensors, and even infrared sensors. Most of these techniques are still in use but instant arrest of the burglars is hardly sometimes possible. The intruder or impostor action is detected through wrong fingerprint and this could prompt a signal to get to the home owner which possibly calls for an instant arrest of the burglars. However, the switch is never closed in the presence of the house occupant or visitor who simply gains access to the door if only his thumb print matches with that stored in the biometric device.
This project covers security using biometric fingerprinting lock, which is a type of biometric device. The term “biometrics” is derived from the Greek words bio and metric, meaning life and to measure, respectively. Biometrics can be defined as the science of identifying or verifying individuals based on unique physiological or behavioural characteristics. Examples of human traits used for biometric recognition include fingerprints, hand geometry, speech, face, retina, iris, and handwritten signature [2]. Biometrics can also be defined as the use of a person’s unique physiological, behavioural and morphological characteristic to provide positive personal identification [3]. There are two distinct functions for biometric devices:
To prove you are who you say you are.
To prove you are not who you say you are not.
Biometric identification systems are essentially pattern recognition systems. They use acquisition devices such as cameras and scanning devices to capture images, recordings, or measurements of an individual’s characteristics and computer hardware and software to extract, encode, store, and compare these characteristics [4].Identification systems answer the question, “Who am I?” and do not require that a user claim an identity before biometric comparisons take place. The user provides his or her biometric data, which is compared to data from a number of users in order to find a match. The answer returned by the system is an identity such as a name or ID number [5] they establish the genuineness of physiological (e.g. face, fingerprint, iris, retina, hand geometry) and behavioural (e.g. signature, gait) characteristics of a person. Biometric recognition is an upcoming and promising field with great commercial magnitude. It is an extremely reliable source identification system as it is based on what we are rather than what we possess. Biometrics technology is without a doubt a more efficient way of authentication than the use of passwords, smart cards, or a combination of the two. Potentially, the user would not have to remember a password or a series of passwords to access information. Passwords also have expiration dates that require new assignment of passwords and more work for technical support staff [6].
1.2 Statement of the problem
Security is of primary concern and in this busy, competitive world, human cannot find ways to provide security to their confidential belongings manually. Instead, he finds an alternative which can provide a full-fledged security as well as atomized. In the ubiquitous network society, where individuals can easily access their information anytime and anywhere, people are also faced with the risk that others can easily access the same information anytime and anywhere. Because of this risk, personal identification technology, which can distinguish between legitimately registered users and imposters, is now generating interest.
There are various programs introduced for offering entire safety for all domiciles. However there is no any entire safety discovered up to date.
1.3 Aims and Objective of the study
The main aim of the project is to design and implement a fingerprint based locking system.
The specific objectives includes to:
Design the system using ARDUINO UNO and C++ software program
Develop a security system that can retain stored fingerprint even in the event of complete power failure or battery drain.
Identify the problems and limitations of existing system.
Develop a system that can store and verify fingerprint with just the touch of the fingerprint scanner.
1.4 Expected benefits
Our proposed fingerprint based lock system is a reliable and very secure lock that will not only ensure safer environment but also ease lifestyle. This system can prove very useful in buildings, large offices, Universities and so on because it offers the flexibility to add more features to the system. Users do not need to implement many systems from scratch. They can simply use our fingerprint and password-lock system because fingerprint scanning is more accurate and cost effective method. It is also secure because fingerprint duplication is virtually impossible. Additionally, we have also used password authentication system for security purposes to ensure access to enrolled people.
Biometric is the most secure and convenient authentication tool. It cannot be borrowed, stolen or forgotten and forging one is practically impossible. This system also remembers the stored fingerprint even if the power supply is turned off.
1.5 Scope and Limitation
The scope of the study is to design a system that will store, delete, and verify fingerprint with just the touch of a button. The limitations of the study are as enumerated:
It may not be able to detect fingers if they are exposed to certain chemicals and it can make errors with dirty fingers or cuts and bruises on the finger. It is not appropriate for children, because of the size of their fingerprint changes quickly.
Since this lock needs electricity to run, a power failure can make it totally useless. Thus a UPS or battery is needed. The author uses a relay module, which is sensitive to power it gets. If it does not get sufficient power then relay switching sometimes malfunctions. The optical sensor used is prone to scratches, dirt. As a result it may sometimes give inaccurate result.
1.6 Structure of the project
This project report is organized as follows: Chapter one covers the background of the study, statement of the research problem, objective of the study, Expected benefits, scope and limitation of the study as well as structure of the work
Chapter two contains the review of relevant literature. Chapter three dwells on the design methodology used in this project. Chapter four contains the result of system development and discussion of the results. Chapter five present the summary conclusion and recommendations for further studies, followed by the references cited in the work.
