CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM

Rationale of the Study

While the move towards the digital age is being

speeded up every hour, biometrics technology has begun to
affect people’s daily life more and more. Biometrics
technology verify identity through characteristics such as
fingerprints, faces, irises, retinal patterns, palm prints,
voice, hand-written signatures, and so on. These
techniques, which use physical data, are receiving
attention as a personal authentication method that is more
convenient than traditional methods such as a password or
ID cards. Biometric personal authentication uses data taken
from measurements. Such data is unique to the individual
and remains so throughout one’s life.
Biometrics technology has been applied for controlling
access to high-security facilities, but it is now being
widespread developed in information systems such as
network, e-commerce, and retail applications. In these
technologies, fingerprint becomes the most popular
biometrics technology used in automatic personal
identification. In the start, fingerprint verifying is used
in military matters and in the criminal identification. But
now, this technology is also being used in several other
applications such as access control for high security
installations, credit card usage verification, and employee
identification.

The safety and energy conservation of properties are

one of the top priorities of many institutions. Almost all

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of the organizations are working on providing secure

access, and energy and time saving equipment to their
resources in order to preserve their premises. Providing
special privileges to their employees can prevent this
problem. Access control mechanism is one of the special
privileges that must provide to the employees that can be
used to protect both the resources and the personnel.

Classroom setup can dramatically affect students'

attitudes toward, and habits of learning. Students need an
environment that is organized, stimulating, and comfortable
in order to learn effectively. Creating such an environment
involves arranging a practical physical layout, and making
a way to maintain the classroom’s regularity.

Since biometrics technology is the most reliable

equipment in accessing a certain system or program, as of
now, this study will use it as a multifunctional system to
make it more valuable by producing a multiple output.
Energy management will also take a huge part in this study
for it to become more convenient. Considering the energy
consumption of this technology, biometrics technology
consumes very minimal power, yet, very suitable.

The system will have the capability to run various

operations such as controlling the electricity within the
premise, and unlocking the door. All of those capabilities
will be done with the use of a microcontroller.

Combining those several functions and aspects will

introduce a system that will, surely, solve the observed
problems. Maybe not immediately, but in the long run, the
effect will occur by presenting this idea to the following
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generation which can be improved and results to a perfect

system.

Conceptual Framework

Most of the time, classrooms were left opened after

the class with lights on and air-conditioning units still
switched on. Waste of energy and, at the same time, waste
of money. Surely, we all wanted to work or study in a clean
and vandal-free room for us to enhance ourselves in doing
our job. A clean classroom is a big factor not only in
helping the students to study fully but also in reflecting
the school’s performance. With this problem, the
researchers decided to come up with a system that restricts
the students to use the classroom, and manipulate the
electricity inside the classroom with the access of the
teacher. Setting a limited access to the students can
prevent vandalism and damage to whatever classroom
utilities within.

Using fingerprint scanner, the authority is within the

hands of the teacher and other parties involved. The
researchers realized that the best way to provide a secure
access is through fingerprint verification instead of using
key card which can be lost and pin code which can be
forgotten. With the use of fingerprint as the main input of
the system, it is possible to unlock the classroom door,
and activate the electricity, simultaneously.

As an additional feature, an automatic school bell

will be embedded to the system as an indication that the
class will end in 10 minutes, and the electricity will
automatically shut down after 5 minutes.
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Input Process Output

 The status  Gathering and  The proposed

of the compiling of Automated
classrooms. the input Biometric-
 Physical data to the Based
data of the embedded Classroom
user. system. Access
 Fingerprin  Providing
t & time communication
 Micro- between the
controller database and
Arduino. the micro-
 C++ controller.
programming
language.
 The
effectivenes
s and the
level of
satisfaction
from the
users.

Figure 1.1

Paradigm Showing the Input, Process

And Output of the Study
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Statement of the Problem

There are number of problems, involved in this project

that will be used in improving the design itself.
Essentially, the general and basic problem lies in the
possibility of the project itself.

This study comprises the major problem: How can an

“Automated Biometric Based Classroom Access” facilitate the
user’s need for convenience, energy efficiency, and
security?

Definitely, this study sought to answer the following

sub-problems:
1. What is the status of the classroom in terms of:
1.1 orderliness, and
1.2 cleanliness?
2. What is the reliable input data needed to be entered
in the system?
3. What user-friendly interface applications are to be
used in operating the system?
This study keeps these issues into view, and gradually
comes up with a micro-controller-based system as a solution
that will implement the desired outcome.

Assumptions of the Study

The following assumptions are reflected in this study:

The use of Automated Biometric-Based Classroom Access
reduces the consumption of electricity of an institution
through the use of a micro-controller. Using this device
saves time and energy on the part of the teachers. It can
also maintain the order of the schedule of a certain
subject by embedding an automatic school bell on it. The
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use of this automated access device maintains the

orderliness and neatness of the classroom by not allowing
unauthorized personnel to access.

Significance of the Study

The Automated Biometric-Based Classroom Access offers

much convenience to the people involved, specifically, the
teachers. It has the ability to unlock the classroom door,
trigger the electricity, and notify the teachers that the
class is going to end. With this project, parties involved
can conserve more energy.

This study applies the idea of accessibility and

efficiency through the use of automated access devices.
This will allow anyone to know the advance systems of
secure accessibility through the use of gadgets such as
fingerprint scanner.

For the students, this design will present biometrics

technology, automation and micro-controller programming.
This study also affects the transition of electrical power
system from manual-switching of electrical switches to
automatic-switching. Because of biometrics technology,
users will never have the chance of losing their access.
This will also give convenience to the department
responsible for this operation.

This study also provides an opportunity for the

programmers to utilize and expand their knowledge and
programming skills for the embedded system. Currently, we
are all exposed to modern technologies. In order to cope up
with that age, programmers should increase their awareness
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on the development of different programming languages,

particularly, the language for embedded systems.

For the instructors, they can enrich their knowledge

and skills, specially, in the field of programming and
electronics.

For the institution, the use of this automated device

can conserve more energy, and at the same time money, and
preserves the regularity of the classroom.

Likewise, this design will serve as a benchmark for

the upcoming designers in emerging their study, someday.

Scope and Delimitation

This study targets the application of Automated

Biometric-Based Classroom Access which will function as the
medium to access the classroom, switch the electricity on,
and provide an automatic school bell with auto-shutdown of
the electricity, simultaneously.

It operates with the combination of hardware assembly

and software for the micro-controller.

This analysis uses a programming language for the

micro-controller which is the Arduino. This will be the
main communication language between the device and the
researchers. Therefore, to achieve this study,
familiarization with this kind of programming language is
very essential.

On the other side, this study is limited only to the

design of the hardware and software. The restrictions of
this study are the following: Gathering of data for the
device is manually operated; the design is used for
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classroom function; the user will not be able to change the

time, because the real time clock will use a button cell
that will provide a continuous power supply to the clock;
the automatic school bell will be set at a fixed time,
similar to the auto-shutdown of the electricity, and also;
The design doesn’t include any substitute for power source
in case of power loss.

Consequently, to improve the operation of our project,

the researchers are continuously performing more research
and experiment.

Definition of Terms

Arduino. An open-source electronics prototyping

platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and
software. It's intended for artists, designers, hobbyists
and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or
environments.

Automation. The technique, method, or system of

operating or controlling a process by highly
automatic means, as by electronic devices, reducing human
intervention to a minimum.

Biometrics. The identification of humans by their

characteristics or traits. Biometrics is used in computer
science as a form of identification and access control. It
is also used to identify individuals in groups that are
under surveillance.

Embedded system. A specialized computer system that is

part of a larger system or machine. Typically, an embedded
system is housed on a single microprocessor board with the
programs stored in ROM. Virtually all appliances that have
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a digital interface -- watches, microwaves, VCRs, cars --

utilize embedded systems. Some embedded systems include an
operating system, but many are so specialized that the
entire logic can be implemented as a single program.

Fingerprint scanner. Refers to the security systems of

biometrics using thumb finger prints as an input. They are
now used in police stations, security industries and most
recently, on computers.

Microcontroller - A microcontroller is a small and

low-cost computer built for the purpose of dealing with
specific tasks, such as displaying information in a
microwave Light Emitting Diode (LED) or receiving
information from a television’s remote control.

Automated Access Mechanism - Hardware or software

features, operating procedures, management procedures, and
various combinations of these designed to detect and
prevent unauthorized access and to permit authorized access
in an automated system.

Physical data - is a representation of a data design

which takes into account the facilities and constraints of
a given database management system.