Application of Apparel Network Customization Based on the Internet of Things

This work is supported by Shanghai Science Technology Committee, No. 11510501600.

Liu Hua Fashion School.

Shanghai University of Engineering Science Shanghai, China

e-mail: liuhua313@126.com

Xie Hong Fashion School.

Shanghai University of Engineering Science Shanghai, China

e-mail: xiehong99618@126.com

Abstract—This paper presents a new approach for apparel network customization based on the Internet of Things, analyzing the advantages of Internet of Things, as well as the existing problems of network customization in the garment industry. We have constructed a new application mode of Internet of Things in the apparel network customization from orders to logistics and explored the key technologies, such as the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and the Electronic Product Code (EPC). It can help customers to get immediate access to information of merchandises, like the state of production and processing in garment industry. In the meantime, enterprises can promote efficiency and productivity.

Index Terms—Internet of Things, customization, garment industry, RFID/EPC

I. INTRODUCTION Currently, it has become into the age that customer orient

consumption. The individuation, fitness, quality, design and taste of clothes are increased in demand. Then the industrialized customized production has occupied a large share of clothing market. However, due to the constraints in time and space, the traditional method of customization does not meet the requirement of good quality, high efficiency and great satisfaction.

In this paper, we develop a garment network customization systems based on the advantage of the Internet of Thing, to provide high added value services, such as online shopping, virtual fitting, individualized clothing, and so on. In addition, by using the technology of Internet of Things concluding Radio Frequency Identification, Electronic Product Code, Wireless Sensor Network, Global Positioning Systems, Laser Scanners, etc, we can achieve the intelligent product identification, location, tracking, monitoring and management, then share the real-time information, respond to emergencies and handle accidents effectively.

The method mentioned in the paper not only solves some problems of on-line shopping, for example no appropriateness, popularization, lack of individuality and no virtual fitting, but also resolves the shortcomings of long cycle, low precision, the obstacle of mass customization in the traditional manual customization. The purpose is to apply the Internet of things in the garment network customization, implement automatic

identification and share product (commodity) information so as to realize effective integration and update of data in the garment value chain. Therefore, enterprise can quickly respond to customer orders and improve service level. At the same time, they could strengthen information communication and cooperation with other companies, join together logistics, capital flow and information flow pretty well to reduce the cost of supply chains.

II. THE APPLICATION MODEL OF INTERNET OF THINGS IN THE APPAREL NETWORK CUSTOMIZATION

Internet of Things runs through each part of customization. Digitization and integration of the value chain that includes order, material, design, production, storage and logistics can be realized finally by using the network technology to combine together database technologies, digital human body analysis, intelligent reasoning from human body size to garment size, computer aided design, order management, network customization sales and other parts (Fig.1).

Figure 1 the Application Model

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The system manages and monitors the information of customer orders with the benefit of RFID and EPC technology, obtains the product data in real-time and supervise and control the process of orders by which enterprise can reduce intermediate links, shorten the production cycle. Ultimately, alleviating the pressure of storage and seamless connection in the supply chain can be come true. In other words, it is able to ensure that the right product required by customers can be send to the right place at right time according to the right quantity, right quality and right status (which is called "6R"), and furthermore, the total cost must be the minimum.

III. THE FEATURES MODULE DESIGN OF THE NETWORK CUSTOMIZATION SYSTEM

Network service of clothing sales brings a new pattern of consumptio experience and consumption mode. The new model allows the customer to not only customize personalized clothing, but also browse the real-time virtual fitting. The system is operated easily and increases the turnover rate of products. The flow chart of network customization is shown as Fig.2

First of all, customers enter the network platform of customization system (Fig.3), to input their relative information. It consists of two parts: One part is the basic information, such as name, sex, age, address, contact information and delivery address. The other part is used to build 3D model of human body, such as height, weight, neck circumference, shoulder width, bust, waist, hip, leg length, and other important dimensions, as well as face shape, skin color, hair, even eye color. For example, as Fig.4 showing, customer input the height, weight, neck circumference, shoulder width, bust, waist, morphological character, and so on. Based on that information, the system generates an on-line standard

Figure 2 The Flow Chart of Network Customization

"virtual fitting models" (Fig.5) that is consistent with the client’s size, and then preserves it for the customer's personal information, in addition, it's easy to modify. The system makes it sure to update customer information and achieve analysis and management of customer data.

Secondly, when customer have already selected satisfied style, fabric and color in the product catalogue(Fig.6) following the flow of network customization, virtual design and 3D clothing fitting can be carried out through the platform. Also consumers can adjust different posture positions like raising hands and stoop by controlling a mouse. Meantime, as Fig. 7 as showing, the system set the clothing design module for customers, such as fabric, collar, sleeves, placket, pocket, embroidery, etc. So customers can design clothes according to their mind. At last, customer could browse 3D clothing fitting in real-time. (Fig.8)The purpose is to further upgrade experience, and satisfy maximum requirements of people.

Figure 3 The Network Platform of Customization System

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Figure 4 The Input Interface of Relative Information

Figure 5 The Interface of Model Show

Figure 6 The Product Catalogue

Figure 7 The Interface of Clothing Design Module

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Figure 8 The Interface of 3D Clothing Fitting Show

In addition, some information about customers will be recorded by the RFID / EPC technology. When customers want to custom clothing, they can directly bring out their data. They can also communicate with fashion designers on-line to interactively design the garment. The mode of interactive communication ensures to respond to and deal with the customer demand, which is a great magic weapon of network customization.

When order is completed, the network system will give an electronic label which has a unique electronic code used to record the customer's personal information, customized products, quantity, delivery date and address, payment and other requirements. After transmission and identification of the label, enterprises can supervise executions of the order at any time in the application platform. Therefore, it is easier to deal with unexpected situation timely.

When the order is into the stage of production & processing, enterprises chose appropriate raw materials according to the requirements of customers, and write the related information of the material (such as varieties, specifications, quantity, and batch) into the RFID label which is attached to the material’s packaging. And subsequently, the network customization systems deploy optimized production schedule and cycle automatically according to the delivery of the order, raw materials and the use ratio of equipments. At the same time, the RFID / EPC technology applied to raw material warehouse management will be conducive to statistical classification and reducing storage cost.

In the garment processing procedure, the department can check the related information of clothes to be processed and arrangement the operating process and schedule according to

the specification, type, fabric, lining, washing methods, quality requirements and implementation of standards about the clothes data in the RFID label. The data is convenient to note, delete and modify. As long as the reader identifies the data of the label, enterprise administrators can monitor the product information, control the production process strictly. In this way, enterprises implement automation and visualization during production management which will greatly improve the efficiency of production management.

In every course of production, the RFID tags can be used to keep track where the product is going to realize comprehensive tracking and management from start to finish of order, execution and after-sales services. It includes not only production schedule, process, confirmation & cancellation and payment of the order, but also semi-finished and finished product testing, packaging, shipping, logistics, receipt and so on. All the relevant information in the encoded data of RFID / EPC technology is send to the application platform for intelligent processing. Meanwhile the customers can keep track of related information and production situation of the order through the network of customization system platform. By online services, the customers can keep in touch with the company at any time.

In the storage and logistics system, enterprises, according to their own situation, determine a reasonable product variety and structure, to satisfy the customer at low cost. Because RFID / EPC technology endue each garment with a global, open and the exclusive electronic tag, the identification needn’t manual operation and intervention, cutting down the cost of storage greatly. In addition, the characteristic of penetrability recognition and reading multiple tags once makes the network accurately get access to the commodity information immediately, thus the efficiency of logistics can be improved largely.

The revenue of using Internet of things technology is greater than its cost. On one hand, based on monitoring and controlling production and sales status, enterprises can keep abreast of market demand and the shortage in time to improve the ability of responding to the market. On the other hand, all enterprises can communicate and integrate information, break the traditional mutual confidentiality and isolation. Therefore, the manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers in the value chain are able to get hold on the product information from raw material procurement to storage, production, assembly, packaging, transportation, sales and so on. Integration and optimization of internal and external resources can be realized. The enterprise could provide more choices for customers and shorten the production cycle, making the supply chain of network customization more efficiency and reaping a big profit.

IV. KEY TECHNOLOGIES ��A. RFID——Radio Frequency Identification

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is the use of a wireless non-contact radio system to transfer data from a tag attached to an object, for the purposes of automatic identification and tracking.[1] Non-contact inter-communication considered to be characteristic of RFID, it can

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automatically complete the recognition without contact. RFID can accept read-only mode, also allow the read-write mode, which is convenient to manipulate and used to reduce a great deal of time and labor. In the meantime, it has many advantages, such as high precision, strong adaptation, anti-interference etc.

The RFID system consists of the electronic tag and reader. The tag composed of radio antenna and microchip inter-communicates with reader via radio antenna to read or write the identification code and data.

RFID is the best way to track object. Unlike the bar code used in the current supply chain of garment industries, it mustn’t be read at close quarters. On the contrary, it not only can identify the data and information with a large distance range, but also track and discover the position of articles by a portable device. Moreover, due to small volume but large capacity, be easy to modify, it can simultaneously identify multiple electronic labels. In security, RFID information is written in accordance with the code format, so it is hard to forge and alter its content. As the technology maturing and improving, RFID has begun to permeate in all aspects of production and life with the good market prospect in the future.

B. EPC——Electronic Product Code Electronic Product Code (EPC), the family of codes of

manufacturer, types of articles, serial number and version number, is a generic term that is used to transmit the data. EPC consisted of radio antenna and microchip is the information carrier of electronic code. It can be read by an RFID tag which is attached to a product and provides some details about product, for example, price, size and color. Besides, it makes standard for RFID research, production, and distribution of merchandise, even the application of system, unifying the data transmission and optimizing the entire supply chain.

Due to uniqueness, simplicity, scalability, privacy and security, EPC system can make every single product has a global, open and exclusive electronic code. It mainly composes of the following six parts: EPC coding standards, EPC tags, readers, neural network software (Savant), ONS (Object Naming Service) and PML (Physical Markup Language) (Table I [2]).

TABLE I. THE CONSTITUTION OF EPC SYSTEM[2]

System Components Name Note Scheme of EPC global encoding

EPC coding standards

The specific code to identify the target

Radio Identification System

EPC tags Be affixed on or embedded in goods

Readers Read the EPC tags

Information network system

neural network software (Savant)

Supports the software of EPC system

ONS (Object Naming Service)

The Network Service System be similar to DNS

PML (Physical Markup

Language)

A new standard computer language used to

writing the product information

V. CONCLUSION We have presented a new and efficient mode for apparel

network customization focusing on the current apparel industrial management problems. It applied Internet of Things into garment industry, which is the expansion and extension of the Internet, to promote the information technology and high efficiency in garment industry by gaining timely data in every node of supply chain and quickly responding to customer demand. In new network environment, enterprises choose appropriate partners of the supply chain in the world to optimize resources. In addition, it greatly reduces the time and space distance during the production, sales and services. What’s more, it significantly shortens the cycle from order to delivery to gain the competitive advantage.

In the future, with the development of information technology, the innovation of management thought and the progressive maturity of the Internet of things, the network customization system will be more useful and effective. This technology will not only lead to essential change of garment industry, but also be widely applied in other fields, which would bring a comprehensive change to our daily life.

REFERENCES [1] http://www.explania.com/en/channels/technology/detail/what-is-rfid [2] Chen Mingming, Han Shuihua, the Application of EPC Technology in

garment industry."Logistics Technology" 2006, 29(10) :138-141.

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