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RFID Based Shopping Trolley and Billing System
1Arpita Sen, 2Maruti B Limkar
1Second Year Student of M. E. EXTC ARMITE College Assangaon, Mumbai
2Department of Electronics Engineering, Terna Engineering College, Nerul Navi Mumbai, India
Abstract— Lengthy queues during billing at the super markets is one of the biggest complaints that a customer has during shopping. Soon, these lines would disappear when the ubiquitous Universal Product Code (UPC) bar code is replaced by smart labels, also called radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. RFID tags are intelligent bar codes that can communicate to a networked system to track each and every product that customer puts in their shopping cart.
RFID technology offers the ability to provide many additional services and conveniences to the customer in the retail environment. Shoppers can be guided electronically to find desired products that are tagged with RFID chips and whose locations are tracked by RFID readers in the store (e.g., smart shelves or other reader systems). Smart shopping carts with electronic displays, in communication with a retail computer system, can display a map associated with a shopping list downloaded by a shopper to identify a optimized route to obtain the desired items. The smart cart, also equipped with RFID tags, can also verify the purchase of the items as they are placed in the cart and, if desired, communicate with a billing system to automatically bill the shopper for the purchases.
My paper aims to channel the passive RFID tags to how these tags can be tracked through the entire supply chain to suit a consumer’s usability and its various use and application in the retail and commercial market.
Keywords— Radio Frequency Identification, RGID Tag, RFID Reader, Shopping Trolley.
I. INTRODUCTION
A.AN OVERVIEW ON RFID
RFID is the wireless use of electromagnetic fields to transfer data, for the purposes of automatically identifying and tracking tags attached to objects. The tags contain electronically stored information. Some tags are powered by electromagnetic induction from magnetic fields produced near the reader. Some types collect energy from the interrogating radio waves and act as a passive transponder. Other types have a local power source such as a battery and may operate at hundreds of meters from the reader. Unlike a barcode, the tag does not necessarily need to be within line of sight of the reader and may be embedded in the tracked
object. RFID is one method for Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC). RFID tags are used in many industries. For example, an RFID tag attached to an automobile during production can be used to track its progress through the assembly line; RFID-tagged pharmaceuticals can be tracked through warehouses;
and implanting RFID microchips in livestock and pets allows positive identification of animals. Since RFID tags can be attached to cash, clothing, and possessions, or implanted in animals and people, the possibility of reading personally-linked information without consent has raised serious privacy concerns [2].
B. AN INTRODUCTION TO THE RFID BASED SMART SHOPPING CART
Imagine going to the grocery store, filling up your cart and walking right out the door. No longer will you have to wait as someone rings up each item in your cart one at a time. Instead, these RFID tags will communicate with an electronic reader that will detect every item in the cart and ring each up almost instantly. The reader will be connected to a large network that will send information on your products to the retailer and product manufacturers. Your bank will then be notified and the amount of the bill will be deducted from your account.
No lines, no waiting. RFID tags, a technology once limited to tracking cattle, are tracking consumer products worldwide. Many manufacturers use the tags to track the location of each product they make from the time it's made until it's pulled off the shelf and tossed in a shopping cart. Outside the realm of retail merchandise, RFID tags are tracking vehicles, airline passengers, Alzheimer's patients and pets. Soon, they may even track your preference for chunky or creamy peanut butter. Some critics say RFID technology is becoming too much a part of our lives -that is, if we're even aware of all the parts of our lives that it affects [4].
II. LITERATURE SURVEY
A. RFID – Radio Frequency Identification:
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) has been used in a number of practical applications, such as improving supply chain management, tracking household pets,
accessing office buildings, and speeding up toll collection on roadways. RFID is used to automatically identify people, objects, and animals using short range radio technology to communicate digital information between a stationary location (reader) and a movable object (tag). RFID technology can be used to track products in a manner similar to using bar codes for product identification, but RFID also carries additional benefits. RFID does not require line of sight to read the tag, has a longer read range than bar code reader, and tags can store more data than bar codes. Readers can simultaneously communicate with multiple tags. This feature could allow customers to breeze through grocery store checkout counters while a reader identifies all items in a shopping cart at the same time, instead of scanning each bar code individually. RFID tags fall into two categories, active tags, which contain an internal power source, and passive tags, which obtain power from the signal of an external reader. Because of their lower price and smaller size, passive tags are more commonly used then active tags for retail purposes. A passive tag consists of a microchip surrounded by a printed antenna and some form of encapsulation, plastic laminates with adhesive that can be attached to a product or a small glass vial for implantation. The tag reader powers and communicates with passive tags. The tag’s antenna conducts the process of energy capture and ID transfer. A tag’s chip typically holds data to identify an individual product, the product model and manufacturer [3].
III. PROPOSED SUSTEM
TABLE 1: COMPARISON OF EXISTING SYSTEM AND PROPOSED SYSTEM
Sr.
No.
Existing System Proposed System 1 Person is required to read
barcode on product.
Automatic reading of RFID tag from product.
2 Barcode must be visible on the surface of product.
RFID can be placed inside the product
3 Line of sight required to a read barcode.
No line of sight required to read RFID.
4 The readability of barcodes can be impaired by dirt, moisture, abrasion, or packaging contours.
RFID tags are not affected by such conditions.
5 Short reading distance. Long reading distance.
6 Barcode does not have READ & WRITE capability
RFID tag having READ & WRITE capability.
IV. SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE
In the development and discussion of the proposed smart shopping cart, we assume that the shopping arena is organized in aisles/bays and each aisle is sufficiently wide enough for customers with shopping cart to move.
We use IR transmitters placed at both ends of the aisle and on the cart to collect information on the entry/exit status of the cart and the bay identification. Larger the distance between the aisles/bays, we will require stronger IR trans-receivers. Moreover the positioning of these IR trans- receivers on the shopping cart and on the aisles will be crucial to the proper functioning of shopping cart. Further, as IR technology works on line of sight, it is important to ensure that there is no obstruction in the entrance or exit of each aisle. All the product information is stored in a database at a central server with the location information as describe. We will record the aisle number for the product as the intended product location resolution would be the aisle number.
RFID tags are used to uniquely identify products.
Figure-1 depicts a block diagram containing the subsystems of smart shopping cart. Each subsystem is interfaced carefully to form a whole unit. This system consists of a microcontroller interfaced with RFID, IR, ZigBee, RFID Tags, EEPROM forming the hardware unit and ZigBee interfaced to the server making up the software unit. The IR transmitters are placed on the entry and exit of each aisle. The IR receivers are placed on the shopping carts. Whenever the receiver detects an IR signal, it indicates that a shopping cart is in that aisle.
Once the cart location and entry/exit status is detected, this information is then sent to the main server using the wireless ZigBee unit. The data sent is the aisle number.
At the server end, the database is queried based on the aisle number. All the products and their respective details stored in that particular aisle are retrieved and sent back to the shopping cart. The information received from the server is temporarily stored in the shopping cart memory and then displayed on the display unit affixed on the cart. The customer can then select the product with the information being shown on the display unit.
Every product is uniquely identified using RFID tags.
As the products are selected and added into the cart, the RFID reader will identify the product and the price will be added to the temporary bill. If a customer chooses to drop a selected product, it needs to be done by selecting the appropriate button („cancel‟ ) on the display unit.
After completing the shopping, the customer has to select the, Complete‟ button. This enables the total bill being generated after confirmed purchase of all the selected products in the shopping cart. At the same time, this information is sent to the database server through the wireless ZigBee unit. The server database is then updated to reflect the existing stock available after deducting the number of products purchased. This ensures a smooth inventory management. The integrated system is built around microcontroller and has a
4x4keypad, 16x2 LCD display unit and miscellaneous circuit including power supply [1].
Fig 1. Block Diagram of Smart Trolley
Fig 2. Block Diagram of Billing System
V. SYSTEM ALGORITHM AND FLOWCHART
When any selected product is dropped in into the cart, RFID reader the reads the tag inside the product and the information of the product is extracted and displayed on the LCD screen. At the same time billing information is also updated. The working of the Intelligent Shopping Cart can be explained with the following steps:
1. When shoppers with the cart press “start button”
the system turns ON and then all the components such as RFID reader, microcontroller and ZigBee start working.
2. Every product has an RFID tag which contains unique id. These Ids are fed in the database assigned to the corresponding products.
3. When the shopper drops any product in the cart then the RFID reader reads the tag. The information of the product is extracted and displayed on the LCD screen. At the same time billing information is also updated.
4. These steps are repeated until the end of shopping button is pressed. Once the “End Shopping” button is pressed the total bill is send to master pc via Wi- Fi (ZigBee).
5. There is also a option provided to delete some of the products from the cart and the bill will be updated accordingly, This goes by the customer choice.
6. At the end of shopping, the customer can straight away pay the bill and leave.
7. Inventory status of the products is also updated at the end of shopping [5].
Remove Product
Accepted Product
Fig 3. Flow Chart of Shopping Trolley
Fig 4. Flow Chart of Billing System Start
Initialize Smart Device
Entry Side Barcode Scanner
Send Product details to Smart
Device
Confirmation
Transmit Product Details to Server
Exit
Remove Product from exit
Barcode Scanner
Cancel transaction
Transmit Cancellation
details to Server
Start
Receive Product Details
Billing
Payment
Delivery
Exit DC Power Supply
Embedded Chip Wi-Fi
Transmitter
Input Device
Bar Code Reader
Visual output Device
Wi-Fi Receiver
Host Computer
Billing Device
VI. WORKING PRINCIPLE
• When the customer purchase a product, she/he first scans the RF tag of the product using the RFID reader and then places it into the trolley .While the customer is scanning the RF tag of the product, a price of the product is taken and stored in the system’s memory.
• Information stored in system's memory is compared with the lookup table. If matches are found then cost, name of respective product gets displayed on the LCD.
At the same time ARM processor sends the same information to computer for billing purpose with the help of RS232 protocol.
• Here we have used IR sensor for counting purpose.
This works as the IR sensor continuously emits IR rays.
If we put a product in a trolley ant at that time there is obstacle for IR rays, then it would result in interruption in counting of products in trolley. This recorded data is stored in arm processor.
• Counting is mainly done for security purpose. If in case while wandering round the mall someone removes the RFID tag and puts the product in trolley then counting the no of items helps to get information of items purchased. Thus counting is done but there is no addition of cost respective product in bill. This shows the increase in number of products but not increase in bill.
• If an unwanted product is removed from trolley then it decreases the number of products as well as bill. Double entry of product deletes the product name with respective to cost of product.
• After completion of shopping, a key is pressed indicating final billing of all the products. Thus the final information of all products is transmitted to a computer with the help of serial communication & the final billing is done by VB software on computer [7].
VII. CONCLUSION
Today RFID is practically used everywhere, whether it is theft detection or animal tagging or human identification. Imagine this upcoming technology changing the whole perspective of supermarkets. This is exactly what we are trying to implement in our project,
“RFID FUTURE STORE. Executives have said the small paper tags enable the company to keep an accurate track of its inventory, rather than trying to deduce the amount of specific clothing items in its stores. Perhaps the most discussed project due to its sheer size is Wal- Mart in the US, which has been trialing RFID in its Texas stores. Experiments using RFID have turned in some impressive results. Applying the tracking tags gave the retailer best results in supply chain visibility, and was a huge advance from the traditional barcode [6].
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We would like to acknowledge the contribution of all the people who have helped in reviewing this paper. We would also like to thank our families and friends who supported us in the course of writing this paper.
REFERENCES
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