Proposal
RFID Powered Electronic Shopping Cart
ECE4007 Senior Design Project
Section L03, RFID Cart Team
Brendan Leahy
Stan Komsky
Ji Hwan Kim
Todd Kamon
Matthew Breeden
Submitted
September 15, 2008
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary ........................................................................................................... 3
1 Introduction.................................................................................................................. 4
1.1
1.2
1.3
Objective ............................................................................................. 4
Motivation .......................................................................................... 5
Background ......................................................................................... 5
2
Project Description and Goals .................................................................................... 7
3
Technical Specifications .............................................................................................. 7
4
Design Approach and Details ................................................................................... 11
4.1
4.2
4.3
Design Details ................................................................................... 11
Codes and Standards ......................................................................... 14
Constraints, Alternatives, and Tradeoffs ......................................... 15
5
Schedule, Tasks, and Milestones .............................................................................. 16
6
Project Demonstration .............................................................................................. 17
7
Marketing and Cost Analysis ................................................................................... 19
7.1
7.2
Marketing Analysis ........................................................................... 19
Cost Analysis .................................................................................... 19
8
Summary and Conclusions ....................................................................................... 21
9
References ................................................................................................................... 22
Appendix A ....................................................................................................................... 24
RFID Cart Team (ECE4007 L03)
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Consumers shopping at retail electronics stores currently have limited access to information as
compared to online shoppers. RFID powered electronic shopping cart can solve this problem by
providing users with access to be able to view product features, specifications, combination deals, and
reviews of the product from other users. Users will also be able to browse through the items in the cart,
examine the weekly store fliers, view the top sellers of the store, and find where a product they wish to
purchase on the LCD touch screen. Access to this information will create a better overall shopping
experience for the consumer along with increased sales for the store.
Because of the ongoing spread of RFID technology in retail store locations, little effort is
needed to integrate this system into a store’s everyday front end operations. The product consists of a
plastic shopping cart, LCD touch screen, RFID reader, three RFID antennas, embedded computer
system, and battery. The estimate cost of a prototype is around $1200 and the labor cost of
approximately $6000 puts the total for an RFID cart prototype at $7200. Because there is currently no
RFID electronic shopping cart system on the market and because of the expected increase in sales for
the stores that use it, it is expected that this system will sell well to retail store locations. Once stores
begin using the product and retail shoppers become accustomed to the features, other stores will have
no choice but to use the RFID shopping cart.
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RFID Powered Electronic Shopping Cart
1.
INTRODUCTION
The overall shopping experience for an electronic store can be improved by providing a Radio
Frequency Identification (RFID) implemented shopping cart. This cart will be able to sense when a
product is placed into the cart through a RFID system and displays the product information on a LCD
touch screen monitor mounted on the handle. A small embedded computer will be used to retrieve
product information from a central server. The shopping cart's user interface will provide consumer
friendly features, such as:
1.1
1.
Store search to find which aisle a certain item is located.
2.
A view of the weekly store specials and top sellers.
3.
List of items in the cart as well as the total cost.
Objective
The RFID powered electronic shopping cart is built to enhance the overall shopping experience
for electronics store consumers. Upon placing an item in the shopping cart, the consumer can access an
array of product information, advanced product specifications, product features, consumer reviews,
and combination deals with other store products. If a consumer is not sure of the physical location of
an item, they will be able to search for the item and view a direct map of the store to find it. Other
features include a live total of all items in the cart, being able to view the weekly in-store specials and
top selling products, and ability to order from the in-store restaurant and be notified when the order is
ready for pick up.
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1.2
Motivation
Online shopping offers consumers access to more product information than shopping at a retail
store. Shoppers can access product features, specifications, combination deals, and read reviews of the
product from other users. Access to this array of information creates a better overall shopping
experience for the consumer and increases sales and profits for retail stores. A RFID powered
electronic shopping cart will provide access to the same type of information to retail store shoppers.
Implementation of this type of RFID system in electronics stores will benefit both the
consumers and the actual stores by increasing sales and requiring less floor salesmen on duty at one
time. The shopping cart system will act almost as a personal salesman for each consumer in the store.
In addition to the ability to display more product information than is on the product box, the
RFID shopping cart will further enhance the overall consumer shopping experience by the catalog of
information provided on the LCD touch screen. This includes the ability to find the location of the
product, browse the store’s weekly specials and top selling products. The store will also be able to play
advertisements on the LCD which maybe preprogrammed based on the physical location of the
consumer in the store. This will increase sales for stores and enhance the overall shopping experience.
1.3
Background
SQL Server
Database software is an important tool in any business or technical application. SQL,
Structured Query Language, is a database computer language designed for the retrieval and managing
data. SQL is standardized by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International
Organization of Standardization (ISO). SQL Sever is a relational database management system that
follows the ANSI/ISO standards developed by Microsoft [4]. SQL Server will be used due to its high
compatibility with C# and its functionality compared to other database software.
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RFID
A RFID system is a useful tool in cataloging inventory. RFID system involves a tag and a
receiver. The receiver constantly sends out a signal searching for tags. If a tag receives this signal, the
tag uses the power radiated by the receiver to send back a number identifying the tag [15].
Wireless
WiMAX communication technology provides a faster data rate and larger area coverage than
previous generations of wireless communication networks. MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output)
and OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Divisional Multiplexing) are the two main technologies
incorporated by WiMAX. OFDM increases the bandwidth by splitting broad channels into multiple
narrowband channels, each using a different frequency, which can then carry different parts of a
message simultaneously. MIMO is a powerful technique utilizing multiple antennas to increase the
data rate in proportion to the number of transmit-antennas [16]. WiMAX can theoretically provide
maximum data rate and transmission range of 70 Mbps within a 35 mile range, respectively. Compare
to that of 3G (3Mbps within 3 miles) and Wi-Fi (54 Mbps within 328 feet), WiMAX can provide more
data rate and transmission range by a significant amount [15].
Touch Screen
A touch screen display can detect the presence of touch by a conductive contact such as a
finger, hand, or stylus within the display area. The two main benefits of a touch-based input display
system are that a user can interact directly with what is displayed on a screen and that there is no
additional input devices such as a keyboard or mouse [11]. The multi-layer resistive touch screen panel
has a resistive layer and a metallic conductive layer, placed with very little space in between them.
When a person or object touches the resistive layer, it contacts the conductive layer at the point of
contact, causing a change in current of the layer system. The location of current change is used to find
the location of contact with the system and the amount of resistance added can be used to determine
the amount of force the point was contacted with [12].
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2.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND GOALS
The project engineers will build a shopping cart that will implement RFID technology for
commercial retail stores. The Cart will utilize an eBox computer, a touch screen monitor, a RFID
reader, and several RFID antennas. The cart will communicate with a central sever using a wireless
network, and retrieve data to be displayed on the touch screen monitor.

User friendly touch screen interface

Shopping cart with RFID technology

Limit the RFID signal to within the shopping cart

Automatically prompt the central sever when a new product is placed in the cart

Displays product information and correlating deals

Display a list of items within the shopping cart and the current total
The total predicted cost of the RFID cart is about $1200 USD, this predicted price includes hardware
components and software. However, this price excludes labor and any additional hardware that would
be needed.
3.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
The goals stated in the project description lead to the quantifiable specification of the
RFID shopping cart. The RFID shopping cart design is composed of six major components: an RFID
reader, an RFID antenna, an embedded computer system, an LCD touch screen, shopping cart, and a
battery that will power all the electronic components. Each of the specifications outlined in this section
determine the scope of usefulness for the shopping cart design. The RFID reader specification that will
meet our project standard is shown in Table 1 on the next page [6].
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Table 1. RFID Rader Specifications
Brand
Model
Dimensions
Operating Frequency
Antenna
RF power
Electric Power
Power Supply
Interfaces
Digital Input/Output
Weight
Case material
Regulatory Compliance
Samsys
MP9320 v2.8
5in x 7in x 9.5in (127mm x 178mm x 241mm)
902-928 MHz
Four SMA connector
4W EIRP
15V (DC), 3A, 45 W
110-240 VAC input
RS-232, RS-485, 10/100 Mbps Ethernet
Four digital input /output lines
4lbs (1.8 kg)
Aluminum
FCC Part 15
The RFID antenna’s specification that is compatible with the RF reader above is shown in
Table 2. The reader and antenna must have same operating frequency between 902 and 928 Mhz,
putting the system in the UHF range. The antennas must be designed with effective range in mind in
order to prevent the RFID tags that are not in the shopping cart to be read.
Table 2. RFID Antenna Specifications
Brand
Model
Operating Frequency
Effective Range
Interfaces
Polarization
Skyetek
SkyeModule M7
UHF 862 ~ 955MHz
1m ~ 2m
RS-232, I2C, SPI and
USB
Circular
Table 2. RFID antenna specifications.
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Table 3. Ebox Technical Specifications
Brand
Model
Dimension
Processor
Memory
Video
Interface
Electric Power
ICOP
eBox-2300
115mm x 115mm x 35mm
200 Mhz Vortex86 System-On-Chip
128MB SDRAM
Video with shared system memory from 4MB to 64MB
Support 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768 and 1280x1024 display resolution
IDE interface
Support IDE hard disk, EmbedDisk and bootable IDE flash storage
15-pin D-type VGA output
Type I/II Compact Flash slot
Mini-PCI expansion slot
2 x RS-232 Serial ports
3 x USB 1.1 ports
Realtek 8100B 10/100 Mbps Ethernet with RJ-45 connector
Single 5V input voltage
The RFID reader and antenna will be connected to the embedded computer system using the
USB connection. The embedded computer system specification that will meet out project standard is
shown in Table 3 above [7].
The user will interface to the embedded computer system through the LCD touch screen with a
screen size of 10.4”. The LCD touch screen specifications are shown in Table 4 below [2].
Table 4. LCD Touch Screen Technical Specifications
Brand
Model
Resolution
Display Size
Dimension
Voltage
interface
Touch-Screen
Capability
RFID Cart Team (ECE4007 L03)
AUO
AUO G104SN03 with touch
800 x 600 (4:3)
10.4"
236.0(W) x 174.3(H) x 5.6(D)
AC 100 ~240V, DC 12V, 4.0A
output
USB and RS232
Yes
9
The specifications of the RFID system are shown in Table 5 [8]. The dimensions of the
shopping cart in Table 5 are ideal for the range of antenna design that will be implemented on the
RFID system.
Table 5. Shopping Cart Technical Specifications
Brand
Model
Dimensions
Total Capacity
Nesting Distance
Weight
Wheels
RFID Cart Team (ECE4007 L03)
Premier Carts
Vista Plastuc Cart
24" W; 42" H; 43" L
17,070 Cu. In.
12 3/4”
50 lbs
5 Inch
10
4.
DESIGN APPROACH AND DETAILS
4.1
Design Details
The RFID cart will contain antennas, a multiplexor, an eBox-2300 computer and a ten inch
LCD screen. A server with wireless routers will be necessary to allow the cart to communicate with a
database. Each antenna will constantly look for tags placed on item boxes. When any tag is read, the
antenna will send a message to the multiplexor. The multiplexor will give this message to the eBox and
the eBox sends the information over the wireless network to the server. The server determines which
item the RFID tag corresponds to and sends information for that item to the eBox. The eBox displays
this data for the user on the LCD screen. The process followed is outlined on the next page in Figure 1.
Full product specifications, reviews and further information will be available to the user through the
server communicating with the eBox.
Figure 1. Basic overview of the system.
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Three antennas will be placed on the cart, as shown in Figure 2.The antennas will be in front of
the user facing forward, on the left side of the cart facing right and on the bottom of the cart facing up.
Positioning the antennas in this manner will cover all dimensions so that any RFID tag can be read
regardless of orientation. The multiplexor and eBox will be under the carriage of the cart along with
one of the antennas. An Optima Yellow Top D34/78 car battery, a power distributor and an inverter
will be positioned under the carriage attached to the bottom for a power supply. The LCD screen will
be on the upper carriage of the cart above the handle used to push the cart.
Figure 2. Bottom view of the shopping cart.
Software Development
The eBox will run a software application developed in Visual C#, utilizing a template designed
in Adobe Photoshop. When the eBox receives a new RFID tag number, it will prompt the central
server for product information through the wireless network. Once the desired information has been
received, the software application will allocate the data and conform it to the designed template, shown
RFID Cart Team (ECE4007 L03)
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in Figure 3 below. If there is a special deal related to the requested product, a small pop-up will be
displayed to inform the customer of said deal.
Figure 3. Screenshot of the user interface.
The central server will utilize three main databases, created using SQL Server. The first
database will be used to reference the RFID tag with its correlating product ID, as shown in Table 1.a.
The product database will contain all relevant information for a given product, as shown in Table 1.b.
This database will contain the product ID, the location of an image of said product, the product name,
description, pricing, and a special ID to reference any specials or deals correlated with that product.
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The third database will utilize the special ID as a reference to any specials available for the
corresponding product, as shown in Table 6.
Table 6. Database Example
Prouduct ID
198187
4.2
and Standards
a) RFIDCodes
Reference
Database
Product ID
Product Name
RFID
AMD 9850 Processer
34 17 8A 4D 48 FC 48 44 C9 A6
Image Location Product Name
198187
../image/198187 AMD 9850
/1.g
Processer
b) Product Database
Description Price
Special ID
AMD
Processor
SP2491
$181.43
Special ID
Item
SP2491
c) Special Database
Purchase with an MSI K9A2 Motherboard and save $30.
4.2
Codes and Standards
Hardware Regulation and Standards
All hardware components are compliant with government regulations in the United States.
Building the RFID cart requires attaching purchased equipment to a cart. The use of compliant
hardware does not violate any laws or regulations during regular use.
Hardware standards used will contain these communication specifications:

802.11g Wi-Fi

Universal Serial Bus (USB) 1.1

EPC Gen2 / ISO 18000-6C for UHF RFID protocol

VGA

Serial Port
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Software Regulations and Standards
SQL Server complies with ANSI/ISO standards, any database that will be develop will follow
this standardization. The software application utilizes C# and follows the standards set by the
European Computer Manufacturers Association and ISO [5].
4.3
Constraints, Alternatives and Tradeoffs
Instead of the car battery with accompanying hardware, a commercial 120 volt battery power
supply will cost approximately $500 to be capable of lasting a full retail day [10]. The Optima Yellow
Top will be used for the power supply because it will cost closer to $300 [11].
A central server will store product data because the alternative will be to store the information
on each computer. Using each computer to store the information will save the cost of the server and the
cost of the wireless connection to each computer. A database server will allow for simple updates of
the database for changes to the inventory.
Several alternative programming languages can be used to develop the software application.
The main types of languages are script based and object oriented programming. The script base
language was avoided due to its use in web-based application and the need for dynamic reloading.
Constant reloading of a web browser would cause unnecessary data traffic for our wireless network.
The object oriented, C# will allow the eBox to only request data from the central server when prompt.
There are several different implementations for SQL; SQL Server, MySQL, and Oracle are
among the three most popular. Depending on the experience of the database developer, a stable and
effective application can be built with any of these implementations. SQL Server has some advantages
compared to MySQL and Oracle. SQL Server has the highest transaction processing performance in
comparison to other implementations of SQL. SQL Server is generally known for its ease of use,
management, and its compatibility with C# [3].
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5
SCHEDULE, TASKS AND MILESTONES
Responsibilities are divided up based on specialization of each engineer. Generic tasks are
divided up based on time allotted for equal time commitment from each group member. In Figure 4
below, the time allotted for the project is split up into time periods expected to complete each task.
Actual design and construction of the cart is expected to be completed by the middle of November
with only testing and troubleshooting remaining.
Figure 4. Gantt chart showing project tasks.
RFID Cart Team (ECE4007 L03)
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Multiple milestones exist for ensuring the RFID cart is progressing. Getting RFID working is
the first objective. Ensuring the software application and central server are working correctly will be
another substantial step. When everything communicates correctly, the project is complete and
becomes available to any options that time is available to add.
6
PROJECT DEMONSTRATION
The final Presentation will be held in room W200 in Georgia Institute of Technology's Van Leer
Building. The product demonstrated will be a shopping cart with three antennas mounted to the walls
as shown in Figure 5 below.
Figure 5. Demo of final shopping cart presentation.
RFID Cart Team (ECE4007 L03)
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The computer will be mounted underneath the carriage and connect to the RFID antenna
multiplexor and LCD screen. The LCD screen will be attached above the handle bar and mounted in
such a way for easy use by the consumer. The multiplexor will be mounted beneath the carriage near
the eBox computer.
1. Place 3 items in the shopping cart.
2. Watch as the LCD screen updates the screen and calculates the total.
3. Remove 1 item
4. Watch the LCD screen update the items list and calculate the total.
5. Screen will then display items that are compatible with the items in the shopping cart.
A successful demonstration will show all aspects of the product designed. The demonstration will
accurately gather all the RFID tags and update the screen with the correct items as well as calculate the
total cost of the list of items. The demonstration will also accurately discern between items inside the
basket to those outside the basket as well as show product information and compatibility for the items
in the shopping cart. Finally it will provide the consumer with the location of the desired product.
RFID Cart Team (ECE4007 L03)
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7.
MARKETING AND COST ANALYSIS
7.1
Marketing Analysis
There are currently no commercially available RFID powered electronic shopping carts
available today. Some companies, such as Fujitsu, attempted to make a retail bar code scanning
shopping cart. No type of electronic shopping cart has been made widespread. Because of the multiple
benefits to the store such as less checkout lane and overhead and necessary on duty sales person, along
with increased sales and an enhanced user experience, electronics stores and other types of stores
would most likely be interested in this product if it works well. The RFID shopping cart’s main server
will be changed to link up with the particular store’s product database. Once consumers get used to
using these products in stores, retail stores that do not offer this service will start getting a decrease in
sales, causing the RFID shopping cart to spread.
7.2
Cost Analysis
Building the prototype will cost a total of $1156 in parts, as shown in Table 7 on the next page,
and $6,000 in labor. Note that the chart has a column for unit cost which is the cost of each individual
part and the total cost what factors the number of each part used. The row at the bottom totals the final
cost for building the prototype. The labor cost is calculated assuming that five engineers will build and
design the product for approximately 200 hours at $30 per hour including benefits. The total price of
the prototype adds up to $6,701 including parts and labor. More details about the individual products
can be found in the technical specifications.
RFID Cart Team (ECE4007 L03)
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Table 7. Cost of Parts
Part
Ebox 2300 with wireless support
SkyeTek SM-M9-MH-UF-V30 RFID Tag Reader
3 RFID Antennas
Power Inverter
Surge Protector
SQL Server Software
Server with wireless support
D34-78 Optima Yellow-Top Battery
AU G104SN03 10.4” LCD Touch Screen
Plastic Shopping Cart
Total
Unit
Cost
$250
$114
$13
$50
$5
$50
$150
$200
$179
$119
Total
Cost
$250
$114
$39
$50
$5
$50
$150
$200
$179
$119
$1,156
If put into large production, the cost of each individual product will decrease significantly and
the development and labor cost per cart would be approximately less than $50 for the manual labor of
attaching the parts to the shopping cart. This puts the approximate cost at about $1206 per cart.
In a five year period of sales, the cart is expected to be sold to approximately 300 retail store
locations with about 50 carts per store. Cost of marketing, sales, and all overhead will add up to about
$150 per cart putting the total cost of a cart at $1356. Stores would also have to pay for initial setup
and maintenance, software updates, and purchase new carts every couple of years.
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8
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
The group is in possession of the SAMSYS MP9320 RFID system, eBox computer, and touch-
screen LCD. Members of the group have begun installing an operating system onto the eBox
computer. The installation should be accomplished by September 23, 2008. Once the installation is
complete, work can begin on integrating the remaining components of the shopping cart design.
RFID Cart Team (ECE4007 L03)
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9
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RFID Cart Team (ECE4007 L03)
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APPENDIX A – PROJECT GANTT CHART
RFID Cart Team (ECE4007 L03)
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