Smart Shopping Cart with Automatic Billing System using RFID & Arduino

Overview

In this project we will build a Smart Shopping Cart with an Automatic Billing System using EM-18 RFID Module & Arduino. The project is super easy to build and requires only a few electronics components. In this system, every product in Mart will have an RFID tag, and every cart will be having RFID Reader. When a product is scanned, the price is automatically added to the billing system. The LCD Display in this project shows the item name along with the price.

A supermarket is a place where customers come to purchase their daily using products and pay for them. So there is a need to calculate how many products are sold and generate the bill for the customer. When we go to a shopping cart for shopping, we have to work for selecting the right product. Also, after that, it is hectic to stand in line for billing all the goods. Hence, we are proposing to develop a smart shopping cart system that will keep the track of purchased products for billing using RFID and Arduino.

You can check some of the RFID Based projects as well:

1. RFID Based Security System
2. RFID Based Student Attendance System
3. RFID Based Automated Toll Collection System

Bill of Materials

You need to buy the following components for this project.

Hardware Design & Circuit

The following is the circuit diagram for the Smart Shopping Cart with Automatic Billing System.

The main controller of this project is Arduino Nano Board where the project code is stored. The Arduino operates all the processes from reading RFID Cards info to storing and calculating prices. The RFID Module that we are using here is the EM-18 Module which operates at a frequency of 125KHz. Apart from the RFID Cards, we need 5-10 RFID cards. These RFID cards are named as different items name like tea, milk, biscuits, oil, etc.

The system has a buzzer that turns on when an RFID is scanned. There are two LEDs Red and Green LED. These LEDs turn on and off based on items added or removed. The most important part of the project is the LCD Display. We are using a 16×2 LCD display for this project. The 10K potentiometer is used with LCD Display for adjusting LCD contrast. When you press hold the reset button and scan the RFID, the items can be removed.

To power the entire circuit, we will use a pair of Lithium-Ion Batteries. Each 3.7V Samsung 18650 connects in series to give a 7.4V Supply. Then the 7.4V is supplied to Vin Pin of Arduino Board. The RFID and LCD module is powered via a 5V pin of Arduino Nano.

The Buzzer, Green LED and Red LED connects to digital pins 6, 5, and 4 of Arduino. The RFID Module EM-18 Tx pin connects to the RX0 pin of Arduino. The Reset button connects to the A4 Pin of Arduino. Pin 4, 6, 11, 12, 13, 14 of LCD connects to Pin 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, and 7 pins of Arduino.

Project PCB Gerber File & PCB Ordering Online

If you don’t want to assemble the circuit on a breadboard and you want PCB for the project, then here is the PCB for you. I used EasyEDA to design the Schematic & PCB. The Schematic & PCB Board for Arduino Smart Shopping Cart looks something like the below.

The Gerber File for the PCB is given below. You can simply download the Gerber File and order the PCB from ALLPCB at 1$ only.

You can use this Gerber file to order high quality PCB for this project. To do that visit the ALLPCB official website by clicking here: https://www.allpcb.com/.

You can now upload the Gerber File by choosing the Quote Now option. From these options, you can choose the Material Type, Dimensions, Quantity, Thickness, Solder Mask Color and other required parameters.

After filling all details, select your country and shipping method. Finally you can place the order.

You can assemble the components on the PCB Board.

Source Code/Program

The source code/program for Smart Shopping Cart with Automatic Billing System using RFID is written on Arduino IDE. The code is simple and easy to understand.

In this code you need to replace the RFID Card Serial Number in every line that looks like the above line. To find the RFID Serial Number of your RFID Card, use the RFID Scanner Code and note down all the card RFID numbers first.

You can now copy the following code and upload it to the Arduino Board.

Working of the RFID Smart Shopping Cart Project

After uploading the code, you can start testing the device. Initially, the LCD display will show the message “Welcome To Super Market”.

The LCD will display the message to Add the item. You can add any item simply by scanning the item with an RFID tag.

For example, the RFID Card marked as Tea is scanned in our project. The LCD will display Tea is Added along with the price value of the tea.

You can scan other cards with different item names like Milk, Butter, or whatever you have assigned in your code. Every time you add any item, the price is added to the previous value with a total cost.

In case you want to remove any item from the list, then press and hold the reset button and scan the item. The item will be removed from the system and the price will be updated automatically.

At the end of shopping the shopper can show the total price value of the products and pay the final price.

This is how you can build your own Smart Shopping Cart with an Automatic Billing System using RFID and Arduino.

Video Tutorial & Guide