Supermarket Automation
Automation has played a vital role in the advancement of engineering and science. In engineering and technology, it is a wide generic term covering the application of mechanisms to the operation and regulation of processes without continuous direct human intervention. The biggest benefit of automati
2025-06-28 16:36:12 - Adil Khan
Supermarket Automation
Project Area of Specialization Electrical/Electronic EngineeringProject SummaryAutomation has played a vital role in the advancement of engineering and science. In engineering and technology, it is a wide generic term covering the application of mechanisms to the operation and regulation of processes without continuous direct human intervention. The biggest benefit of automation is that it saves labor, time, and energy and improves accuracy and precision. This project is mainly based on PLC for automation purpose. The motivation behind the development of automatic shopping system is to save the time of customers. It will drastically reduce the labor hired by shopkeeper to manage his store. Customers will place their order through HMI (Human Machine Interface). It will communicate with PLC. PLC will sort the required items according to the weight-based algorithm. And it will generate an output signal to pusher to hit maximum priority item to conveyer belt. The conveyor belt will deliver the required items to the customer.
Project ObjectivesMain objectives of the project are:
- Comparison of different sorting algorithms
- Developing a fully working prototype
- Developing a weight based sorting algorithm
- Developing a user friendly HMI program for ordering items
Block diagram:
Our project will work in 3 phases:
Phase 1:
The user gives input to the device through the usage of HMI (human system interface) that is a touchscreen. HMI displays different options to pick from. The prototype contains four different objects. Prices are also displayed with each of the objects. The consumer has to select among 4 of them. He selects an object with required quantity. When he enters the quantity, the bill will be displayed in front of the customer. After the completion of order, the data is given for processing to phase 2.
Phase 2:
This phase processes on the input given from earlier phase. HMI screen directly communicates with the PLC using a physical connection like an Ethernet cable, or Programming cable. Then PLC works according to the weight based sorting algorithm. This algorithm will sort the items with respect to weight as heavy weight item contains the highest priority and so on. PLC also contains type base algorithm that checks the sensitivity of items. According to this algorithm, fragile items are having least priority. After sorting and setting the items according to algorithms the PLC will give the signal to micro dc motor that will pull the items upward. When the items reach the limit switch then PLC will give the signal pusher at the same time the conveyor belt turns on. The PLC generates an output signal to switch on the pusher. The purpose of the pusher is to push the required item out of the rack on the conveyor belt.
Phase 3:
In this segment required items are delivered to the consumer and total bill of the order is displayed on HMI. After this conveyor belt will flip off and the device will go to phase 1.
This process will keep on working in a loop.
This project can be implemented in a lot of industries and it will not only save time and labour costs but also make the process effective. It can be used in:
Grocery Stores
This system could replace the conventional grocery stores. Long queues can be skipped and a lot of time of the customer can be saved by installing this project at the conventional grocery stores.
Airports
On airports it’s not less than a headache to find your luggage, it always gets mixed or lost by the mismanaged of the airport staff, so the mechanism of our project could be used in airports to differentiate the luggage of passengers so that the right person receives the right luggage.
Medical Stores
It could be used in Medical Halls to find the medicine rapidly from the bulk of medicines placed in the racks.???????
Libraries
It has vast application in Libraries in sorting of books, it is very hard to find a book from a lot of books so what if all the pain is taken by our system and user just have to give the input name of the book and just wait for the right book to come in front of him/her in a little time.
Technical Details of Final DeliverableDeliverables
Weight based Sorting Algorithms
It will sort the received order according to weight based sorting algorithm so that every item can reach safely to the customer.
Human Interference
It will take the order from the user and search that from the inventory and deliver demanded items to the customer, this total process with be without human interference.
Automated Bill Generation
Bill will be automatic generated when the order is complete
Conveyer Belt
Conveyer belt will deliver the required items after processing
Technical details:
I have designed a 3D model of the hardware structure I'm going to use for this project.
- We will use a lift to bring inventory upwards to the conveyor belt
- For the pushers we have the option of a pneumatic or a mechanical motor pusher
- We will be showing 4 items in our prototype so we will have four columns and each will have its own lift to lift its respective item to the top shelf where the pusher will be placed
- The pusher will push the item out of the shelf to the conveyor belt.
| Item Name | Type | No. of Units | Per Unit Cost (in Rs) | Total (in Rs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total in (Rs) | 79760 | |||
| PLC and cable | Equipment | 1 | 24000 | 24000 |
| HMI | Equipment | 1 | 17000 | 17000 |
| DC motor | Equipment | 1 | 1600 | 1600 |
| Gear motors | Equipment | 4 | 200 | 800 |
| Wood | Equipment | 2 | 1850 | 3700 |
| Steel | Equipment | 1 | 1060 | 1060 |
| SMPS | Equipment | 1 | 1200 | 1200 |
| Pushers | Equipment | 4 | 2500 | 10000 |
| Circuit components and sensors | Equipment | 1 | 4790 | 4790 |
| Others (including drill bits, cutters, wires) | Equipment | 1 | 2150 | 2150 |
| Conveyor belt materials | Equipment | 1 | 3520 | 3520 |
| Steel work | Miscellaneous | 1 | 2000 | 2000 |
| Conveyor labour | Miscellaneous | 1 | 4500 | 4500 |
| Wood labour | Miscellaneous | 1 | 1880 | 1880 |
| Welding and motor coupling | Miscellaneous | 1 | 1560 | 1560 |