Table of ContentsTable of FiguresList of TablesThe Shopper’s Helper’s purpose is to make shopping for food items less of a chore. People today see going to the grocery store as a time consuming and a very hectic task. This system will help ease this pain by providing a way to see what items that will be bought, and what the total price will come out to be. This will help people who are on a tight budget and want to see what they are buying. Also some people sometimes run into the store with a certain amount of cash on them and can only afford some much; this will help them decide what necessities they need to buy. Another reason for the Shopper’s Helper is the fact that people are curious. Everyone wants to know how much this is or how much that is; with this they will know. The purpose of this is not to give an exact amount for which the cash register will total up and add the tax to; this will only give the total price of everything before tax.The Shopper’s Helper will allow the user to scan products that they are going to buy. Then the users will see the item that was scanned on a display and then after seeing the price and product name (Name or abbreviation of the name) the display will then show the total price of all items scanned. Once successfully scanned in, the user will then be able to enter the quantity of that item. Also at any point during their shopping they can change the quantity. The device will allow the user to delete any item scanned and also reset the device when first entering the store. The user will also be able to scroll through the entire list as they are shopping. The system will have a database that will have a set number of possible barcodes, and the barcode information (this is for the course; normally it will be connected to a server). The manager will be able to add or change the database through an RS-232 interface. Also as an add-on the device can have a holder mounted on the shopping carts for the customers’ convenience.The size of the market is very large and ever growing. There are many stores that use barcode scanning. Although right now, I am marketing this to mostly grocery stores, there are application possibilities that go to every store that uses barcode technology and have consumers shopping there. Taking Stop & Shop as an example, they have over 345 stores in the New England area, lets say that the buy 200 systems per store that would be around 52,000 units. Another example, Giant Supermarkets comprise 204 stores in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. If they were to buy 200 systems per store that would be another 40,000 units.Competing products are not in full circulation just yet. The product however is in select locations across the Northeast. A couple of stores are using the product in a trial bases. This product is basically a computer that is mounted on the cart that will receive email and can check you out. This device will have many thrills that my device will not have such as of emailing your self a copy of your shopping list and alerting you to the nearest savings. I feel that these thrills will actually complicate the user interface and may cause people not to use them. With my Shopper’s Helper design it will have an easy interface that will not be difficult to use. The full release date of the competition is scheduled for the end of this year. I am not sure what the price point is for this competing model; however since the complexity of it is far higher, I am confident that my product will have a lower price point.2. Overall Product RequirementsThe system must have a “on/ off” switch, that will control all power in the device.The system must hold a minimum of 20 barcode entries for the customer’s list, in the memory of the Control UnitThe system must have a separate and adjustable database/memory unitThe database/memory unit must be able to be accessed by the userThe on-board database must hold at least 30 barcodesThe Display must be readable at least 1ftThe device must scan with a range of 2-3inThe device must display the name( or abbreviation) and price of the item scannedThe device must display the total price of all items scannedThe device must allow the user to reset the total price and delete any item scanned from the list.The device must allow the user to scroll through the list and enter quantities.The device will scan only standard barcodes3. Overall Product SpecificationsThe system will have a “on/ off” switchThe system will hold 25 barcode entries in the customer’s listThe device will have a database/memory unit 50 barcodesThe database/memory will have and interface with the user through a PC and the Control Unit.The display will be readably from a minimum of 3 ftThe device will be able to scan in a range of ~2in to ~3inThe scan pattern will be omni-directionalThe device will display the name (or abbreviation) and price of the item scanned.The device will display the total amount of all items scanned in a set place (bottom right) on the displayThe device will notify the user once the barcode is scanned correctlyThe device will allow the user to reset the total price and delete the any item on the listThe device will be sealed from the outside, to protect the circuitry from everyday useThe device will allow space to use existing anti-theft devices of the store with in the shell of the deviceThe device will be mountable on a shopping cart, by way of a mechanical housing on the backThe system will be able to read Standard UPC Barcodes version A(12 digits)4. Approach to Overall DesignThe Shopper’s Helper will be a device that can scan a barcode, use an onboard database to establish the barcode’s item information and price, as well as display a list of scanned items. The device will also be able to connect to a PC for access to the onboard database. The user will have an easy interface with very few buttons. A 16 button keypad will have the scroll up, scroll down and the delete functions. The keypad will also include the numbers from 0 to 9. The user will turn the scanning system on with a switch and will be ready to scan barcodes. When the manager or administrator is using the device then the user interface will be a PC and will be interacting with the database of barcodes.The optical system is the most critical module in this project. The laser module will have and output beam of diameter 4.3mm which is thicker than the unit bar width. This will have an adverse affect on the