Self Checkout is becoming the norm in many countries as it helps in making customers feel comfortable, independent , and adds grace to shopping. Choose, select, pay and leave as if you are at home. Real freedom. With self checkout, many pros and cons are to be considered. It is not just pay and go but it needs to be pay go and be secure. Security for both buyer and supermarket. We need to reduce the losses caused by many issues like theft. Say if a customer does not pay but leaves the checkout zone without paying, so a mechanism is needed to ensure that any theft is stopped to a very large extent.
Automatic gates
Automated gates for the supermarkets are categorized as per need and based on the application. The gates are either integrated with the entire ERP system or used as standalone units. Entirely depends on the choice and requirements hence are classified as controlled and uncontrolled gates. The check-in gates are equipped with the radar sensor arrangement that lets the gate open for every client in the detection zone of the gate while check-out gates are operated mainly by the credentials issued by the payment machines as self check-out POS machines. Apart from that many important features are incorporated in the gates.
Automatic check in gates for supermarket
Automatic check-in gates are generally used at the entrance of supermarkets that let the customers get inside the supermarket. The gates are equipped with the sensors (in general called as RADARS), that can be adjusted to the particular range, say 1000-1500mm or more area. As soon as the visitor is detected in this zone, the gate is triggered, and opens for the particular period of time. The time is generally factory adjusted proportional to normal pedestrian walking speed. The gate wings are open as long as the visitor crosses the zone. The safety sensors are used in the gate channel for safety reasons to avoid collision. The additional diffuse sensors can be added for further safety reasons, mostly depending on the length of the wing and lane. Ceiling sensors are used for self check-in gate operation. Instead of using the sensors inside the channels of the swing gates, the ceiling sensors are used at the well calculated height to ensure automatic entry mode of the gates including the safety during the entire passage.
Self checkout gates for supermarket
Self checkout gates are the combination of gates and the credential scanner terminal referred to as scanpost (NU-SCAN). The gates do not allow entry unless programmed for the same, the filler portion is provided with appropriate signs on both sides. The self checkout security gates are integrated with the credential scanner terminals based on the project requirements. The receipt issued by the self checkout POS unit has a barcode (1D) or QR Code (2D) printed on it. The time, date and other necessary ASCII code stamp as a whole barcode is shown at the barcode scanner terminal, the scanner identifies the code & rejects or allows exit based on integrity and accuracy of the code.
The barcode scanner can be either stand alone or integrated with the existing ERP system of the client. The standalone type scanner is plug and play with a basic programming required to integrate time, date and store stamps in barcode with time validity. Here the code is shown at the scanner,if the time stamp is valid the pulse is generated to trigger the door operation. In the integrated version the complete access records along the operations are noted down in the central management server.
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