Real Time Conflict Resolution in Automated Guided Vehicle Scheduling

Abstract : While there have been significant advances in material handling techniques over the past decade, the primary growth in this technology has been in the areas of robotics, automated guided vehicle (AGV) systems, and automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS). The control of AGVs and the development of efficient algorithms to manage material handling problems have been areas of research recently demanding much attention. Previous researchers addressed the control of AGVs over networks containing uni-directional paths. In this work, a shortest path algorithm is embedded within a branch-and-bound procedure to generate conflict-free AGV routes through bi-directional networks. The resulting methodology efficiently resolves conflicts that would normally occur among AVGs traveling in complex AGV systems. Development of this method is discussed in detail and the computational performance of a most encouraging representative algorithm is presented. Keywords: Routing and scheduling algorithms. Theses.