Dispatching and Conflict-Free Routing of Free-Ranging Automated Guided Vehicles

在柔性制造系统中，自动导引车(AGV)是一种高度复杂且日益流行的物料搬运装置。以前的技术决定了AGV在嵌入地板的轨道上或涂有油漆的化学物质条上的移动。灵活、自由行驶的AGV的日益流行带来了一系列与有效的交通控制方案和针对不同需求分配的无冲突路径策略相关的研究问题。该项目的重点将是开发实时控制自由活动自动导引车的有效方法。这项研究将通过在自由范围环境中测试各种列生成方案和分配规则来扩展先前关于AGV无冲突路线的工作。静态问题的替代目标函数和AGVS实时路径的新方法的可行性将通过析因设计的模拟实验来测试。这项实验将在作业车间和蜂窝制造环境中进行，基于纽约西部一个非常大的制造工厂的布局。//

Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) are a highly sophisticated and increasingly popular type of material handling device in flexible manufacturing systems. Previous technology dictated movement of AGVs on a track embedded in the floor or on a painted chemical strip. The increasing popularity of flexible, free- ranging AGVs has brought with it a host of research issues related to effective traffic control schemes and conflict-free routing strategies for different demand assignments. The focus of this project will be on the development of effective methodologies for real-time control of free-ranging AGVs. This research will extend previous work on conflict-free routes for AGVs by testing a variety of column-generation schemes and assignment rules in the free-ranging environment. Alternate objective functions for the static problem and the feasibility of new approaches for real-time routing of AGVs will be tested with the aid of a factorial-designed simulation experiment. The experiment will be conducted in both job-shop and cellular manufacturing environments based on the layout of a very large manufacturing facility in Western New York. //