Collaborative Proposal: EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER): Design Principles for Warehouses with Autonomous Vehicles (WAVE)

本研究的目的是开发使用自动车辆作为存取设备的单件装载仓库的设计概念化工具(S/R)。这项研究将开发分析模型，整合不同系统配置的战略和战术层设计决策，并根据基于自动车辆的存储和检索系统(AVS/RSS)的独特功能推导出仓库设计原则。这项研究还将通过开发一类新的专门的半开放排队网络模型来推进AVS/RS建模的分析基础。这些模型将捕捉AVS/RS业务的独特特征，如车辆和电梯对接、存储和取回干扰效应、选择性交易调度、批处理操作、统一的负载缓冲以及S/R业务与在制品物流的显式联系。这些模型将被纳入概念化工具，以便于对替代材料处理技术进行比较。如果成功，本研究得出的设计原则将通过缩小AVS/RS硬件和控制系统技术之间的差距，以及评估它们对单位负荷S/R运行的影响所需的设计工具，加快单位负荷S/R系统的自动化应用。使用自动驾驶车辆的仓库预计将是模块化和灵活的，并可以重新配置，以满足不断变化的吞吐量、容量或周期要求。这将使它们对供应链中分销系统不断变化的要求更加稳健。这项研究将使用基于Web的存储库在这一领域的学术研究、大学教育、硬件开发和技术采用之间架起一座桥梁。该储存库将有设计工具、原理、教程、案例研究和课程模块，供课堂使用。从业者、硬件提供商、系统集成商和最终用户可以分享案例研究，也可以使用设计工具来概念化系统，以最适合他们的应用程序需求。

The objective of this research is to develop design conceptualization tools for unit-load warehouses that use autonomous vehicles as storage and retrieval (S/R) devices. This research will develop analytical models that integrate the strategic and tactical level design decisions for different system configurations and derive warehouse design principles based on the unique features of autonomous vehicle based storage and retrieval systems (AVS/RSs). The research will also advance the analytical foundations of AVS/RS modeling through the development of a new class of specialized semi-open queuing network models. The models will capture the unique features of AVS/RS operations such as vehicle and lift interfacing, storage and retrieval interference effects, selective transaction dispatching, batching operations, consolidated load buffering, and explicit linkage of S/R operations with in-process material flows. These models will be integrated into conceptualization tools that would facilitate comparison of alternative material handling technologies. If successful, the design principles derived from this research will accelerate the adoption of automation in unit load S/R systems by closing the gap between AVS/RS hardware and control system technology, and the design tools needed to assess their impact on unit-load S/R operations. Warehouses using autonomous vehicles are expected to be modular and flexible and could be reconfigured to meet changing throughput, capacity or cycle time requirements. This would make them more robust to the changing requirements of the distribution systems in a supply chain. This research would bridge the gap between academic research, university education, hardware development, and technology adoption in this area using a web based repository. The repository will have design tools, principles, tutorials, case studies and course modules for use in the classroom. Practitioners, hardware providers, system integrators, and end users could share case studies and also use design tools to conceptualize systems to best suit their application needs.