Guide-Path Design for Automated Guided Vehicles

AGV 유도경로 설계에 관한 연구

AGVS(Automated Guided Vehicle Systems) in material handling have been used widely since late 1970s. Implementation of an AGVS generally requires substantial study to optimize the design and performance of guide-paths. Traditional mathematical approaches have been used with limited success to analyze AGVS. These approaches, however, do not provide a practical tool for guide-path designers. This paper presents a new approach based on rules in designing and assessing AGV guide-paths to improve the design of a closed-loop layout. A framework for the integrated approach is proposed, problem solving procedures are explained, and a case study is reported to demonstrate the framework. Deletion of seldom used guide-paths, and addition of bypasses to solve the congestion problem, are conducted interactively and iteratively through simulation experiments. To visualize the results, a graphic control program is developed and integrated with the AutoMod/AutoGram simulation package.