• Proceedings of the Korean Operations and Management Science Society Conference
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• 2005.05a
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• pp.1117-1123
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• 2005

This paper deals with a new automated guided vehicle (AGV) control system for distributed control. Proposed AGV control system adapts the multi-agent technology. The system is composed of two types of controller: routing and order. The order controller is in charge of assignment of orders to AGVs. Through the bidding-based negotiation with routing controllers, the order controller assigns a new order to the proper AGV. The order controller announces order information to the routing controllers. Then the routing controllers generate a routing schedule for the order and make a bid according to the routing schedule. If the routing schedule conflicts with other AGV's one, the routing controller makes an alternative through negotiation with other routing controllers. The order controller finally evaluates bids and selects one. Each controller consists of a set of agents: negotiation agent, decision making agent and communication agent. We focus on the agent architecture and negotiation-based AGV scheduling algorithm. Proposed system is validated through an exemplary scenario.

• Journal of Korean Institute of Industrial Engineers
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.559-580
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• 1997

It is essential to construct on efficient material flow system for the successful introduction of automated manufacturing systems. Automated Guided Vehicle System(AGVS) ploys a significant role more and more in modern manufacturing environments, because of the flexibility and the precision they offer. However, as the size and the complexity of systems increase, the problems of dispatching, routing and scheduling of AGVs became complicated due to their independent and asynchronous demands. In this paper, we review relevant papers, and provide a new and more efficient method for partitioning the AGV system by introducing the concept of Central Path. This method named Central Path design has advantages, since each partitioned workstation group is served by one AGV and the material handling between groups is performed by special AGV that is used for the Central Path. Therefore the congestion problems never occur. Furthermore Central Path Design has a high flexibility for alteration and extension of system. Finally, we demonstrate its efficiency using simulation.

• IE interfaces
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• v.17 no.spc
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• pp.97-102
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• 2004

AGV flowpath layout design is one of the most important steps for efficient AGV systems design. Since it was formulated by Gaskins & Tanchoco (1987), a unidirectional AGV flowpath layout design problem has been tackled by many researchers. However, the solution methods were traded off between the solution quality and the computational time. In this paper, a tabu search technique is applied to obtain a good solution for a relatively large problem in reasonable computational time. Specifically, fast construction algorithm for feasible initial solutions, long-term memory structure and neighbor solutions generation are adapted to the problem characteristics and embedded in the tabu search algorithm. Also, sets of computational experiments show that the proposed tabu search algorithm outperforms to the Ko and Egbelu's algorithm (2003).

• Journal of the Korean Operations Research and Management Science Society
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.17-28
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• 1998

This study suggests a procedure for designing cellular manufacturing systems (CMS) which are combined with automated guided vehicles (AGVs) using a tandem configuration. So far most of the previous studies have dealt with conventional design problems not considering the layout and the characteristics of transporters used in CMS. A mathematical model is developed using the service time to perform material transfers as a suitable meassure. The service capacity of AGVs and space limitations are also reflected in this model. As the model can be shown strongly NP-hard, a heuristic algorithm is presented, in which each cell is temporarily formed using both the set covering model and similarity coefficients, and then locations of the cells are determined by means of tabu search and finally machine perturbations are carried out. An example problem is solved to demonstrate the algorithm developed.

• 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1991.10a
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• pp.793-798
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• 1991

Implementation of AGVS (Automated Guided Vehicle System) in CIMS (Computer Integrated Manufacturing System) generally requires substantial study to optimize design and performance of the guide path. Traditional mathematical approaches have been used with limited success to analyze AGVS. These approaches, however, do not provide a practical opportunity to use by path designers. This paper presents a new approach based on Jules in designing and assessing AGV path to have better design of the closed-loop layout. A framework for the approach is proposed and a case study is reported to demonstrate the framework. Deletion of seldom used paths and addition of bypasses to solve the congestion problem are conducted automatically through simulation expefiments. To visualize die results a graphic control program is developed and integrated with AutoMod/AutoGram simulation package.

• Management Science and Financial Engineering
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.1-25
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• 1999

There is a worldwide trend to automate the handling operations in port container terminals in an effort to improve productivity and reduce labor cost. This study iscusses how to apply an AGV(automated guided vehicle) system to the handling of containers in the yard of a port container ter-minal. The main issue of this paper is how to assign tasks of container delivery to AGVs during ship operations in an automated port container terminal. A dual-cycle operation is assumed in which the loading and the discharging operation can be performed alternately. Mixed integer linear program-ming formulations are suggested for the dispatching problem. The completion time of all the dis-charging and loading operations by a quayside crane is minimized, and the minimization of the total travel time of AGVs is also considered as a secondary objective. A heuristic method using useful properties of the dispatching problem is suggested to reduce the computational time. The perfor-mance of the heuristic algorithm is evaluated in light of solution quality and computation time.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society for Simulation Conference
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• 1998.10a
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• pp.128-132
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• 1998

This research is concerned with buffer management in a multi-cell FMS(Flexible Manufacturing System) with an AGVS(Automated Guided Vehicle System). To reduce blocking and starving caused by breakdowns, variablility in process times, and diversity of part routing, buffer is needed. Due to the high per unit buffer cost, which primarily consists of floor space and equipment cost, the total capacity of buffers in an FMS is very limited. Therefore, proper buffer management can provide a high system efficiency. This paper presents a buffer management model for a multi-cell FMS with an AGVS and a simulation study to compare the proposed model to a conventional buffer management model in a job shop FMS.

• Journal of the Korea Society for Simulation
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.17-29
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• 2004

The focus of this study is to represent a methodology of analysis for integrated logistic system by means of the Evolution Strategies and Data Envelopment Analysis(DEA). The integrated logistic system is composed of AS/RS (Automated Storages and Retrieval System), AGVs(Automated Guided Vehicle System) and Conveyor System. We design the simulation alternatives with choosing the qualitative critical factors for the each subsystem. Evolution Strategies is used to optimize the quantitative critical factors and responses of each alternative. DEA is applied to measure the efficiency of the alternatives in order to select the optimal operation efficiency scheme. The method of analysis which combines Evolution Strategies with DEA can be used to analyze the qualitative and quantitative critical factors in the integrated logistic systems.

• Journal of the Korea Society for Simulation
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.45-62
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• 1998

This research is concerned with buffer management in a multi-cell FMS with an AGVS. Buffers in manufacturing systems are required to reduce blocking and starving caused by breakdowns, variability in process times, and diversity of part routing. Due to the high per unit buffer cost, which primarily consists of floor space and equipment costs, the total capacity of buffers in and FMS is very limited. Proper buffer management can provide a high system efficiency. This paper presents a buffer management model for a multi-cell FMS with an AGVS and a simulation study to compare the proposed model to a conventional buffer management model in a job shop FMS.

• IE interfaces
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.111-119
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• 2001

A tandem AGV system is based on partitioning all the stations into non-overlapping single vehicle closed loops with additional stations provided as an interface between adjacent loops. For an efficient use of this configuration, it is required to solve the load routing problem(LRP), which is primarily based on the fact that a load may be handled by several vehicles and moved through several loops before it reaches its destination. In this paper, a heuristic based on genetic algorithm(GA) is first developed to solve LRP. The first model obtains the optimal route of each job and the optimal direction of each loop when the vehicle in each loop travels unidirectionally. The second GA model obtaines the optimal polling sequence of the empty vehicle in each loop, when the vehicle can move bidirectionally.