Accession Number:

ADA183440

Title:

Evaluation of Heuristic Control Strategies for AGV's (Automated Guided Vehicles) under Varying Demand Arrival Patterns.

Descriptive Note:

Technical rept.,

Corporate Author:

NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIV AT RALEIGH DEPT OF INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING

Personal Author(s):

• King, Russell E.
• Hodgson, Thom J.
• Monteith, Steve K.

Report Date:

1987-03-01

Pagination or Media Count:

18.0

Abstract:

With the increasing emphasis on automation, Automated Guided Vehicles are becoming an important material handing tool in flexible manufacturing systems. The flexibility of AGVs present an interesting problem in the routing and scheduling of vehicles within the system. In this paper, we evaluate a control strategy, which is based on an analysis of the optimal control rules from a Markov Decision Process model. This strategy is compared to Vehicle Looks for Work VLFW, which is a common control strategy used manufacturing systems today. Systems with asymmetric and symmetric demand arrivals are tested and compared for single and two vehicle systems using Monte Carlo simulation.

Descriptors:

• *HEURISTIC METHODS
• *MATERIALS HANDLING VEHICLES
• ASYMMETRY
• SYMMETRY
• CONTROL
• STRATEGY
• MANUFACTURING
• MONTE CARLO METHOD
• SCHEDULING
• VEHICLES
• ARRIVAL
• PATTERNS
• DECISION MAKING
• MARKOV PROCESSES
• MATHEMATICAL MODELS
• OPTIMIZATION
• ROUTING
• COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
• FORTRAN

Subject Categories:

• Surface Transportation and Equipment
• Machinery and Tools

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE