Comparative analysis of different routing heuristics for the battery management of automated guided vehicles

Abstract

This paper explores how different routing techniques for the battery management of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) can affect the performance of a system. Four heuristics available in the literature were the basis of this study. Simulation models were developed to investigate how the routing of an AGV towards a battery station can affect the productivity of a manufacturing facility. Results show that the best productivity can be achieved when a routing heuristic tries to jointly minimise the total travel distance and waiting time at a battery station. The gain in productivity, when compared with the highest possible gain theoretically achievable, is quite substantial. It was also found that higher frequency of decision-making (i.e. decisions with smaller time interval) about battery swapping helps to increase the productivity of a system.

Keywords:

• automated guided vehicle
• battery management
• discrete event simulation
• heuristics
• productivity improvement
• vehicle routing problem