Improved design methodology for an existing automated transportation system with automated guided vehicles in a seaport container terminal

In this paper, we propose an improved design methodology to meet the changing demands of an existing automated container transportation system in which automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are used. This system is called an AGV transportation system. To achieve an improved design, it is essential to detect and correct any occurring bottlenecks. For this purpose, we exhaustively enumerate design proposals by constructing a logic tree. As a case study to verify the proposed methodology, we apply the methodology to an existing AGV transportation system. From the enumerated design proposals, we suggest design policies by considering the actual constraints of the transportation system. Finally, we redesign the transportation system as rapidly as possible. On the other hand, we keep system balancing into account; then, we derive a suitable demand and input number of AGVs under given specifications for a transportation system.     

Integrated Design for Automated Guided Vehicle Systems Using Cooperative Co-evolution

An integrated design process for automated guided vehicle (AGV) systems is proposed in this paper. There are two problems inherent in the design of systems: transporter routings and flow-path networks. They should both be solved at the same time because one depends on the other. In the present research, this issue is solved through cooperative co-evolution. For the development of co-evolution, some partner selection strategies and some evolving cycles, which are proper for design process, are evaluated. Both the transporter routing problems and the flow-path network problems are represented as different species, and a genetic algorithm is applied to them. AGV systems designed with this method are evaluated through simulations with real data. These simulations show that the proposed method makes it possible to improve the effectiveness of AGV systems.