Dynamic Time Estimation Based AGV Dispatching Algorithm in Automated Container Terminal

摘要

Automated Container Terminal (ACT) is a significant part of modern international logistics. Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) are expected to be widely applied in ACT. We summarize the existing work on AGV dispatching and notice that AGV dispatching is commonly based on static distance. However, the estimation of congestion time is often neglected. In this paper, we build a simulation model of AGV transportation system on the basis of AnyLogic software. We propose a dynamic time estimation based AGV dispatching algorithm, and utilize the simulation model to evaluate the performance of the algorithm. Compared with static algorithms, the dynamic time estimation based AGV dispatching algorithm is able to decrease the start-stop frequency and reduce the congestion of road network. Simulation results prove that the dynamic time estimation based AGV dispatching algorithm can effectively enhance the utilization rate of QCs and YCs, and shorten the task finishing time.