A process modelling framework for automated guided vehicle control

The control of handling equipment in a distribution centre is vital to overall control of the material handling process. A unified equipment and process modelling approach is adopted in this paper. The influence of automated guided vehicle (AGV) velocity and positioning control on the time needed to perform a material handling task, and the AGV service time are investigated. The salient features of this research are: modelling intelligent material handling in a distribution centre considering the effect of dynamic constraints on the velocity profiles of an automated handling equipment (a sideload forklift AGV); modelling and simulating controlled vision-based positioning of an AGV; and simulating the process model and drawing conclusions about the possible benefits of autonomous material handling.