A study of the tandem loop with multiple vehicles configuration for automated guided vehicle systems

Conventional guide path layouts for automated guided vehicle (AGV) systems are analyzed, and the tandem loop with multiple vehicles (TLMV) configuration is proposed as a new and effective alternative. The TLMV configuration is especially useful for a large-scale manufacturing environment because it can easily accommodate expansion or upgrade while still being less sensitive to vehicle failure than the tandem loop (single vehicle) configuration. Simulation results show that the TLMV configuration is a viable option. The management of idle vehicles is an important control issue that affects the performance of an AGV system. For the TLMV layout, polynomial time algorithms to determine optimal idle vehicle dwell points are developed for minimizing the maximum response time and minimizing the mean weighted response time.