Multi-attribute responsive dispatching strategies for automated guided vehicles

This paper discusses responsiveness in automated guided vehicle dispatching. The additive multi-attribute dispatching rule employs two attributes, output buffer length and travel time to pick-up, to prioritize the tasks based on the current system status, while the weights convey information about the relative criticality of the processing and transportation sub-systems. The main responsiveness of the system is inherent in the manner these weights are determined. Two approaches are proposed for this purpose: parametric approach where the weights are calculated at the beginning of each planning horizon based on expected system characteristics; and dynamic approach where the system is allowed to update the weights throughout evolution utilizing some system statistics. Simulation experiments under various scenarios evaluate the performances of the proposed dispatching strategies based on facility throughput. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.