A MAX-ALGEBRA APPROACH TO THE ROBUST DISTRIBUTED CONTROL OF REPETITIVE AGV SYSTEMS

This paper presents a new approach for distributed control of automati c guided vehicle systems (AGVS) that uses max-algebra formalism to mod el system operation. The proposed method differs from previous works o n performance analysis and control of such systems in that it construc ts a feasible schedule by exploiting the repetitive character of the f low of automated guided vehicles. The AGVS is treated as a distributed system composed of autonomous and repetitive processes of AGV flows. Its periodic behaviour follows from the type of operation characterizi ng the job shops considered. The proposed approach employs a concept o f asynchronous traffic semaphores that provide the local mechanism for vehicle flow synchronization. Setting the timing of particular semaph ores results in distributed control of vehicle flows possessing self-s ynchronization capabilities.