Routing automated guided vehicles in the presence of interruptions

In this paper we consider the problem of routing automated guided vehicles (AGVs) in the presence of interruptions. The importance of the work stems f rom the realization that path-planning approaches that are studied in the a cademic literature are ill-suited to situations where vehicle interruptions are possible. We analyse, via simulation, re-routing of AGVs that encounte r interruptions. A route database is used to obtain quickly previously gene rated paths and a flexible re-routing strategy is used when an AGV is inter rupted. A factorial-designed simulation experiment is conducted in a realis tic setting, based on data collected at a large manufacturing facility. Rec ommendations are made on important practical considerations for routing AGV s in such an environment.