DEVELOPMENT OF DISPATCHING RULES FOR AUTOMATED GUIDED VEHICLE SYSTEMS

This paper proposes a new automated guided vehicle (AGV) dispatching a lgorithm based on a bidding concept. The suggested algorithm utilizes the information of work in process in incoming and outgoing buffers of a machine center, and travel time of an AGV through mathematical func tions that are called ''bidding functions'' in this paper. Because the bidding functions have parameters, a sensitivity test is performed to find their appropriate values. The performance of the algorithm is co mpared with those of well-known existing rules in terms of system thro ughput through simulation on a hypothetical job shop type manufacturin g system.