Energy-efficient Rail Guided Vehicle Routing for Two-Sided Loading/Unloading Automated Freight Handling System

• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.1502.01452
• Publication Date: 2015-01-01
• Authors: Wuhua Hu; Jianfeng Mao; Keji Wei
• Keywords: Vehicle Routing Problem

Rail-guided vehicles (RGVs) are widely employed in automated freight handling system (AFHS) to transport surging air cargo. Energy-efficient routing of such is great interest for both financial and environmental sustainability. Given a multi-capacity RGV working on linear track AFHS, we consider its optimal under two-sided loading/unloading (TSLU) operations, which energy consumption minimized conflict-avoidance time window constraints. The takes account routing-dependent gross weight dynamics the RGV, constraints ensure conflict-free service TSLU operations. problem formulated as mixed-integer program, solved by incorporating valid inequalities that exploit structural properties problem. static model solution approach then integrated with rolling-horizon solve dynamic where cargo enters departs from dynamically time. Simulation results suggest proposed strategy able route an cost considerably lower than one most commonly used heuristic methods implemented current practice.