A Lagrangian relaxation approach to solving the integrated pick-up/drop-off point and AGV flowpath design problem

This paper tackles the problem of simultaneously locating the pick-up/drop-off (p/d) points along the periphery of a cell and determining the flowpath for an AGV based material handling system. A mathematical model to determine the p/d points as well as flowpath for a bi-directional AGV is presented. The model is solved using the Lagrangian relaxation technique. It incorporates features such as user-defined unloaded travel and separate loaded and unloaded flowpaths so as to aid in efficient operation of the material handling system. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.