Xiaoying Tong

In this study, we present and discuss a variant of the classic vehicle routing problem (VRP), the green automated guided vehicle (AGV) routing problem, which involves simultaneous pickup and delivery with time windows (GVRPSPDTW) in an intelligent workshop. The research object is AGV energy consumption. First, we conduct a comprehensive analysis of the mechanical forces present during AGV transportation and evaluate the overall operational efficiency of the workshop. Then, we construct a green vehicle path planning model to minimize the energy consumption during AGV transportation and the standby period. Hence, the problems considered in this study are modeled based on asymmetry, making the problem solving more complex. We also design a hybrid differential evolution algorithm based on large neighborhood search (DE-LNS) to increase the local search ability of the algorithm. To enhance the optimal quality of solutions, we design an adaptive scaling factor and use the squirrel migration operator to optimize the population. Last, extensive computational experiments, which are generated from the VRPSPDTW instances set and a real case of an intelligent workshop, are designed to evaluate and demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed model and algorithm. The experimental results show that DE-LNS yields competitive results, compared to advanced heuristic algorithms. The effectiveness and applicability of the proposed algorithm are verified. Additionally, the proposed model demonstrates significant energy-saving potential in workshop logistics. It can optimize energy consumption by 15.3% compared with the traditional VRPSPDTW model. Consequently, the model proposed in this research carries substantial implications for minimizing total energy consumption costs and exhibits promising prospects for real-world application in intelligent workshops.

In this study, we present and discuss a variant of the classical vehicle routing problem (VRP), namely the heterogeneous multitype fleet green automated guided vehicle (AGV) routing problem with time windows (HFGVRPTW) applied in the workshops of flexible manufacturing systems (FMS). Specifically, based on the analysis of AGV body structure and motion state, transport distance and energy consumption are selected as two optimization objectives. According to the characteristics and application context of the problem, this paper designs a hybrid genetic algorithm with large neighborhood search (GA-LNS) considering the farthest insertion heuristic. GA-LNS is improved by increasing the local search ability of genetic algorithm to enhance the solution optimal quality. Extensive computational experiments which are generated from Solomon’s benchmark instances and a real case of FMS are designed to evaluate and demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed model and algorithm. The experimental results reveal that compared with using the traditional homogeneous fleet, the heterogeneous multitype AGV fleet transportation mode has a huge energy-saving potential in workshop intralogistics.