Development of Simulator for Designing Unidirectional AGV Systems

AGV systems are widely used to increase the flexibility and the efficiency of the material handling systems. AGV systems are one of critical factors which determine the overall performance of the manufacturing systems. To this end, the optimal design for AGV systems is essential. Commercial simulation software is often used as an analysis tool during the design of AGV systems, however a series of procedures are desirable to simplify the analysis processes. In this paper, we present and develop the architecture for unidirectional AGV systems simulator which is able to consider approximate optimal unidirectional flow path and various operational parameters. The designed AGV systems simulator is based on JAVA, and it is developed to support designing approximate optimal unidirectional network by using Tabu search method. In addition, it enables users to design and evaluate AGV systems and to analyze alternative solutions easily. Simulation engine is consists of layout designer, AGV operation plan designer, and integrated AGVS layout designer. Users enter their system design/operation information into input window, then the entered information is automatically utilized for modeling and simulating AGV systems in simulation engine. By this series of procedures, users can get the feed back quickly.