This paper presents a scheduling algorithm that divides a manufacturing/warehouse floor into zones that an Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) will occupy and complete part pick-up and drop-off tasks. Each zone is balanced so that each AMR will share each task equally. These zones change over time to accommodate fluctuations in production and to avoid overloading an AMR with tasks. A decentralized dynamic zoning (DDZ) algorithm is introduced to find the optimal zone design, eliminating the possibility of single-point failure from a centralized unit. Then a simulation is built comparing the adaptability of DDZ and other dynamic zoning algorithms from previous works. Initial results show that DDZ has a much lower throughput than other dynamic zoning algorithms but DDZ can achieve a better distribution of tasks. Initial results show that DDZ had a lower standard deviation of AMR total travel distance which was 2874.7 feet less than previous works. This 68.7\% decrease in standard deviation suggests that AMRs under DDZ travel a similar distance during production. This could be useful for real-world applications by making it easier to design charging and maintenance schedules without much downtime. Video demonstration of the system working can be seen here: \url{https://youtu.be/yVi026oVD7U}
翻译:本文提出一种调度算法,可将制造/仓储场地划分为多个区域,由自主移动机器人(AMR)分别驻守并完成零部件取放任务。各区域经过均衡设计,确保每台AMR能均等分担任务。这些区域会随时间动态调整,以适应生产波动并避免单台AMR任务过载。研究引入去中心化动态分区(DDZ)算法以寻求最优区域划分方案,从而消除集中控制单元可能导致的单点故障。通过构建仿真系统,对比了DDZ算法与既有动态分区算法的适应性。初步结果表明:DDZ算法的吞吐量虽显著低于其他动态分区算法,但能实现更优的任务分配。数据显示DDZ算法下AMR总行驶距离的标准差较现有研究降低2874.7英尺,降幅达68.7%,表明DDZ算法能使AMR在生产过程中保持相近的移动距离。该特性有助于实际应用中更便捷地设计充电与维护计划,从而减少停机时间。系统运行视频演示可见:\url{https://youtu.be/yVi026oVD7U}