Tow train routing in narrow aisles: A grid-based approach with blocking constraints

GÜNDÜZ MENGÜBAŞ G., Sörensen K., Kotan M.

Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence, cilt.141, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 141
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.engappai.2024.109839
  • Dergi Adı: Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Compendex, INSPEC
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Generalized vehicle routing problem, Graph theory, Narrow aisles, Routing, Simulated annealing
  • Marmara Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

We address the problem of routing a fleet of tow trains in a manufacturing plant or warehouse with narrow aisles. In a narrow-aisles workspace, tow trains cannot reverse in place, and may block each other's movements. Our approach divides the workspace into a grid of pixels. This allows for the detection of blocking vehicles. The shortest paths between workstations in this grid-based layout are determined using Dijkstra's algorithm. The problem of routing the vehicles is formulated as a generalized vehicle routing problem (GVRP). We propose a mathematical model for this problem and develop a straightforward heuristic to solve it. The heuristic uses a simulated annealing framework and several problem-specific neighborhood operators. A blocking detection and avoidance algorithm is implemented to remove detected vehicle collisions. A computational study confirms the ability of the heuristic to find efficient solutions to this challenging problem.