Cooperative optimization of pod repositioning and AGV task allocation in Robotic Mobile Fulfillment Systems

The Robotic Mobile Fulfillment Systems (RMFS) is a new kind of parts-to-picker picking system. In RMFS, Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) transports the mobile shelf (called “pod”) to the picking station. After picking the goods, AGV sends the pod back to the storage area for storage. This research focuses on the cooperative optimization of pod repositioning and AGV task allocation in RMFS. A heuristic method based on auction is designed to solve the problem, and an experimental study is conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the presented heuristic method. The results show that the mix assignment rule is a good choice, compared to the sequence assignment of pods and tasks respectively.