Decentralized control of free ranging AGVs in warehouse environments

In this paper we propose an algorithm for decentralized control of Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) operating in automated warehouse environments. The motion planning part of the algorithm provides vehicles with capabilities for autonomous motion planning considering nonholonomic vehicle constraints and collision-free path execution. The decision making part of the algorithm ensures safe vehicle motions and reliable conflict situation resolution. The proposed control algorithm also prevents occurrence of deadlock and livelock situations. Stability of the algorithm has been proven by its analysis based on automata theory, while its performance has been validated by simulation on a system comprising twenty vehicles as well as experimentally on a laboratory setup comprising five Pioneer 3DX vehicles.