Battery Charging Strategies for AGV Systems

Abstract

Automated guided vehicle systems are used for internal material transport. Due to technical advances, modern vehicles are no longer fixed to a track. This gives them more flexibility but makes it more difficult to charge their batteries while driving. They therefore have to visit charging stations to be charged. They are not available for material transport during the charging process. If too many vehicles have to charge at the same time, the system can no longer guarantee the planned throughput. In this work, battery charging strategies were developed to prevent too many vehicles from charging at the same time. The strategies were then tested in a simulation study and their effectiveness could be demonstrated. There were always enough vehicles available so that no orders were processed late. If the strategies were not used, delays occurred.