A Petri net model for an open path multi-AGV system

Automated distribution warehouses in which pallet and roll pallet loads are transported by means of forklift AGVs are considered in this work, with the objective of defining a mathematical model which accurately represents the behaviour of AGVs in the system. AGVs can move freely in the warehouse (an open path AGV system is adopted), and their transportation activities can be modelled as a sequence of elementary or basic actions. In the paper, a coloured Petri net (CPN) model is proposed. It allows representing any sequence of elementary actions of AGVs (including pick-up and drop-off activities), and accurately models the interactions among AGVs, in order to guarantee the safety during the execution of activities. The CPN model can be used to analyse and implement deadlock prevention and deadlock recovery strategies, and it has been adopted in the building of a discrete-event simulator which is employed to analyse the system´s performance and to evaluate scheduling policies for transportation tasks.