Scheduling cooperative twin automated stacking cranes in automated container terminals. (February 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Han, XiaoLong; Wang, Qianqian; Huang, JiWei
• Is Part Of: Computers & industrial engineering. Volume 128(2019)
• Page Start: 553
• Page End: 558
• Publication Date: 2019-02
• Subjects: ASC -- Automated container terminal -- Scheduling -- Genetic algorithm; Engineering -- Data processing -- Periodicals; Industrial engineering -- Periodicals; 620.00285
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cie.2018.12.039
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0360-8352

Abstract

Highlights: Four modes of ASC interference are summarized, which make the modeling process much easier. A mixed integer programming model is established to minimize the makespan of all ASC requests. A genetic algorithm is designed for large-scale problems, which is proved efficient and competitive. Abstract: In the considered Automated Container Terminal, twin (i.e., identical non-passing) automated stacking cranes are configured for each block. The twin Automated Stacking Cranes (ASCs) collaborate to serve storage and retrieval requests from opposite ends of a storage block. Since the ASCs are unable to pass each other, there is a handshake area that serves as a temporary storage location so that one crane can start a request and leave it to the other crane to complete it. In this paper, four modes of crane interference are summarized, and a mixed integer programming model is established to minimize the makespan of all requests. For large scale problems, a genetic algorithm is designed. Numerical experiments show that the algorithm is efficient and competitive. A serial of experiments are carried out where it is shown that the method can produce optimum solutions.