A Scheduling Solution for Robotic Arm-Based Batching Systems with Multiple Conveyor Belts
In this study, we tackle a key scheduling problem in a robotic arm-based food processing system, where multiple conveyors—an infeed conveyor that feeds food items to robotic arms and two tray lane conveyors, on which trays to batch food items are placed—are implemented. The target scheduling problem...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Algorithms |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4893/16/3/172 |
| _version_ | 1797613920182075392 |
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| author | Kasper Gaj Nielsen Inkyung Sung Mohamed El Yafrani Deniz Kenan Kılıç Peter Nielsen |
| author_facet | Kasper Gaj Nielsen Inkyung Sung Mohamed El Yafrani Deniz Kenan Kılıç Peter Nielsen |
| author_sort | Kasper Gaj Nielsen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this study, we tackle a key scheduling problem in a robotic arm-based food processing system, where multiple conveyors—an infeed conveyor that feeds food items to robotic arms and two tray lane conveyors, on which trays to batch food items are placed—are implemented. The target scheduling problem is to determine what item on an infeed conveyor belt is picked up by which robotic arm at what position, and on which tray the picked up item will be placed. This problem involves critical constraints, such as sequence-dependent processing time and dynamic item and tray positions. Moreover, due to the speed of the infeed conveyor and latency in the information about entering items into the system, this scheduling problem must be solved in near real time. To address these challenges, we propose a scheduling solution that first decomposes the original scheduling problem into sub-problems, where a sub-problem formulated as a goal program schedules robotic arms only for a single tray. The performance of the proposed solution approach is then tested under a simulation environment, and from the experiments, the proposed approach produces acceptable performance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:02:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-54216ba491b94e2b9f1348e8c7961fc8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4893 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:02:27Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Algorithms |
| spelling | doaj.art-54216ba491b94e2b9f1348e8c7961fc82023-11-17T09:09:36ZengMDPI AGAlgorithms1999-48932023-03-0116317210.3390/a16030172A Scheduling Solution for Robotic Arm-Based Batching Systems with Multiple Conveyor BeltsKasper Gaj Nielsen0Inkyung Sung1Mohamed El Yafrani2Deniz Kenan Kılıç3Peter Nielsen4ORTEC Nordic A/S, Stationsparken 25, 2600 Glostrup, DenmarkOperations Research Group, Department of Materials and Production, Aalborg University, 9220 Aalborg, DenmarkNorlys Energy Trading A/S, Over Bækken 6, 9000 Aalborg, DenmarkOperations Research Group, Department of Materials and Production, Aalborg University, 9220 Aalborg, DenmarkOperations Research Group, Department of Materials and Production, Aalborg University, 9220 Aalborg, DenmarkIn this study, we tackle a key scheduling problem in a robotic arm-based food processing system, where multiple conveyors—an infeed conveyor that feeds food items to robotic arms and two tray lane conveyors, on which trays to batch food items are placed—are implemented. The target scheduling problem is to determine what item on an infeed conveyor belt is picked up by which robotic arm at what position, and on which tray the picked up item will be placed. This problem involves critical constraints, such as sequence-dependent processing time and dynamic item and tray positions. Moreover, due to the speed of the infeed conveyor and latency in the information about entering items into the system, this scheduling problem must be solved in near real time. To address these challenges, we propose a scheduling solution that first decomposes the original scheduling problem into sub-problems, where a sub-problem formulated as a goal program schedules robotic arms only for a single tray. The performance of the proposed solution approach is then tested under a simulation environment, and from the experiments, the proposed approach produces acceptable performance.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4893/16/3/172robotic arm-based batching systemsscheduling robotic armsrobotic task-sequencing problemreal-time decision makinggive-away minimization |
| spellingShingle | Kasper Gaj Nielsen Inkyung Sung Mohamed El Yafrani Deniz Kenan Kılıç Peter Nielsen A Scheduling Solution for Robotic Arm-Based Batching Systems with Multiple Conveyor Belts Algorithms robotic arm-based batching systems scheduling robotic arms robotic task-sequencing problem real-time decision making give-away minimization |
| title | A Scheduling Solution for Robotic Arm-Based Batching Systems with Multiple Conveyor Belts |
| title_full | A Scheduling Solution for Robotic Arm-Based Batching Systems with Multiple Conveyor Belts |
| title_fullStr | A Scheduling Solution for Robotic Arm-Based Batching Systems with Multiple Conveyor Belts |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Scheduling Solution for Robotic Arm-Based Batching Systems with Multiple Conveyor Belts |
| title_short | A Scheduling Solution for Robotic Arm-Based Batching Systems with Multiple Conveyor Belts |
| title_sort | scheduling solution for robotic arm based batching systems with multiple conveyor belts |
| topic | robotic arm-based batching systems scheduling robotic arms robotic task-sequencing problem real-time decision making give-away minimization |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4893/16/3/172 |
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