Review and development trend analysis of distributed AGV scheduling

Intelligent logistics is a critical component of intelligent manufacturing and an inevitable trend in the development of the logistics industry. Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) can seamlessly link enterprise production and storage systems and are regarded as critical technical equipment for accomplishing intelligent logistics. AGV scheduling is crucial for enhancing logistics efficiency, reducing energy consumption, and avoiding damage to goods and accidents during transport. The AGV scheduling problem involves two sub-problems, namely task allocation and path planning, which can be categorized into centralized and distributed scheduling in terms of scheduling strategies. With the advancement of AGV intelligence level, distributed AGV systems have become a research focus due to their advantages like scalability and high reliability. Firstly, the distributed AGV scheduling problem was described. Secondly, the research status in distributed AGV task allocation and path planning was elaborated and analyzed separately. Finally, future prospects for distributed AGV scheduling were highlighted.