Matrix-based discrete event control of automated material handling systems

This paper describes a matrix-based discrete event control approach for an automated material handling system operating in a warehouse. The proposed approach addresses both low-level hardware synchronization/sequencing, and high-level operational control of rail-guided vehicles by means of an integrated framework based on binary matrices. The paper illustrates how to obtain the model of the entire warehouse by assembling the discrete event models of the atomic components. Once defined, the matrix-based dynamic model can be used for both controller synthesis and detailed discrete-event simulation of the system. In particular, a summary of simulation results obtained for an actual industrial warehouse environment is provided to illustrate the potential of the integrated matrix-based approach on large-scale, challenging automation problems.