A Novel Searching Method of Fringe Blocks for AGV Deadlock Avoidance

With the increasing development of automated logistics systems, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) have been gradually deployed in various logistics systems. AGVs are mainly used to transport materials and products, which promote the efficiency greatly and provide profound flexibility and safety. The strategy to prevent AGVs from forming deadlocks is one of the fundamental and vital issues in applications. In this paper, a common type of deadlock that usually occurs in warehouses and a typical attribute of map called fringe blocks are studied thoroughly. To solve the deadlock, it’s crucial to identify fringe blocks. We first use traditional depth first search algorithm (DFS) to find out all the fringe blocks in the map. Then, confronted with the huge time complexity, we combine the DFS procedure with a high-efficiency trimming method. Finally, we run a simulation and make a comparison of both methods. The simulation results have shown that the proposed strategy will reduce computational time significantly without making false judgements.