Modeling and control of a cooperative conveyance system with multiple AGVs

This paper presents a mathematical model of a cooperative conveyance system, where multiple AGVs transport a dolly by holding it with their holding plates. Since each holding plate can only push the dolly and cannot pull it, this asymmetry introduces discontinuity in the mathematical model. In order to keep the simplicity and scalability of the model, the asymmetry is modeled as a part of the control objective rather than a constraint, which is possible indeed in the context of model predictive control. Several numerical simulations demonstrate that cooperative conveyance with multiple AGVs can be achieved by using the proposed model. Copyright (c) 2023 The Authors.