An ant colony-based algorithm for finding the shortest bidirectional path for automated guided vehicles in a block layout

This paper considers the shortest path design problem (SPDP) on bidirectional path topology as one of the best known types of network configurations for automated guided vehicles. An integer linear programming model has been developed to solve the problem. The model intends to minimize the length of the path, which needs to cover all cells at least in one edge. Due to the NP-hardness of the problem, which has been proved previously, this model is only able to solve problems with a small number of cells. So we develop an ant colony system (ACS) algorithm to solve the problem. Comparisons of the designed algorithm with a cutting-plane algorithm show the efficiency of the proposed ACS algorithm for this SPDP.