Dynamic Pallet Routing in a Manufacturing Transport Line with Model Predictive Control

This brief describes the application of model predictive control to a manufacturing multipallet multitarget transport line. The mathematical representation of the plant is based on a mixed logical dynamical model. The performance index to be minimized weights the distance of the pallets from their final target, the pallet residence time on the line, and the control inputs. The resulting mixed integer linear programming problem is recursively solved to compute the control action according to the receding horizon approach. Both simulation and experimental results on the real system are reported and discussed to witness the performances of the control algorithm and its ability to manage even pallet route conflicts and target dynamic rescheduling.