Energy Efficiency Analysis on Robotic Mobile Fulfillment System

Different from the well-known objectives (minimizing travel time or maximizing throughput), we proposed the energy efficiency model for robotic mobile fulfillment system (RFMS) based on the force and work analysis of robot. The factors related on reducing energy consumption including batch size, storage strategies and locations of workstations are investigated by simulation. From the simulation result based on different viewpoints, we obtain the following findings. Smaller batch size is preferred in terms of turnover time, but the larger batch size is preferred in energy efficiency. The full-turnover storage strategy significantly outperforms the random and class-based storage strategies. And storing items with high turnover rates nearby the workstation is beneficial for both operation efficiency and energy efficiency.