A Hybrid Control Architecture for an Automated Storage and Retrieval System

An automated retrieval and storage system, or ASRS, is a system that handles automatically the replenishment, picking, and delivery of products of a warehouse system. The current trend of ASRS is to develop less-rigid structures and continuous operations to improve the functionality, efficiency, and reactivity during its operation. However, the dynamic market changes and internal perturbations are characteristics that need to be handled by the ASRS control system to ensure the expected flexibility. The objective of this paper is two-fold. First, it proposes a framework of an ASRS control system, based on a hybrid control architecture that provides efficient operation during normal functioning and reactivity features in case of perturbations. Second, for validation purpose, a platform is constructed that simulates the virtual and physical level of the control system by means of a digital twin that represents the products and the resources composing the ASRS.