Highlights The two-echelon vehicle routing problem with time windows and mobile satellites (2E-VRP-TM) is introduced. The mobile satellite synchronization constraints are the key to formulate the 2E-VRP-TM. An adaptive large neighborhood search heuristic is provided. The computational experiments show that the model and heuristic perform well.
Abstract To tackle the logistics challenges faced by enterprises using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) with human-driven vans for parcel deliveries, we introduce the two-echelon vehicle routing problem with time windows and mobile satellites (2E-VRP-TM), which, when solved, optimizes delivery routes for a fleet of van-UAV combinations. Typically, one van carries several UAVs. The first echelon involves time-window-driven parcel deliveries using vans from a distribution center (DC) to customers. The second echelon involves UAVs being dispatched from mobile-satellite vans to serve customers with time windows and directly delivering parcels from the DC. When the first-echelon vehicles park at customer locations and wait for second-echelon vehicle departures and returns, the first-echelon vehicles are used as mobile satellites. We develop a vehicle-flow formulation, in which the mobile-satellite synchronization constraints are included to ensure the echelon interaction. We provide an adaptive large neighborhood search heuristic. Computational experiments evaluate the validity of the 2E-VRP-TM formulation and the effectiveness of the heuristic.
Two-echelon vehicle routing problem with time windows and mobile satellites
Transportation Research Part B: Methodological ; 138 ; 179-201
2020-05-15
23 pages
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
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