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Two-echelon vehicle routing problem with time windows and mobile satellites

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  • Li, Hongqi
  • Wang, Haotian
  • Chen, Jun
  • Bai, Ming

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Li, Hongqi & Wang, Haotian & Chen, Jun & Bai, Ming, 2020. "Two-echelon vehicle routing problem with time windows and mobile satellites," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 179-201.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:transb:v:138:y:2020:i:c:p:179-201
    DOI: 10.1016/j.trb.2020.05.010
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