Using an Automated Model to Develop Conceptual Designs

Abstract

Baggage handling systems (BHS) are unknown to most people, but play a vital role at airports. A BHS is a system that consists of different subsystems, each with its own functions. It is important to make well-informed decisions about the BHS as early as the conceptual design phase, which is the part of the design where the basic solution, such as system configuration (the type and amount of equipment) and system layout (volume reservation for the system), is selected. The choices made in this phase influences the cost, performance, and reliability of the system. Even though the impact of the choices in the conceptual design phase is high, tools to guide the decisions are lacking. Previous research by Noort (2018) and Vijlbrief (2019) has led to an initial model that automates the conceptual design of a BHS. This initial model still has major limitations which need to be resolved in order to finalize the model. Thus, the goal of this research is to improve the model by increasing both the usability and usefulness of the initial model. The usability has increased by decreasing the run time, writing a manual to motivate the learning of the model, and adding a dashboard to visualize the results. The usefulness has increased by expanding the scope of the model, increasing the model precision by limiting uncertainties, and adding levels of detail to the outcome. Since both facets of the model have been increased, it can be concluded that the adjustments made to the initial model can be seen as improvements. It can therefore be said that the model proposed in this research can be seen as an improved model for the conceptual design of baggage handling systems.