Dynamic Fault Recovery in Smart Warehouse Using Software Defined Control

With the rapid advancement of Software-Defined Networking (SDN), Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) in warehouse automation systems increasingly depend on wireless communication with the Industrial Control System (ICS) for efficient task coordination and accurate freight distribution. However, wireless communication is highly susceptible to link failures, signal interference, and congestion, causing message delays, packet loss, and ultimately reduced system efficiency. To address these challenges, the SoftwareDefined Fast Failure Recovery (SD-FFR) mechanism leverages SDN principles to monitor the network in real time, detect link failures within milliseconds, and dynamically reroute traffic to maintain uninterrupted communication between AGVs and the ICS. Load balancing is also integrated into routing decisions to minimize congestion and optimize resource utilization for smoother operations. Complementing SD-FFR, the AGV Task Transfer Protocol (ATTP) is introduced as a robust softwarebased feature to ensure operational continuity. In the event an AGV loses connection or fails during task execution, the system promptly detects the fault and automatically reallocates the remaining task to a nearby AGV, ensuring goods continue moving toward their intended destination without manual intervention. To further enhance communication reliability, a wireless mesh network topology is employed, offering multiple redundant communication paths that improve fault tolerance and ensure stable connectivity between AGVs. The overall system is evaluated through detailed software simulations, measuring performance indicators such as recovery time, throughput, packet delivery ratio, and task completion success rate. Results clearly demonstrate that integrating SD-FFR with ATTP significantly enhances overall reliability, resilience, and efficiency in warehouse automation systems under diverse and challenging network conditions.