Unbounded parallel-batching scheduling with two competitive agents

We consider the scheduling problems arising when two agents, each with a family of jobs, compete to perform their respective jobs on a common unbounded parallel-batching machine. The batching machine can process any number of jobs simultaneously in a batch. The processing time of a batch is equal to the maximum processing time of the jobs in the batch. Two main categories of batch processing based on the compatibility of job families or agents are distinguished. In the case where job families are incompatible, jobs from different families cannot be placed in the same processing batch while all jobs can be placed in the same processing batch when job families are compatible. The goal is to find a schedule for all jobs of the two agents that minimizes the objective of one agent while keeping the objective of the other agent below or at a fixed value Q. Polynomial-time and pseudo-polynomial-time algorithms are provided to solve various combinations of regular objective functions for the scenario in which job families are either incompatible or compatible.     

Algorithms for scheduling incompatible job families on single batching machine with limited capacity

Motivated by applications in food processing and semiconductor manufacturing industries, we consider the scheduling problem of a batching machine with jobs of multiple families. The machine has a limited capacity to accommodate jobs. The jobs are in arbitrary sizes and multiple families. Jobs from different families cannot be processed in a batch. We show the problems of minimizing makespan and total batch completion time are both NP-hard in the strong sense. We present a mixed integer programming model for the problems. Then we propose two polynomial time heuristics based on longest processing time first rule and first fit rule. For the special case where a larger job also has a longer processing time, the heuristic for minimizing makespan is optimal. For the general case, we show the performance guarantee of the methods for the two objectives respectively.     

带有线性恶化工件和释放时间的两个代理单机调度问题

研究了带有简单线性恶化工件和释放时间的两个代理单机调度问题. 所有工件在一台机器上加工, 每个代理有各自依赖于自己工件的优化目标. 针对工件释放时间相同与不同两种情况, 研究了有约束的优化模型, 即找到调度最小化一个代理的目标函数而使得另一个代理的目标函数不超过一个给定的上界. 当工件具有相同的释放时间, 我们主要考虑的目标函数有: 总加权完工时间和总加权拖期工件数. 当工件具有不同释放时间, 我们考虑的目标函数有: 最大完工时间、总完工时间以及拖期工件数. 对于每一个问题, 我们分析了问题的计算复杂性. 此外, 对于NP难问题的一些特殊情况本文分析了最优解性质, 基于这些性质给出了最优算法.     

Strong NP-hardness of the single machine multi-operation jobs total completion time scheduling problem

We consider the single machine multi-operation jobs total completion time scheduling problem. Each job consists of several operations that belong to different families. In a schedule, each family of job operations may be processed in batches with each batch incurring a set-up time. A job completes when all of its operations have been processed. The objective is to minimize the sum of the job completion times. In the literature, the computational complexity of this problem is posed as open. We show that the problem is strongly NP-hard even when the set-up times are common and the processing time of each operation is 0 or 1.     

A Stronger Complexity Result for the Single Machine Multi-Operation Jobs Scheduling Problem to Minimize the Number of Tardy Jobs

We consider the single machine multi-operation jobs scheduling problem to minimize the number of tardy jobs. Each job consists of several operations that belong to different families. In a schedule, each family of job operations may be processed in batches with each batch incurring a setup time. A job completes when all of its operations have been processed. The objective is to minimize the number of tardy jobs. In the literature, this problem has been proved to be strongly NP-hard for arbitrary due-dates. We show in this paper that the problem remains strongly NP-hard even when the due-dates are common and all jobs have the same processing time.     

并行机生产与具有等待时间限制的成批运输协调调度问题

研究了运输阶段具有等待时间限制的成批运输与并行机生产协调调度问题,目标为最小化制造期与运输费用之和．通过复杂性分析,证明其是强NP难问题,提出启发式算法并证明其最坏情况性能比为4—1／m．当一个运输批必须在同一台机器加工时,证明其也是强NP难问题．将加工时间与等待时间限定值进行比较,分别提出两个启发式算法,并证明其最坏...     

Minimizing Mean Completion Time in a Batch Processing System

We consider batch processing jobs to minimize the mean completion time. A batch processing machine can handle up to $B$ jobs simultaneously. Each job is represented by an arrival time and a processing time. Jobs processed in a batch have the same completion time, i.e., their common starting time plus the processing time of their longest job. For batch processing, non-preemptive scheduling is usually required and we discuss this case. The batch processing problem reduces to the ordinary uniprocessor system scheduling problem if $B=1$. We focus on the other extreme case $B=+\infty$. Even for this seemingly simple extreme case, we are able to show that the problem is NP-hard for the weighted version. In addition, we establish a polynomial time algorithm for a special case when there are only a constant number of job processing times. Finally, we give a polynomial time approximation scheme for the general case.     

On the complexity of bi-criteria scheduling on a single batch processing machine

This paper considers hierarchical bi-criteria scheduling on a single batch processing machine where the primary criterion is the makespan. We show that the problem where the secondary criterion is the total completion time can be solved in polynomial time for a given machine capacity and the problem where the secondary criterion is the (weighted) number of late jobs is (strongly) NP-hard.     

Minimizing makespan subject to minimum flowtime on two identical parallel machines

We consider the problem of scheduling jobs on two parallel identical machines where an optimal schedule is defined as one that gives the smallest makespan (the completion time of the last job) among the set of schedules with optimal total flowtime (the sum of the completion times of all jobs). We propose an algorithm to determine optimal schedules for the problem, and describe a modified multifit algorithm to find an approximate solution to the problem in polynomial computational time. Results of a computational study to compare the performance of the proposed algorithms with a known heuristic shows that the proposed heuristic and optimization algorithms are quite effective and efficient in solving the problem.Scope and purposeMultiple objective optimization problems are quite common in practice. However, while solving scheduling problems, optimization algorithms often consider only a single objective function. Consideration of multiple objectives makes even the simplest multi-machine scheduling problems NP-hard. Therefore, enumerative optimization techniques and heuristic solution procedures are required to solve multi-objective scheduling problems. This paper illustrates the development of an optimization algorithm and polynomially bounded heuristic solution procedures for the scheduling jobs on two identical parallel machines to hierarchically minimize the makespan subject to the optimality of the total flowtime.     

批处理机上具有两类释放时间的工件集竞争调度问题

研究了两个工件集合竞争在一台批处理机上加工的调度问题,其中每个集合的工件具有一个共同的释放时间.批处理机可以同时加工多个工件作为一批,每批的加工时间为该批工件中加工时间的最大值.基于两类释放时间的大小,针对无界批处理机上最小化一个集合工件的最大完工时间、最大延迟以及总完工时间,使得另一个集合工件的最大完工时间不超过给定上界问题,分别给出了最优求解方法.针对有界批处理机上最小化一个集合工件的最大完工时间,使得另一个集合工件的最大完工时间不超过给定上界问题,证明为一般意义NP-难问题,并给出伪多项式时间最优求解方法.     

A coordinated scheduling of production-and-delivery under dynamic delivery cost environments

This paper considers a coordination scheduling of production and delivery, where delivery cost depends on time period for delivery, but not dependent on individual jobs. The objective is to find a coordinated production-and-delivery schedule to minimize sum of the scheduling cost (either one of makespan, sum of completion times, or maximum lateness) and delivery cost. The problem is proved to be strongly NP-hard for all the objective measures tested. Some restricted cases of the problem are also characterized for their complexities, for which the associated dynamic programming algorithms are derived.     

基于到达时间两台并行机上在线批调度

考虑两台同构并行机上在线批调度问题．每个批具有不确定的到达时间,一旦机器可以利用,要在当前可以利用的批中选择出合适的批,并将其中的工件调度到机器上,且工件在加工过程中不允许中断．目标函数是使调度的最大完成时间最小．给出了一个批在线调度ＲＢＬＰＴ算法,即选择当前批中加工时间之和最大的批按ＬＰＴ 规则调度．另外,利用反证法,对算法的最坏情况进行了分析．     

Two-machine flowshop scheduling with three-operation jobs subject to a fixed job sequence

This paper studies the problem of scheduling three-operation jobs in a two-machine flowshop subject to a predetermined job processing sequence. Each job has two preassigned operations, which are to be performed on their respective dedicated machines, and a flexible operation, which may be processed on either of the two machines subject to the processing order as specified. Five standard objective functions, including the makespan, the maximum lateness, the total weighted completion time, the total weighted tardiness, and the weighted number of tardy jobs are considered. We show that the studied problem for either of the five considered objective functions is ordinary NP-hard, even if the processing times of the preassigned operations are zero for all jobs. A pseudo-polynomial time dynamic programming framework, coupled with brief numerical experiments, is then developed for all the addressed performance metrics with different run times.     

Irreducible bin packing and normality in routing open shop

The open shop is a classical scheduling problem known since 1976, which can be described as follows. A number of jobs have to be processed by a given set of machines, each machine should perform an operation on every job, and the processing times of all the operations are given. One has to construct a schedule to perform all the operations to minimize finish time also known as the makespan. The open shop problem is known to be NP-hard for three and more machines, while is polynomially solvable in the case of two machines. We consider the routing open shop problem, being a generalization of both the open shop problem and the metric traveling salesman problem. In this setting, jobs are located at nodes of a transportation network and have to be processed by mobile machines, initially located at a predefined depot. Machines have to process all the jobs and return to the depot to minimize makespan. A feasible schedule is referred to as normal if its makespan coincides with the standard lower bound. We introduce the Irreducible Bin Packing decision problem, use it to describe new sufficient conditions of normality for the two machine problem, and discuss the possibility to extend these results on the problem with three and more machines. To that end, we present two new computer-aided optima localization results.

     

Scheduling a batching machine with convex resource consumption functions

In various industries jobs undergo a batching, or burn in, process where different tasks are grouped into batches and processed simultaneously. The processing time of each batch is equal to the longest processing time among all jobs contained in the batch. All to date studies dealing with batching machines have considered fixed job processing times. However, in many real life applications job processing times are controllable through the allocation of a limited resource. The most common and realistic model assumes that there exists a non-linear and convex relationship between the amount of resource allocated to a job and its processing time. The scheduler?s task when dealing with controllable processing times is twofold. In addition to solving the sequencing problem, one must establish an optimal resource allocation policy. We combine these two widespread models on a single machine setting, showing that both the makespan and total completion time criteria can be solved in polynomial time. We then show that our proposed approach can be applied to general bi-criteria objective comprising of the makespan and the total completion time.     

Heuristics for scheduling problems with an unavailability constraint and position-dependent processing times

We study a single machine scheduling problem, where the machine is unavailable for processing for a pre-specified time period. We assume that job processing times are position-dependent. The objective functions considered are minimum makespan, minimum total completion time and minimum number of tardy jobs. All these problems are known to be NP-hard even without position-dependent processing times. For all three cases we introduce simple heuristics which are based on solving the classical assignment problem. Lower bounds, worst case analysis and asymptotic optimality are discussed. All heuristics are shown numerically to perform extremely well.     

Preemptive online scheduling with rejection of unit jobs on two uniformly related machines

We consider preemptive online and semi-online scheduling of unit jobs on two uniformly related machines. Jobs are presented one by one to an algorithm, and each job has a rejection penalty associated with it. A new job can either be rejected, in which case the algorithm pays its rejection penalty, or it can be scheduled preemptively on the machines, in which case it may increase the maximum completion time of any machine in the schedule, also known as the makespan of the constructed schedule. The objective is to minimize the sum of the makespan of the schedule of all accepted jobs and the total penalty of all rejected jobs. We study two versions of the problem. The first one is the online problem where the jobs arrive unsorted, and the second variant is the semi-online case, where the jobs arrive sorted by a non-increasing order of penalties. We also show that the variant where the jobs arrive sorted by a non-decreasing order of penalties is equivalent to the unsorted one. We design optimal online algorithms for both cases. These algorithms have smaller competitive ratios than the optimal competitive ratio for the more general problem with arbitrary processing times (except for the case of identical machines), but larger competitive ratios than the optimal competitive ratio for preemptive scheduling of unit jobs without rejection.     

A Multiple-Criterion Model for Machine Scheduling

We consider a scheduling problem involving a single processor being utilized by two or more customers. Traditionally, such scenarios are modeled by assuming that each customer has the same criterion. In practice, this assumption may not hold. Instead of using a single criterion, we examine the implications of minimizing an aggregate scheduling objective function in which jobs belonging to different customers are evaluated based on their individual criteria. We examine three basic scheduling criteria: minimizing makespan, minimizing maximum lateness, and minimizing total weighted completion time. Although determining a minimum-cost schedule according to any one of these criteria is polynomially solvable, we demonstrate that when minimizing a mix of these criteria, the problem becomes NP-hard.     

An improved approximation algorithm for single machine scheduling with job delivery

In single machine scheduling with release times and job delivery, jobs are processed on a single machine and then delivered by a capacitated vehicle to a single customer. Only one vehicle is employed to deliver these jobs. The vehicle can deliver at most c jobs in a shipment. The delivery completion time of a job is defined as the time in which the delivery batch containing the job is delivered to the customer and the vehicle returns to the machine. The objective is to minimize the makespan, i.e., the maximum delivery completion time of the jobs. We provide an approximation algorithm for this problem which is better than that given in the literature, improving the performance ratio from 5/3 to 3/2.     

Heuristics for minimizing total completion time and maximum lateness on identical parallel machines with setup times

This paper aims at minimizing the total completion time together with the maximum lateness. Jobs are processed by parallel machines in batches. A setup is required before processing a batch, which is common for all jobs in the batch. Jobs are continuously processed after the setup time. The processing length of a batch is the sum of the setup time and processing times of the jobs it contains. Due to the availability constraint, the completion time of a job is the time when a batch is totally processed. Considering due dates, the jobs need to be processed in a way that the total completion time and the maximum lateness are minimized. This problem is a kind of NP-hard so first we present a constructive heuristic to solve the problem. Then we propose a genetic algorithm whose initial population is formed by using the heuristic approach. Computational experiments are carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithms.