A constraint satisfaction neural network and heuristic combined approach for concurrent activities scheduling

Scheduling activities in concurrent product development process is of great sig-nificance to shorten developements lead time and minimize the cost.Moreover,it can eliminate the unnecessary redesign periods and guarantee that serial activities can be executed as concurrently as possible,This paper presents a constraint satisfaction neural network and heuristic combined approach for concurrent activities scheduling.In the combined approack,the neural network is used to obtain a feasible starting time of all the activities based on sequence constraints ,the heuristic algorithm is used to obtain a feasible solution of the scheduling problem based on resource constrainsts.The feasible scheduling solution is obtained by a gradient optimization function .Sim-ulations have shown that the proposed combined approach is efficient and fasible with respect to concurrent activities scheduling.     

Constraint satisfaction adaptive neural network and heuristicscombined approaches for generalized job-shop scheduling

This paper presents a constraint satisfaction adaptive neural network, together with several heuristics, to solve the generalized job-shop scheduling problem, one of NP-complete constraint satisfaction problems. The proposed neural network can be easily constructed and can adaptively adjust its weights of connections and biases of units based on the sequence and resource constraints of the job-shop scheduling problem during its processing. Several heuristics that can be combined with the neural network are also presented. In the combined approaches, the neural network is used to obtain feasible solutions, the heuristic algorithms are used to improve the performance of the neural network and the quality of the obtained solutions. Simulations have shown that the proposed neural network and its combined approaches are efficient with respect to the quality of solutions and the solving speed.     

一种基于神经网络的生产调度方法

提出解决具有开、完工期限制的约束Job-shop生产调度问题的一种神经网络方法. 该方法通过约束神经网络,描述各种加工约束条件,并对不满足约束的开工时间进行相应调 节,得到可行调度方案;然后由梯度搜索算法优化可行调度方案,直至得到最终优化可行调度 解.理论分析、仿真实验表明了方法的有效性.     

基于Hopfield神经网络的作业车间生产调度方法

该文提出了基于Hopfield神经网络的作业车间生产调度的新方法.文中给出了作业车 间生产调度问题(JSP)的约束条件及其换位矩阵表示,提出了新的包括所有约束条件的计算能 量函数表达式,得到相应的作业车间调度问题的Hopfield神经网络结构与权值解析表达式,并 提出相应的Hopfield神经网络作业车间调度方法.为了避免Hopfield神经网络容易收敛到局部 极小,从而产生非法调度解的缺点,将模拟退火算法应用于Hopfield神经网络求解,使Hopfield 神经网络收敛到计算能量函数的最小值0,从而保证神经网络输出是一个可行调度方案.该文 改进了已有文献中提出的作业调度问题的Hopfield神经网络方法,与已有算法相比,能够保证 神经网络稳态输出为可行的作业车间调度方案.     

改进计算能量函数下作业车间调度的混沌神经网络方法

神经网络是求解作业车间调度问题的一种有效方法,本文研究可以获得全局最优或近似全局最优的可行解的作业车问调度神经网络方法.给出包括作业车间调度所有约束条件的新的计算能量函数表达式,并把混沌动力学应用于离散Hopfield神经网络作业车间调度中,提出一种改进的暂态混沌离散神经网络作业车间调度方法.仿真结果表明,该方法不仅具有全局搜索能力,而且收敛速度较快,重要的是能够保证神经网络的稳态输出为全局最优或近似全局最优的可行的作业车间调度方案.     

Fast heuristic scheduling based on neural networks for real-time systems

As most of the real-time scheduling problems are known as hard problems, approximate or heuristic scheduling approaches are extremely required for solving these problems. This paper presents a new heuristic scheduling approach based on a modified Hopfield-Tank neural network to schedule tasks with deadlines and resource requirements in a multiprocessor system. In this approach, fast heuristic scheduling is achieved by performing a heuristic scheduling policy in conjunction with backtracking on the neural network. The results from our previous work, using the same neural network architecture without backtracking, are included here as a case with zero backtracking. Extensive simulation, which includes comparison with the conventional heuristic approach, is used to validate the effectiveness of our approach.     

An improved constraint satisfaction adaptive neural network for job-shop scheduling

This paper presents an improved constraint satisfaction adaptive neural network for job-shop scheduling problems. The neural network is constructed based on the constraint conditions of a job-shop scheduling problem. Its structure and neuron connections can change adaptively according to the real-time constraint satisfaction situations that arise during the solving process. Several heuristics are also integrated within the neural network to enhance its convergence, accelerate its convergence, and improve the quality of the solutions produced. An experimental study based on a set of benchmark job-shop scheduling problems shows that the improved constraint satisfaction adaptive neural network outperforms the original constraint satisfaction adaptive neural network in terms of computational time and the quality of schedules it produces. The neural network approach is also experimentally validated to outperform three classical heuristic algorithms that are widely used as the basis of many state-of-the-art scheduling systems. Hence, it may also be used to construct advanced job-shop scheduling systems.     

Knowledge integration using problem spaces: A study in resource-constrained project scheduling

The need to develop schedules for projects with resource constraints and cash flows arises in organizational settings ranging from construction planning to research and development. Given the intractable nature of the problem, a variety of knowledge sources relevant to the project scheduling task have been identified in the Operations Management literature. These include a large number of heuristic procedures that can be used to generate feasible project schedules as well as recent neural network-based approaches that can select appropriate heuristic procedures to apply to a specific instance of the project scheduling problem. While integrated application of these knowledge sources is required to effectively support scheduling, previous work has focussed on developing and implementing them in isolation. The problem space computational model presented in this paper addresses this shortcoming by integrating these various knowledge sources, thus enabling the development of decision support systems for resource constrained project scheduling. More generally, the modeling approach used in this paper can be applied to create systems to assist knowledge intensive tasks that arise in many organizational settings.     

An intelligent search method for project scheduling problems

We develop an approach for implementing a real time admissible heuristic search algorithm for solving project scheduling problems with resource constraints. This algorithm is characterized by the complete heuristic learning process: state selection, heuristic learning, and search path review. The implementation approach is based on the network structure and the activity status of a project; which consists of definition of states, state transition operator, heuristic estimation, and state transition cost. The performance analysis with a benchmark problem shows that, the accumulation of heuristic learning during the search process leads to the re-scheduling of more promising activities, and finds an optimal schedule efficiently.     

A hybrid method for hydroelectric generation scheduling using an artificial neural network

This paper presents a decomposition method for finding an optimal operating policy of interconnected hydroelectric power plants using an artificial neural network. The coupling constraints on reservoir storage at the end of the planning horizon are relaxed using coordinating multipliers that result in interval wise decomposition of the overall problem. Resulting subproblems are solved sequentially, which reduces the complexity of the problem. Each subproblem is solved using a two-phase neural network approach. An efficient heuristic algorithm is developed to find the feasible solution. A case study considering scheduling of the Bhakra-Beas reservoir system is also presented in this paper. The new method demonstrates the potential of achieving an improved performance.     

基于数据交换与同步的作业调度方案

多机作业调度问题是一个经典的NP难问题,在应用中由于实际需要,会出现各种约束和变形,调度问题的研究成果决定着系统的性能.DataTurbo是作者参与的一个用于解决分布式数据迁移、集成和融合的平台,该平台承担着大数据量的分布式传输任务.在DataTurbo平台基础上,提出一种适用于数据交换与同步的分布式作业调度方案,并构建一个灵活的分布式调度算法框架,解决相关的调度问题.该调度方案是一种在线的、可并发的、作业可分解的多机调度方案.仿真实验结果显示,该调度方案在任务负载大、调度点稀疏情况下优势明显,能适用于数据交换同步作业,可作为数据交换与同步作业的动态调度方案,并为相关启发式算法建立基础模型.     

An Optimization-Based Approach for Design Project Scheduling

Concurrent engineering has been widely used in managing design projects to speed up the design process by concurrently performing multiple tasks. Since the progress of a design task often depends on the knowledge about other tasks and requires effective communication, tasks and communication activities need to be properly coordinated to avoid delays caused by waiting for information or the need for rework. This paper presents a novel formulation for design project scheduling with explicit modeling of task dependencies and the associated communication activities. General dependencies are modeled as combinations of three basic types representing sequential, concurrent, and independent processes. Communication activities are also modeled as tasks, and their interactions with design tasks are described by sets of intertask constraints. The objective is to achieve timely project completion with limited resources. To improve algorithm convergence and schedule quality, penalties on the violation of constraints coupling design tasks are added to the objective function. A solution methodology that combines Lagrangian relaxation, dynamic programming, and heuristic is developed to schedule design and communication tasks, and a surrogate optimization framework is used to overcome the “inseperability” caused by nonadditive penalties. A heuristic procedure is then developed to obtain scheduling policies from optimization results and to dynamically construct schedules. Numerical results show that the approach is effective to handle various task dependencies and the associated communication activities to provide high-quality schedules.      

用约束满足自适应神经网络和有效的启发式算法解Job-shop调度问题

提出一种用约束满足自适应神经网络结合有效的启发式算法求解Ｊｏｂ－ｓｈｏｐ调度问题．在混合算法中,自适应神经网络具有在网络运行过程中神经元的偏置和连接权值自适应取值的特性,被用来求得调度问题的可行解,启发式算法分别被用来增强神经网络的性能、获得确定排序下最优解和提高可行解的质量．仿真表明了本文提出的混合算法的快速有效性．     

Neural network approach for allocation with capacity

In this paper we discuss neural network approach for allocation with capacity constraints problem. This problem can be formulated as zero-one integer programming problem. We transform this zero-one integer programming problem into an equivalent nonlinear programming problem by replacing zero-one constraints with quadratic concave equality constraints. We propose two kinds of neural network structures based on penalty function method and augmented Lagrangian multiplier method, and compare them by theoretical analysis and numerical simulation. We show that penalty function based neural network approach is not good to combinatorial optimization problem because it falls in the dilemma whether terminating at an infeasible solution or sticking at any feasible solution, and augmented Lagrangian multiplier method based neural network can alleviate this suffering in some degree.     

基于资源约束的并行活动优化调度方法

针对并行产品开发过程,提出了一种基资源约束的优化调度算法,首先给出了并行活动的三个定义,提出了一个使算法能够实现优化调度的综合函数,并研究了并行工程中的两个关键问题－－角色分配和反馈修改,仿真实例表明了算法的可行性。     

An optimization algorithm for the workforce management in a retail chain

This work proposes a scheduling problem for the workforce management in a chain of supermarkets operating in Italy. We focus on determining the ideal mix of full-time and part-time workers which are needed every week to guarantee a satisfactory service level during the check-out operations. The generation of working shifts, to be assigned to retail workers, is subject to several constraints imposed by both labour laws and enterprise bargaining agreements.We present a mathematical formulation of the problem followed by an exact solution approach which relies on the definition of feasible daily working shifts. The number of feasible daily shifts, that are combined to determine feasible weekly shifts, could drastically increase, depending on the selected planning interval. In addition, there may exist additional constraints, that are difficult to incorporate into the mathematical model. For these reasons, a hybrid heuristic, which does not require the generation of all feasible weekly shifts, is proposed in this paper.Using appropriate statistical techniques, a sensitivity analysis is performed to test the design of the hybrid heuristic. Computational tests are carried out by solving several real instances provided by the retail firm. The results obtained by the heuristic are compared both with an exact approach and with the solutions adopted by the retail company, which have been determined by using a naïf approach. Our hybrid heuristic exhibits excellent performance finding optimal or near optimal solutions in a very limited CPU time.     

Solving job shop scheduling with setup times through constraint-based iterative sampling: an experimental analysis

This paper presents a heuristic algorithm for solving a job-shop scheduling problem with sequence dependent setup times and min/max separation constraints among the activities (SDST-JSSP/max). The algorithm relies on a core constraint-based search procedure, which generates consistent orderings of activities that require the same resource by incrementally imposing precedence constraints on a temporally feasible solution. Key to the effectiveness of the search procedure is a conflict sampling method biased toward selection of most critical conflicts and coupled with a non-deterministic choice heuristic to guide the base conflict resolution process. This constraint-based search is then embedded within a larger iterative-sampling search framework to broaden search space coverage and promote solution optimization. The efficacy of the overall heuristic algorithm is demonstrated empirically both on a set of previously studied job-shop scheduling benchmark problems with sequence dependent setup times and by introducing a new benchmark with setups and generalized precedence constraints.     

一种解决非光滑伪凸优化问题的新型神经网络

针对带有不等式约束条件的非光滑伪凸优化问题，提出了一种基于微分包含理论的新型递归神经网络模型，根据目标函数与约束条件设计出随着状态向量变化而变化的罚函数，使得神经网络的状态向量始终朝着可行域方向运动，确保神经网络状态向量可在有限时间内进入可行域，最终收敛到原始优化问题的最优解。最后，用两个仿真实验用来验证神经网络的有效性与准确性。与现有神经网络相比，它是一种新型的神经网络模型，模型结构简单，无需计算精确的罚因子，最重要的是无需可行域有界。     

Two-machine flowshop scheduling with bicriteria problem

This paper attempts to solve a two-machine flowshop bicriteria scheduling problem with release dates for the jobs, in which the objective function is to minimize a weighed sum of total flow time and makespan. To tackle this scheduling problem, an integer programming model with N²+3N variables and 5N constraints where N is the number of jobs, is formulated. Because of the lengthy computing time and high computing complexity of the integer programming model, a heuristic scheduling algorithm is presented. Experimental results show that the proposed heuristic algorithm can solve this problem rapidly and accurately. The average solution quality of the heuristic algorithm is above 99% and is much better than that of the SPT rule as a benchmark. A 15-job case requires only 0.018 s, on average, to obtain an ultimate or even optimal solution. The heuristic scheduling algorithm is a more practical approach to real world applications than the integer programming model.     

可变频宽无线网络中信道频谱分配与链路调度

考虑信道频宽对链路传输距离和链路间干扰的影响,对可变频宽无线网络现有的累积干扰模型进行了改进,并基于改进的干扰模型对可变频宽无线网络的信道频谱分配和链路调度问题进行了建模分析。设计了一种两层优化算法对信道频谱分配和链路调度问题进行解耦,提出了一种考虑链路负载需求满足程度的链路优先级指标,启发式地构建并发传输信道分配矩阵的方法。仿真结果表明,两层优化算法能够在合理时间内收敛,启发式方法能够高效地构建并发传输信道分配矩阵。