优化简单表缩减算法求解因子分解编码实例

表约束在约束程序（constraint programming,简称CP）中被广泛研究.目前,求解表约束问题效率最高的算法是CT （compact-table）和STRbit （simple tabular reduction bit）.它们在搜索过程中维持广义弧相容（generalized arc consistency,简称GAC）.完全成对相容（full pairwise consistency,简称fPWC）是一种强于GAC的相容性关系,目前,实现fPWC效率最高的算法是PW-CT,但是它无法直接在通用的求解器上实现.因子分解编码（factor-decomposition encoding,简称FDE）是实现fPWC的一种编码方式,通常和简单表缩减（STR）算法一起来使用.当前效率最高的STR算法使用了bitset的数据结构,用这些算法来求解FDE实例可能会造成内存溢出.提出了STRFDE算法——一种使用bitset结构来求解FDE实例的方法.它结合了CT和STRbit的优势,在保证求解效率的同时,使占用的内存尽可能小.实验结果表明,在许多存在非平凡相交的实例上,该算法是有竞争力的.     

一种基于时间戳的简单表缩减算法

表约束是一种外延的知识表示方法,每个约束在对应的变量集上列举出所有支持或禁止的元组.广义弧相容（generalized arc consistency,简称GAC）是求解约束满足问题应用最广泛的相容性.Simple Tabular Reduction（STR）是一类高效的维持GAC的算法.在回溯搜索中,STR动态地删除无效元组,降低了查找支持的开销,并拥有单位时间的回溯代价,在高元表约束上获得了广泛运用,并有大量基于STR的改进算法被提出,其中,元组集的压缩表示是目前研究较多的方法.同样基于动态维持元组集有效部分的思想,为STR提出一种检测并删除无效元组和为变量更新支持的算法,作用于原始表约束并拥有单位时间的回溯代价.实验结果表明,该算法在表约束上维持GAC的效率普遍高于现有的非基于压缩表示的STR算法,并且在一些实例上的效率高于最新的基于元组集压缩表示的STR算法.     

负表约束的简单表缩减广泛弧相容算法

广泛弧相容算法（generalized arc consistency,简称GAC）,是求解约束满足问题的核心方法.表约束理论上可以表示所有约束关系,在过去10年中,有很多应用于表约束的广泛弧相容算法被提出来.在这些算法中,表缩减算法的效率非常高.但是目前的表缩减算法只能应用于正表约束,无法直接应用于负表约束.首先,提出一种表缩减算法STR-N,可以直接应用于负表约束;然后,给出了STR-N的两个改进版本STR-N2和STR-NIC.实验结果显示,STR-N算法在负表约束上的求解效率具有明显的优势.     

一种高效的FDE并行传播算法

约束规划(constraint programming, CP)是表示和求解组合问题的经典范式之一.扩展约束(extensional constraint)或称表约束(table constraint)是约束规划中最为常见的约束类型.绝大多数约束规划问题都可以用表约束表达.在问题求解时,相容性算法用于缩减搜索空间.目前,最为高效的表约束相容性算法是简单表约缩减(simple table reduction, STR)算法簇,如Compact-Table (CT)和STRbit算法.它们在搜索过程中维持广义弧相容(generalized arc consistency, GAC).此外,完全成对相容性(full pairwise consistency, fPWC)是一种比GAC剪枝能力更强的相容性.最为高效的维持fPWC算法是PW-CT算法.多年来,人们提出了多种表约束相容性算法来提高剪枝能力和执行效率.因子分解编码(factor-decomposition encoding, FDE)通过对平凡问题重新编码.它一定程度地扩大了问题模型,使在新的问题上维持相对较弱的GAC等价于在原问题...     

基于动态度的回溯算法求解大值域约束满足问题

针对一个具有精确可满足性相变现象的大值域随机约束满足问题,提出了两种启发式动态回溯算法,即基于动态度的ddeg-MAC（dynamic degree-maintaining arc consistency）回溯算法和基于值域与动态度比值的dom/ddeg-MAC（dom/dynamic degree-maintaining arc consistency）回溯算法。这两种算法分别基于ddeg和dom/ddeg挑选变量,利用维持弧相容（MAC）技术为挑选的变量进行赋值。当赋值无法进行时,再执行动态回溯修正变量的赋值。数值实验结果表明：在控制参数非常接近理论相变点时,算法仍然能够有效地找到问题的解。与经典回溯算法相比,这两种启发式动态回溯算法具有显著的优越性。     

一种维持约束网络相容性的双向传播策略

约束满足问题是经典NP-hard问题,其基本算法是递归形式的回溯算法和弧一致性算法.将弧相容与回溯搜索结合,可以有效降低解空间大小.针对弧相容的维持问题,提出一种新的基于时序计数的传播方案,用于增量更新约束子网.将accumulateRevision和pushRevison作为双向修订的主要方法,以减少修订次数和域过滤变量的数量.实验结果表明,与经典的基于关系的方案和基于变量的传播方案相比,该方案的整体求解速度明显提高,且具有较少的修订时间.     

优化求解约束满足问题的MDDc和STR3算法

广义弧相容是求解约束满足问题应用最广泛的相容性,MDDc、STR2和STR3是表约束上维持广义弧相容应用较多的算法,其中MDDc基于对约束压缩表示的思想,将表约束表示成多元决策图,对各个元组之间存在较多交叠部分的约束具有很好的压缩效果;STR3同STR2一样基于动态维持有效元组的思想,当元组集规模缩减较慢时STR3维持广义弧相容的效率高于STR2.通过深入分析发现MDDc中查找节点的有效出边和STR3中检测并删除无效元组是耗时最多的操作.本文分别对MDDc和STR3提出一种自适应查找有效出边和检测删除无效元组的方法AdaptiveMDDc和AdaptiveSTR,对于同一操作,可以根据回溯搜索不同阶段的局势自适应地选择代价最小的实现方法,得益于较低的判断代价以及回溯搜索不同阶段采用不同方法的效率差异,AdaptiveMDDc和AdaptiveSTR相比原算法速度提升显著,其中AdaptiveSTR在一些问题上相比STR3提速三倍以上.     

最先失败原则的约束传播算法

约束满足问题是人工智能研究领域的重要问题.而弧相容算法是求解约束满足问题的重要工具.在弧相容算法中应用启发式规则已经证明是一种很有效的方式.本文提出一个基于最先失败原则的约束传播算法,该算法在搜索过程中更早地发现含有空域的变量并提前进行回溯,从而提高问题求解效率.同时,在"明月1.0"架构下实现了该算法,实验结果表明使用最先失败原则的弧相容算法要比原来的算法效率上提高了约40%.     

基于仿真和知识的广义动态约束网络技术

针对并行协同设计中的参数不确定性,将普通的约束网络扩展为广义动态约束网络,以对设计中的不确定性信息进行管理.建立了包含领域级约束和知识级约束的广义动态约束网络模型;提出了基于仿真分析和自适应响应面法的领域级约束建模的有效方法,并提出模糊-粗糙集算法,对仿真结果进行数据挖掘,实现了知识级约束获取;基于模板技术给出了广义动态约束网络中各种约束的统一表示方法;构造了有效的约束冲突求解策略和一致性求解算法,求出一致性设计区间.最后通过设计实例验证了文中方法的有效性.     

基于启发式的约束满足问题AC系列算法改进研究

约束满足问题是人工智能领域中一个重要的研究方向,其研究结果在符号推理、系统诊断、真值维护系统、资源分配和产品配置等问题中有广泛的应用。局部相容性定义了约束满足问题在约束传播过程中必须满足的性质,是约束传播发展的主要方向。而对于较为复杂的相容性问题中的AC系列算法的改进可谓难上之难。本文围绕着以弧相容、Singleton弧相容为代表的相容性技术和求解算法展开,主要针对AC-2001算法、SAC算法等进行优化改进,重点基于启发式进行改进,使之获得了更快的筛选速度。尤其对于SAC算法,大大减少了约束检查次数,获得了较为成功的基于启发式的改进结果。     

New filtering algorithms for combinations of among constraints

Several combinatorial problems, such as car sequencing and rostering, feature sequence constraints, restricting the number of occurrences of certain values in every subsequence of a given length. We present three new filtering algorithms for the sequence constraint, including the first that establishes domain consistency in polynomial time. The filtering algorithms have complementary strengths: One borrows ideas from dynamic programming; another reformulates it as a regular constraint; the last is customized. The last two algorithms establish domain consistency, and the customized one does so in polynomial time. We provide experimental results that demonstrate the practical usefulness of each. We also show that the customized algorithm applies naturally to a generalized version of the sequence constraint that allows subsequences of varied lengths. The significant computational advantage of using a single generalized sequence constraint over a semantically equivalent collection of among or sequence constraints is demonstrated empirically.     

Parallel consistent labeling algorithms

Mackworth and Freuder have analyzed the time complexity of several constraint satisfaction algorithms.⁽¹⁾ Mohr and Henderson have given new algorithms, AC-4 and PC-3, for arc and path consistency, respectively, and have shown that the arc consistency algorithm is optimal in time complexity and of the same order space complexity as the earlier algorithms.⁽²⁾ In this paper, we give parallel algorithms for solving node and arc consistency. We show that any parallel algorithm for enforcing are consistency in the worst case must have O(na) sequential steps, wheren is number of nodes, anda is the number of labels per node. We give several parallel algorithms to do arc consistency. It is also shown that they all have optimal time complexity. The results of running the parallel algorithms on a BBN Butterfly multiprocessor are also presented.This work was partially supported by NSF Grants MCS-8221750, DCR-8506393, and DMC-8502115.     

Strong local consistency algorithms for table constraints

Table constraints are important in constraint programming as they are present in many real problems from areas such as configuration and databases. As a result, numerous specialized algorithms that achieve generalized arc consistency (GAC) on table constraints have been proposed. Since these algorithms achieve GAC, they operate on one constraint at a time. In this paper we propose new filtering algorithms for positive table constraints that achieve stronger local consistency properties than GAC by exploiting intersections between constraints. The first algorithm, called maxRPWC+, is a domain filtering algorithm that is based on the local consistency maxRPWC and extends the GAC algorithm of Lecoutre and Szymanek (2006). The second algorithm extends the state-of-the-art STR-based algorithms to stronger relation filtering consistencies, i.e., consistencies that can remove tuples from constraints’ relations. Experimental results from benchmark problems demonstrate that the proposed algorithms are quite competitive with standard GAC algorithms like STR2 in some classes of problems with intersecting table constraints, being orders of magnitude faster in some cases.     

The complexity of some polynomial network consistency algorithms for constraint satisfaction problems

Constraint satisfaction problems play a central role in artificial intelligence. A class of network consistency algorithms for eliminating local inconsistencies in such problems has previously been described. We analyze the time complexity of several node, arc and path consistency algorithms and prove that arc consistency is achievable in time linear in the number of binary constraints. The Waltz filtering algorithm is a special case of the arc consistency algorithm. In the edge labelling computational vision application the constraint graph is planar and so the time complexity is linear in the number of variables.     

Domain filtering consistencies for non-binary constraints

In non-binary constraint satisfaction problems, the study of local consistencies that only prune values from domains has so far been largely limited to generalized arc consistency or weaker local consistency properties. This is in contrast with binary constraints where numerous such domain filtering consistencies have been proposed. In this paper we present a detailed theoretical, algorithmic and empirical study of domain filtering consistencies for non-binary problems. We study three domain filtering consistencies that are inspired by corresponding variable based domain filtering consistencies for binary problems. These consistencies are stronger than generalized arc consistency, but weaker than pairwise consistency, which is a strong consistency that removes tuples from constraint relations. Among other theoretical results, and contrary to expectations, we prove that these new consistencies do not reduce to the variable based definitions of their counterparts on binary constraints. We propose a number of algorithms to achieve the three consistencies. One of these algorithms has a time complexity comparable to that for generalized arc consistency despite performing more pruning. Experiments demonstrate that our new consistencies are promising as they can be more efficient than generalized arc consistency on certain non-binary problems.