面向两类典型分析仿真的多样本任务调度工具的设计

当在多台计算机上调度很多样本并行运行时,采用手工操作效率低且极易出错。设计一个自动化的任务分发与调度工具可以有效地提高仿真运行效率。蒙特卡罗仿真和粒子群优化算法仿真是两类典型的分析仿真,介绍了面向这两类仿真的多样本任务调度工具的实现原理和关键技术,这些方法具有很好的通用性和可扩展性,可以广泛应用于解决各类仿真任务的自动分发与调度问题。     

任务分配与调度中遗传算子的设计

应用遗传算法等进化方法进行任务分配与调度为越来越多的计算机学者们所关注。基于任务排列的知识表示 ,常规的标准遗传操作算子并不总是有效的。好的遗传算子对算法收敛性及收敛到好点是非常重要的。在列表编码的知识表示基础上 ,设计了三个有针对性的遗传算子 ,即改进的交配算子、内部交配算子和一种作为变异的迁移算子。模拟实验结果与分析表明这些算子对任务分配与调度是有效的。     

两段探测目标的传感器任务调度问题0-1规划模型及算法

为解决指挥系统控制中的调度困难,研究了一类特殊的传感器资源调度问。主要分析了跟踪目标的探测次数、时间间隔和传感器资源等约束条件。用跟踪目标的重要程度之和作为目标函数,建立了一个0-1规划的数学模型,再利用变换将其转化为0-1线性整数规划模型。利用割平面法求解得出最优调度策略,其能在工作量饱和的情况下合理调度传感器资源。为提高求解速度,提出了对应的模拟退火算法。通过对一些不同规模实例的求解,在资源利用率和算法的求解速度等指标上,与割平面法及遗传算法进行对比分析,验证了模型的有效性和模拟退火算法求解的高效性。     

Two‐agent scheduling on a single sequential and compatible batching machine

We study two‐agent scheduling on a single sequential and compatible batching machine in which jobs in each batch are processed sequentially and compatibility means that jobs of distinct agents can be processed in a common batch. A fixed setup time is required before each batch is started. Each agent seeks to optimize some scheduling criterion that depends on the completion times of its own jobs only. We consider several scheduling problems arising from different combinations of some regular scheduling criteria, including the maximum cost (embracing lateness and makespan as its special cases), the total completion time, and the (weighted) number of tardy jobs. Our goal is to find an optimal schedule that minimizes the objective value of one agent, subject to an upper bound on the objective value of the other agent. For each problem under consideration, we provide either a polynomial‐time or a pseudo‐polynomial‐time algorithm to solve it. We also devise a fully polynomial‐time approximation scheme when both agents’ scheduling criteria are the weighted number of tardy jobs.     

Optimally scheduling interfering and non‐interfering cranes

This article treats the problem of scheduling multiple cranes processing jobs along a line, where cranes are divided into different groups and only cranes in the same group can interfere with each other. Such crane scheduling problems occur, for example, at indented berths or in container yards where double rail‐mounted gantry cranes stack containers such that cranes of the same size can interfere with each other but small cranes can pass underneath larger ones. We propose a novel algorithm based on Benders decomposition to solve this problem to optimality. In a computational study, it is shown that this algorithm solves small and medium‐sized instances and even many large instances within a few seconds or minutes. Moreover, it improves several best known solutions from the literature with regard to the simpler problem version with only one crane group. We also look into whether investment in more complicated crane configurations with multiple crane groups is actually worthwhile.     

An absolute approximation algorithm for scheduling unrelated machines

Non‐preemptive scheduling of n independent jobs on m unrelated machines so as to minimize the maximal job completion time is considered. A polynomial algorithm with the worst‐case absolute error of min{(1 ? 1/m)p_max, p} is presented, where p_max is the largest job processing time and p is the mth element from the non‐increasing list of job processing times. This is better than the earlier known best absolute error of p_max. The algorithm is based on the rounding of acyclic multiprocessor distributions. An O(nm²) algorithm for the construction of an acyclic multiprocessor distribution is also presented. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2006     

A heuristic for maximizing the number of on‐time jobs on two uniform parallel machines

We consider the problem of maximizing the number of on‐time jobs on two uniform parallel machines. We show that a straightforward extension of an algorithm developed for the simpler two identical parallel machines problem yields a heuristic with a worst‐case ratio bound of at least . We then show that the infusion of a “look ahead” feature into the aforementioned algorithm results in a heuristic with the tight worst‐case ratio bound of , which, to our knowledge, is the tightest worst‐case ratio bound available for the problem. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2006     

Makespan minimization in the two‐machine flowshop batch scheduling problem

In this paper we consider a practical scheduling problem commonly arising from batch production in a flexible manufacturing environment. Different part‐types are to be produced in a flexible manufacturing cell organized into a two‐stage production line. The jobs are processed in batches on the first machine, and the completion time of a job is defined as the completion time of the batch containing it. When processing of all jobs in a batch is completed on the first machine, the whole batch of jobs is transferred intact to the second machine. A constant setup time is incurred whenever a batch is formed on any machine. The tradeoff between the setup times and batch processing times gives rise to the batch composition decision. The problem is to find the optimal batch composition and the optimal schedule of the batches so that the makespan is minimized. The problem is shown to be strongly NP‐hard. We identify some special cases by introducing their corresponding solution methods. Heuristic algorithms are also proposed to derive approximate solutions. We conduct computational experiments to study the effectiveness of the proposed heuristics. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 47: 128–144, 2000     

An integer programming model for the weekly tour scheduling problem

We study a workforce planning and scheduling problem in which weekly tours of agents must be designed. Our motivation for this study comes from a call center application where agents serve customers in response to incoming phone calls. Similar to many other applications in the services industry, the demand for service in call centers varies significantly within a day and among days of the week. In our model, a weekly tour of an agent consists of five daily shifts and two days off, where daily shifts within a tour may be different from each other. The starting times of any two consecutive shifts, however, may not differ by more than a specified bound. Furthermore, a tour must also satisfy constraints regarding the days off, for example, it may be required that one of the days off is on a weekend day. The objective is to determine a collection of weekly tours that satisfy the demand for agents' services, while minimizing the total labor cost of the workforce. We describe an integer programming model where a weekly tour is obtained by combining seven daily shift scheduling models and days‐off constraints in a network flow framework. The model is flexible and can accommodate different daily models with varying levels of detail. It readily handles different days‐off rules and constraints regarding start time differentials in consecutive days. Computational results are also presented. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 48: 607–624, 2001.     

A genetic algorithm methodology for complex scheduling problems

This paper considers the scheduling problem to minimize total tardiness given multiple machines, ready times, sequence dependent setups, machine downtime and scarce tools. We develop a genetic algorithm based on random keys representation, elitist reproduction, Bernoulli crossover and immigration type mutation. Convergence of the algorithm is proved. We present computational results on data sets from the auto industry. To demonstrate robustness of the approach, problems from the literature of different structure are solved by essentially the same algorithm. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 46: 199–211, 1999