Periodic review inventory management with contingent use of two freight modes with fixed costs

We study a stochastic inventory model of a firm that periodically orders a product from a make‐to‐order manufacturer. Orders can be shipped by a combination of two freight modes that differ in lead‐times and costs, although orders are not allowed to cross. Placing an order as well as each use of each freight mode has a fixed and a quantity proportional cost. The decision of how to allocate units between the two freight modes utilizes information about demand during the completion of manufacturing. We derive the optimal freight mode allocation policy, and show that the optimal policy for placing orders is not an (s,S) policy in general. We provide tight bounds for the optimal policy that can be calculated by solving single period problems. Our analysis enables insights into the structure of the optimal policy specifying the conditions under which it simplifies to an (s,S) policy. We characterize the best (s,S) policy for our model, and through extensive numerical investigation show that its performance is comparable with the optimal policy in most cases. Our numerical study also sheds light on the benefits of the dual freight model over the single freight models. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2011     

基于聚类算法的多无人机系统任务分配

针对现有任务分配方法在任务点较多时不易解算,且计算量大的问题,提出了基于模糊C-均值聚类算法的多无人机系统任务分配方法.首先,利用模糊C-均值聚类算法得到的隶属度矩阵对任务点进行初始分配;其次,针对基于空间划分聚类可能造成各UAV任务不均衡的问题,设计任务的局部优化调整规则;最后,结合单旅行商问题,利用Tabu Sea...     

Analysis of decentralized multi‐product pull systems with lost sales

We study a pull‐type, flexible, multi‐product, and multi‐stage production/inventory system with decentralized two‐card kanban control policies. Each stage involves a processor and two buffers with finite target levels. Production stages, arranged in series, can process several product types one at a time. Transportation of semi‐finished parts from one stage to another is performed in fixed lot sizes. The exact analysis is mathematically intractable even for smaller systems. We present a robust approximation algorithm to model two‐card kanban systems with batch transfers under arbitrary complexity. The algorithm uses phase‐type modeling to find effective processing times and busy period analysis to identify delays among product types in resource contention. Our algorithm reduces the effort required for estimating performance measures by a considerable margin and resolves the state–space explosion problem of analytical approaches. Using this analytical tool, we present new findings for a better understanding of some tactical and operational issues. We show that flow of material in small procurement sizes smoothes flow of information within the system, but also necessitates more frequent shipments between stages, raising the risk of late delivery. Balancing the risk of information delays vis‐à‐vis shipment delays is critical for the success of two‐card kanban systems. Although product variety causes time wasted in setup operations, it also facilitates relatively short production cycles enabling processors to switch from one product type to another more rapidly. The latter point is crucial especially in high‐demand environments. Increasing production line size prevents quick response to customer demand, but it may improve system performance if the vendor lead‐time is long or subject to high variation. Finally, variability in transportation and processing times causes the most damage if it arises at stages closer to the customer. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2007     

Quantifying the performance effects of idle time utilization in multiserver systems

In many practical multiserver queueing systems, servers not only serve randomly arriving customers but also work on the secondary jobs with infinite backlog during their idle time. In this paper, we propose a c‐server model with a two‐threshold policy, denoted by (e d), to evaluate the performance of this class of systems. With such a policy, when the number of idle servers has reached d (<c), then e (<d) idle agents will process secondary jobs. These e servers keep working on the secondary jobs until they find waiting customers exist in the system at a secondary job completion instant. Using the matrix analytic method, we obtain the stationary performance measures for evaluating different (e, d) policies. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2007.     

Managing components for assemble‐to‐order products with lead‐time‐dependent pricing: The full‐shipment model

We study a component inventory planning problem in an assemble‐to‐order environment faced by many contract manufacturers in which both quick delivery and efficient management of component inventory are crucial for the manufacturers to achieve profitability in a highly competitive market. Extending a recent study in a similar problem setting by the same authors, we analyze an optimization model for determining the optimal component stocking decision for a contract manufacturer facing an uncertain future demand, where product price depends on the delivery times. In contrast to our earlier work, this paper considers the situation where the contract manufacturer needs to deliver the full order quantity in one single shipment. This delivery requirement is appropriate for many industries, such as the garment and toy industries, where the economies of scale in transportation is essential. We develop efficient solution procedures for solving this optimization problem. We use our model results to illustrate how the different model parameters affect the optimal solution. We also compare the results under this full‐shipment model with those from our earlier work that allows for multiple partial shipments. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2007     

Puzzle‐based storage systems

We introduce and develop models for a physical goods storage system based on the 15‐puzzle, a classic children's game in which 15 numbered tiles slide within a 4 × 4 grid. The objective of the game is to arrange the tiles in numerical sequence, starting from a random arrangement. For our purposes, the tiles represent totes, pallets, or even containers that must be stored very densely, and the objective is to maneuver items to an input–output point for retrieval or processing. We develop analytical results for storage configurations having a single empty location (as in the game) and experimental results for configurations with multiple empty locations. Designs with many empty locations can be made to form aisles, allowing us to compare puzzle‐based designs with traditional aisle‐based designs found in warehousing systems. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2007     

Kurtosis correction method for X̄ and R control charts for long‐tailed symmetrical distributions

This paper proposes a kurtosis correction (KC) method for constructing the X? and R control charts for symmetrical long‐tailed (leptokurtic) distributions. The control charts are similar to the Shewhart control charts and are very easy to use. The control limits are derived based on the degree of kurtosis estimated from the actual (subgroup) data. It is assumed that the underlying quality characteristic is symmetrically distributed and no other distributional and/or parameter assumptions are made. The control chart constants are tabulated and the performance of these charts is compared with that of the Shewhart control charts. For the case of the logistic distribution, the exact control limits are derived and are compared with the KC method and the Shewhart method. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2007     

ISAR成像包络对齐性能评估

运动补偿是ISAR成像中的关键技术,通常包括包络对齐和相位补偿,而包络对齐是相位补偿的基础。现有包络对齐方法较多,在无法直观判断包络对齐效果的情况下,需要进行定量评估,以选择最优的对齐方法用于ISAR成像。提出基于距离单元方差的包络对齐评估方法:以对齐后各距离单元方差的加权和作为评估指标,对包络对齐结果直接进行评估。进行了相应的仿真实验,结果证明了该评估方法的有效性。     

局部多孔质气浮止推轴承特性研究

在考虑轴承气膜交界面处切向速度滑移的条件下,建立了局部多孔质气浮止推轴承的理论模型,然后使用有限元算法进行了数值仿真,仿真的结果与试验结果取得了一定程度的一致性,说明此新的修改了的雷诺方程可以用来作为局部多孔质气浮止推轴承研究的理论模型。利用该模型,能够成功计算出不同渗透系数、不同厚度及不同直径的局部多孔质气浮轴承的流量、承载及刚度。还从理论上与小孔类型及全多孔质类型的气浮轴承特性进行了对比,结果表明,局部多孔质气浮轴承有着优良的特性及很好的应用前景。     

动基站时差探测系统定位方法研究

针对传统长基线时差探测系统的缺点,提出了全新的动基站时差测量系统并给出了目标的定位原理。在典型布站、信息存在冗余的前提下,通过子集选优法确定了最佳定位算法,并根据工程应用的需要确定了更加合理简捷的定位算法,统计仿真表明了该算法的有效性。最后,计算了目标高度测量精度并归纳了其特点,给出了有益的结论。