Using stochastic programming to solve an outpatient appointment scheduling problem with random service and arrival times

We study a stochastic outpatient appointment scheduling problem (SOASP) in which we need to design a schedule and an adaptive rescheduling (i.e., resequencing or declining) policy for a set of patients. Each patient has a known type and associated probability distributions of random service duration and random arrival time. Finding a provably optimal solution to this problem requires solving a multistage stochastic mixed‐integer program (MSMIP) with a schedule optimization problem solved at each stage, determining the optimal rescheduling policy over the various random service durations and arrival times. In recognition that this MSMIP is intractable, we first consider a two‐stage model (TSM) that relaxes the nonanticipativity constraints of MSMIP and so yields a lower bound. Second, we derive a set of valid inequalities to strengthen and improve the solvability of the TSM formulation. Third, we obtain an upper bound for the MSMIP by solving the TSM under the feasible (and easily implementable) appointment order (AO) policy, which requires that patients are served in the order of their scheduled appointments, independent of their actual arrival times. Fourth, we propose a Monte Carlo approach to evaluate the relative gap between the MSMIP upper and lower bounds. Finally, in a series of numerical experiments, we show that these two bounds are very close in a wide range of SOASP instances, demonstrating the near‐optimality of the AO policy. We also identify parameter settings that result in a large gap in between these two bounds. Accordingly, we propose an alternative policy based on neighbor‐swapping. We demonstrate that this alternative policy leads to a much tighter upper bound and significantly shrinks the gap.     

基于气动-弹道一体化模型的飞行器外形优化设计

为提升飞行器气动外形优化设计效果,研究了新型飞行器在大空域、宽速域范围的气动适应性问题,提出一种基于气动-弹道一体化模型的外形优化设计方法。通过考虑气动和弹道的耦合作用,综合利用类型函数/形状函数转换技术、气动工程估算方法和Radau伪谱法,建立飞行器气动-弹道一体化模型。基于该模型,通过明确优化目标和约束条件,给出基于Kriging的气动外形优化方法,实现在多参数约束条件下的飞行器气动外形高效全局优化。以升力体构型飞行器为例,开展气动外形优化设计,结果表明该方法能较好地描述大空域、宽速域的气动和弹道特征,有效提升飞行器气动外形设计精度和水平,可为新型飞行器总体设计提供技术支撑。     

复杂海战场环境下AUV全局路径规划方法

针对无人自主水下航行器(Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, AUV)在复杂海战场环境中路径规划时环境模型复杂、约束条件多的情况,建立了包括战场地形、敌方威胁、障碍物和海流场等在内的比较完善的海战场环境模型。以AUV航行时间、威胁时间最短为优化目标,给出了一种基于振荡型入侵野草优化(Invasive Weeds Optimization, IWO)算法的AUV全局路径规划方法,并分别与标准IWO算法、全振荡型IWO算法以及粒子群算法等三种路径规划算法比较。仿真结果表明,所提方法具有较强的寻优能力和鲁棒性,可在复杂海战场环境下为AUV高效地规划出满足性能要求的航行路径。     

某供弹机构现存问题动力学分析及参数优化探讨

介绍了环形杠杆供弹机构的工作原理及其在实际使用中常见的问题,建立了机构的动力学模型,对模型进行动态求解,模拟了机构的工作过程。借助求解结果,针对问题产生的原因进行了动力学分析,在理论上找到了问题产生的根源。在此基础上建立了机构的最优化数学模型,给出了优化方案,最后对优化方案和现有结构进行了比较。     

参数化滤波器逼近问题的全局最优算法

基于Lipschitz下界估值和分枝定界技术,给出了一维参数化小波滤波器逼近问题的全局最优算法。由于充分利用了滤波器逼近问题的特点,本方法将原来的Lipschitz算法的线性收敛速率提高为二次收敛速率。     

基于免疫FNN算法的加热炉炉温优化控制

针对复杂钢坯加热过程,提出了一种免疫克隆进化模糊神经网络(ICE-FNN)控制算法。首先根据现场样本数据建立过程神经网络模型;然后基于该模型,采用模糊神经网络控制器(FNNC)规则优化算法,确定FNNC的最佳规则数;最后由FNNC的规则优化所得参数构造初始种群的一个解,采用免疫克隆进化(ICE)算法对FNNC参数优化。该算法具有全局寻优和局部求精能力,仿真结果证实了其有效性。     

基于MDO方法的卫星集成设计系统分析与实现

为解决多学科设计优化方法中多学科设计、多学科分析、多学科优化过程与卫星总体设计流程集成的问题,采用变复杂度建模技术,并借鉴产品数据管理思想,设计并实现了面向总体设计的卫星集成设计软件系统。阐述了软件的设计思想、系统组成和功能特点,并给出了月球探测卫星概念设计问题的具体应用实例,结果表明软件在解决多学科设计优化方法应用于卫星集成设计问题时的可行性。     

一种用于求解火力分配问题的混沌优化算法

针对火力分配问题,提出了一种新颖的用于解决组合优化问题的混沌优化算法.该算法利用混沌搜索的方法得到新的合法解,充分利用了混沌的随机性和遍历性等特点来改善寻优效率.通过设定逃逸系数,算法在寻优过程中具有了能够跳出局部极小点到达全局最优点的能力.仿真结果表明,该方法的寻优效率明显高于Hopfield等其他优化方法.     

Maximizing project cash availability

Consider a project during the life cycle of which there are cash payouts and in‐flows. To better meet his financial commitments, the project owner would like to meet all deadlines without running out of cash. We show that the cash availability objective is similar to the total weighted flowtime used to measure work‐in‐progress performance in the scheduling and inventory control literatures. In this article we provide several specialized solution methods for the problem of minimizing total weighted flowtime in an arbitrary acyclic project network, subject to activity release times and due dates, where the activity weights may be positive or negative and represent cash in‐ and out‐flows. We describe the structure of an optimal solution and provide several efficient algorithms and their complexity based on mincost and maxflow formulations. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2006     

基于接触的捞雷具夹紧爪接触面形状优化

介绍了在捞雷具夹紧爪设计过程中引入的基于接触的有限元形状优化设计方法.传统的机械设计方法仅考虑了零件的几何尺寸,而对其形状的设计却考虑不够,导致设计结果不理想.文中将基于接触的有限元形状优化方法应用于传统的机械设计过程.对捞雷具夹紧爪建立基于有限元分析的优化设计模型,使夹紧爪既能满足打捞鱼雷的要求,又得到了优化的形状.结构的特性与受力状况均得到改善.