A Fissile Ripple Spreading Algorithm to Solve Time-Dependent Vehicle Routing Problem via Coevolutionary Path Optimization

The time-dependent vehicle routing problems have lately received great attention for logistics companies due to their crucial roles in reducing the time and economic costs, as well as fuel consumption and carbon emissions. However, the dynamic routing environment and traffic congestions have made it challenging to make the actual travelling trajectory optimal during the delivery process. To overcome this challenge, this study proposed an unconventional path optimization approach, fissile ripple spreading algorithm (FRSA), which is based on the advanced structure of coevolutionary path optimization (CEPO). The objective of the proposed model is to minimize the travelling time and path length of the vehicle, which are the popular indicators in path optimization. Some significant factors usually ignored in other research are considered in this study, such as congestion evolution, routing environment dynamics, signal control, and the complicated correlation between delivery sequence and the shortest path. The effectiveness of the proposed approach was demonstrated well in two sets of simulated experiments. The results prove that the proposed FRSA can scientifically find out the optimal delivery trajectory in a single run via global research, effectively avoid traffic congestion, and decrease the total delivery costs. This finding paves a new way to explore a promising methodology for addressing the delivery sequence and the shortest path problems at the same time. This study can provide theoretical support for the practical application in logistics delivery.