scholarly journals Loosely Coupled Formulations for Automated Planning: An Integer Programming Perspective

2008 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 217-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. H.L. Van den Briel ◽  
T. Vossen ◽  
S. Kambhampati

We represent planning as a set of loosely coupled network flow problems, where each network corresponds to one of the state variables in the planning domain. The network nodes correspond to the state variable values and the network arcs correspond to the value transitions. The planning problem is to find a path (a sequence of actions) in each network such that, when merged, they constitute a feasible plan. In this paper we present a number of integer programming formulations that model these loosely coupled networks with varying degrees of flexibility. Since merging may introduce exponentially many ordering constraints we implement a so-called branch-and-cut algorithm, in which these constraints are dynamically generated and added to the formulation when needed. Our results are very promising, they improve upon previous planning as integer programming approaches and lay the foundation for integer programming approaches for cost optimal planning.

Author(s):  
Moira MacNeil ◽  
Merve Bodur

Given an integer dimension K and a simple, undirected graph G with positive edge weights, the Distance Geometry Problem (DGP) aims to find a realization function mapping each vertex to a coordinate in [Formula: see text] such that the distance between pairs of vertex coordinates is equal to the corresponding edge weights in G. The so-called discretization assumptions reduce the search space of the realization to a finite discrete one, which can be explored via the branch-and-prune (BP) algorithm. Given a discretization vertex order in G, the BP algorithm constructs a binary tree where the nodes at a layer provide all possible coordinates of the vertex corresponding to that layer. The focus of this paper is on finding optimal BP trees for a class of discretizable DGPs. More specifically, we aim to find a discretization vertex order in G that yields a BP tree with the least number of branches. We propose an integer programming formulation and three constraint programming formulations that all significantly outperform the state-of-the-art cutting-plane algorithm for this problem. Moreover, motivated by the difficulty in solving instances with a large and low-density input graph, we develop two hybrid decomposition algorithms, strengthened by a set of valid inequalities, which further improve the solvability of the problem. Summary of Contribution: We present a new model to solve a combinatorial optimization problem on graphs, MIN DOUBLE, which comes from the highly active area of distance geometry and has applications in a wide variety of fields. We use integer programming (IP) and present the first constraint programming (CP) models and hybrid decomposition methods, implemented as a branch-and-cut procedure, for MIN DOUBLE. Through an extensive computational study, we show that our approaches advance the state of the art for MIN DOUBLE. We accomplish this by not only combining generic techniques from IP and CP but also exploring the structure of the problem in developing valid inequalities and variable fixing rules. Our methods significantly improve the solvability of MIN DOUBLE, which we believe can also provide insights for tackling other problem classes and applications.


2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 944-955 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander S. Estes ◽  
Michael O. Ball

We study stochastic integer programming models for assigning delays to flights that are destined for an airport whose capacity has been impacted by poor weather or some other exogenous factor. In the existing literature, empirical evidence seemed to suggest that a proposed integer programming model had a strong formulation, but no existing theoretical results explained the observation. We apply recent results concerning the polyhedra of stochastic network flow problems to explain the strength of the existing model, and we propose a model whose size scales better with the number of flights in the problem and that preserves the strength of the existing model. Computational results are provided that demonstrate the benefits of the proposed model. Finally, we define a type of equity property that is satisfied by both models.


Author(s):  
Héctor Botero ◽  
Hernán Álvarez

This paper proposes a new composite observer capable of estimating the states and unknown (or changing) parameters of a chemical process, using some input-output measurements, the phenomenological based model and other available knowledge about the process. The proposed composite observer contains a classic observer (CO) to estimate the state variables, an observer-based estimator (OBE) to obtain the actual values of the unknown or changing parameters needed to tune the CO, and an asymptotic observer (AO) to estimate the states needed as input to the OBE. The proposed structure was applied to a CSTR model with three state variables. With the proposed structure, the concentration of reactants and other CSTR parameters can be estimated on-line if the reactor and jacket temperatures are known. The procedure for the design of the proposed structure is simple and guarantees observer convergence. In addition, the convergence speed of state and parameter estimation can be adjusted independently.


Mathematics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (15) ◽  
pp. 1716
Author(s):  
Adrian Marius Deaconu ◽  
Delia Spridon

Algorithms for network flow problems, such as maximum flow, minimum cost flow, and multi-commodity flow problems, are continuously developed and improved, and so, random network generators become indispensable to simulate the functionality and to test the correctness and the execution speed of these algorithms. For this purpose, in this paper, the well-known Erdős–Rényi model is adapted to generate random flow (transportation) networks. The developed algorithm is fast and based on the natural property of the flow that can be decomposed into directed elementary s-t paths and cycles. So, the proposed algorithm can be used to quickly build a vast number of networks as well as large-scale networks especially designed for s-t flows.


2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-15
Author(s):  
S.V. Nagaraj

This book is on algorithms for network flows. Network flow problems are optimization problems where given a flow network, the aim is to construct a flow that respects the capacity constraints of the edges of the network, so that incoming flow equals the outgoing flow for all vertices of the network except designated vertices known as the source and the sink. Network flow algorithms solve many real-world problems. This book is intended to serve graduate students and as a reference. The book is also available in eBook (ISBN 9781316952894/US$ 32.00), and hardback (ISBN 9781107185890/US$99.99) formats. The book has a companion web site www.networkflowalgs.com where a pre-publication version of the book can be downloaded gratis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1717
Author(s):  
Gilberto Gonzalez Avalos ◽  
Noe Barrera Gallegos ◽  
Gerardo Ayala-Jaimes ◽  
Aaron Padilla Garcia

The direct determination of the steady state response for linear time invariant (LTI) systems modeled by multibond graphs is presented. Firstly, a multiport junction structure of a multibond graph in an integral causality assignment (MBGI) to get the state space of the system is introduced. By assigning a derivative causality to the multiport storage elements, the multibond graph in a derivative causality (MBGD) is proposed. Based on this MBGD, a theorem to obtain the steady state response is presented. Two case studies to get the steady state of the state variables are applied. Both cases are modeled by multibond graphs, and the symbolic determination of the steady state is obtained. The simulation results using the 20-SIM software are numerically verified.


2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 401-416
Author(s):  
Hana Machů

Abstract If in the right-hand sides of given differential equations occur discontinuities in the state variables, then the natural notion of a solution is the one in the sense of Filippov. In our paper, we will consider this type of solutions for vector Dirichlet problems. The obtained theorems deal with the existence and localization of Filippov solutions, under effective growth restrictions. Two illustrative examples are supplied.


2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 311-318
Author(s):  
Qiang Yang ◽  
Zhuofu Tao ◽  
Yaoru Liu

AbstractIn the kinetic rate laws of internal variables, it is usually assumed that the rates of internal variables depend on the conjugate forces of the internal variables and the state variables. The dependence on the conjugate force has been fully addressed around flow potential functions. The kinetic rate laws can be formulated with two potential functions, the free energy function and the flow potential function. The dependence on the state variables has not been well addressed. Motivated by the previous study on the asymptotic stability of the internal variable theory by J. R. Rice, the thermodynamic significance of the dependence on the state variables is addressed in this paper. It is shown in this paper that the kinetic rate laws can be formulated by one extended potential function defined in an extended state space if the rates of internal variables do not depend explicitly on the internal variables. The extended state space is spanned by the state variables and the rate of internal variables. Furthermore, if the rates of internal variables do not depend explicitly on state variables, an extended Gibbs equation can be established based on the extended potential function, from which all constitutive equations can be recovered. This work may be considered as a certain Lagrangian formulation of the internal variable theory.


Electronics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Sanchez ◽  
Elías Todorovich ◽  
Angel de Castro

As the performance of digital devices is improving, Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) techniques are being increasingly used. HIL systems are frequently implemented using FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Array) as they allow faster calculations and therefore smaller simulation steps. As the simulation step is reduced, the incremental values for the state variables are reduced proportionally, increasing the difference between the current value of the state variable and its increments. This difference can lead to numerical resolution issues when both magnitudes cannot be stored simultaneously in the state variable. FPGA-based HIL systems generally use 32-bit floating-point due to hardware and timing restrictions but they may suffer from these resolution problems. This paper explores the limits of 32-bit floating-point arithmetics in the context of hardware-in-the-loop systems, and how a larger format can be used to avoid resolution problems. The consequences in terms of hardware resources and running frequency are also explored. Although the conclusions reached in this work can be applied to any digital device, they can be directly used in the field of FPGAs, where the designer can easily use custom floating-point arithmetics.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document