scholarly journals Aircraft Maintenance Check Scheduling Using Reinforcement Learning

Aerospace ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 113
Author(s):  
Pedro Andrade ◽  
Catarina Silva ◽  
Bernardete Ribeiro ◽  
Bruno F. Santos

This paper presents a Reinforcement Learning (RL) approach to optimize the long-term scheduling of maintenance for an aircraft fleet. The problem considers fleet status, maintenance capacity, and other maintenance constraints to schedule hangar checks for a specified time horizon. The checks are scheduled within an interval, and the goal is to, schedule them as close as possible to their due date. In doing so, the number of checks is reduced, and the fleet availability increases. A Deep Q-learning algorithm is used to optimize the scheduling policy. The model is validated in a real scenario using maintenance data from 45 aircraft. The maintenance plan that is generated with our approach is compared with a previous study, which presented a Dynamic Programming (DP) based approach and airline estimations for the same period. The results show a reduction in the number of checks scheduled, which indicates the potential of RL in solving this problem. The adaptability of RL is also tested by introducing small disturbances in the initial conditions. After training the model with these simulated scenarios, the results show the robustness of the RL approach and its ability to generate efficient maintenance plans in only a few seconds.

Author(s):  
Jorge Arinez ◽  
Xinyan Ou ◽  
Qing Chang

In this paper, a manufacturing work cell with a gantry that is in charge of moving materials/parts between machines and buffers is considered. With the effect of the gantry movement, the system performance becomes quite different from traditional serial production lines. In this paper, reinforcement learning is used to develop a gantry scheduling policy in order to improve system production. The gantry learns to take proper actions under different situations to reduce system production loss by using Q-Learning algorithm and finds the optimal moving policy. A two-machine one-buffer work cell with a gantry is used for case study, by which reinforcement learning is applied. Compare with the FCFS policy, the fidelity and effectiveness of the reinforcement learning method are also demonstrated.


Entropy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 737
Author(s):  
Fengjie Sun ◽  
Xianchang Wang ◽  
Rui Zhang

An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) can greatly reduce manpower in the agricultural plant protection such as watering, sowing, and pesticide spraying. It is essential to develop a Decision-making Support System (DSS) for UAVs to help them choose the correct action in states according to the policy. In an unknown environment, the method of formulating rules for UAVs to help them choose actions is not applicable, and it is a feasible solution to obtain the optimal policy through reinforcement learning. However, experiments show that the existing reinforcement learning algorithms cannot get the optimal policy for a UAV in the agricultural plant protection environment. In this work we propose an improved Q-learning algorithm based on similar state matching, and we prove theoretically that there has a greater probability for UAV choosing the optimal action according to the policy learned by the algorithm we proposed than the classic Q-learning algorithm in the agricultural plant protection environment. This proposed algorithm is implemented and tested on datasets that are evenly distributed based on real UAV parameters and real farm information. The performance evaluation of the algorithm is discussed in detail. Experimental results show that the algorithm we proposed can efficiently learn the optimal policy for UAVs in the agricultural plant protection environment.


2012 ◽  
Vol 566 ◽  
pp. 572-579
Author(s):  
Abdolkarim Niazi ◽  
Norizah Redzuan ◽  
Raja Ishak Raja Hamzah ◽  
Sara Esfandiari

In this paper, a new algorithm based on case base reasoning and reinforcement learning (RL) is proposed to increase the convergence rate of the reinforcement learning algorithms. RL algorithms are very useful for solving wide variety decision problems when their models are not available and they must make decision correctly in every state of system, such as multi agent systems, artificial control systems, robotic, tool condition monitoring and etc. In the propose method, we investigate how making improved action selection in reinforcement learning (RL) algorithm. In the proposed method, the new combined model using case base reasoning systems and a new optimized function is proposed to select the action, which led to an increase in algorithms based on Q-learning. The algorithm mentioned was used for solving the problem of cooperative Markov’s games as one of the models of Markov based multi-agent systems. The results of experiments Indicated that the proposed algorithms perform better than the existing algorithms in terms of speed and accuracy of reaching the optimal policy.


Author(s):  
Taichi Chujo ◽  
Kosei Nishida ◽  
Tatsushi Nishi

Abstract In a modern large-scale fabrication, hundreds of vehicles are used for transportation. Since traffic conditions are changing rapidly, the routing of automated guided vehicles (AGV) needs to be changed according to the change in traffic conditions. We propose a conflict-free routing method for AGVs using reinforcement learning in dynamic transportation. An advantage of the proposed method is that a change in the state can be obtained as an evaluation function. Therefore, the action can be selected according to the states. A deadlock avoidance method in bidirectional transport systems is developed using reinforcement learning. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated by comparing the performance with the conventional Q learning algorithm from computational results.


1995 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mance E. Harmon ◽  
Leemon C. Baird ◽  
A. Harry Klopf

An application of reinforcement learning to a linear-quadratic, differential game is presented. The reinforcement learning system uses a recently developed algorithm, the residual-gradient form of advantage updating. The game is a Markov decision process with continuous time, states, and actions, linear dynamics, and a quadratic cost function. The game consists of two players, a missile and a plane; the missile pursues the plane and the plane evades the missile. Although a missile and plane scenario was the chosen test bed, the reinforcement learning approach presented here is equally applicable to biologically based systems, such as a predator pursuing prey. The reinforcement learning algorithm for optimal control is modified for differential games to find the minimax point rather than the maximum. Simulation results are compared to the analytical solution, demonstrating that the simulated reinforcement learning system converges to the optimal answer. The performance of both the residual-gradient and non-residual-gradient forms of advantage updating and Q-learning are compared, demonstrating that advantage updating converges faster than Q-learning in all simulations. Advantage updating also is demonstrated to converge regardless of the time step duration; Q-learning is unable to converge as the time step duration grows small.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josias G. Batista ◽  
Felipe J. S. Vasconcelos ◽  
Kaio M. Ramos ◽  
Darielson A. Souza ◽  
José L. N. Silva

Industrial robots have grown over the years making production systems more and more efficient, requiring the need for efficient trajectory generation algorithms that optimize and, if possible, generate collision-free trajectories without interrupting the production process. In this work is presented the use of Reinforcement Learning (RL), based on the Q-Learning algorithm, in the trajectory generation of a robotic manipulator and also a comparison of its use with and without constraints of the manipulator kinematics, in order to generate collisionfree trajectories. The results of the simulations are presented with respect to the efficiency of the algorithm and its use in trajectory generation, a comparison of the computational cost for the use of constraints is also presented.


2009 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 329-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandras Vytautas Rutkauskas ◽  
Tomas Ramanauskas

In this paper we propose an artificial stock market model based on interaction of heterogeneous agents whose forward-looking behaviour is driven by the reinforcement-learning algorithm combined with some evolutionary selection mechanism. We use the model for the analysis of market self-regulation abilities, market efficiency and determinants of emergent properties of the financial market. Distinctive and novel features of the model include strong emphasis on the economic content of individual decision-making, application of the Q-learning algorithm for driving individual behaviour, and rich market setup. Along with that a parallel version of the model is presented, which is mainly based on research of current changes in the market, as well as on search of newly emerged consistent patterns, and which has been repeatedly used for optimal decisions’ search experiments in various capital markets.


1999 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2017-2060 ◽  
Author(s):  
Csaba Szepesvári ◽  
Michael L. Littman

Reinforcement learning is the problem of generating optimal behavior in a sequential decision-making environment given the opportunity of interacting with it. Many algorithms for solving reinforcement-learning problems work by computing improved estimates of the optimal value function. We extend prior analyses of reinforcement-learning algorithms and present a powerful new theorem that can provide a unified analysis of such value-function-based reinforcement-learning algorithms. The usefulness of the theorem lies in how it allows the convergence of a complex asynchronous reinforcement-learning algorithm to be proved by verifying that a simpler synchronous algorithm converges. We illustrate the application of the theorem by analyzing the convergence of Q-learning, model-based reinforcement learning, Q-learning with multistate updates, Q-learning for Markov games, and risk-sensitive reinforcement learning.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 647-664
Author(s):  
Yangyang Ge ◽  
Fei Zhu ◽  
Wei Huang ◽  
Peiyao Zhao ◽  
Quan Liu

Multi-Agent system has broad application in real world, whose security performance, however, is barely considered. Reinforcement learning is one of the most important methods to resolve Multi-Agent problems. At present, certain progress has been made in applying Multi-Agent reinforcement learning to robot system, man-machine match, and automatic, etc. However, in the above area, an agent may fall into unsafe states where the agent may find it difficult to bypass obstacles, to receive information from other agents and so on. Ensuring the safety of Multi-Agent system is of great importance in the above areas where an agent may fall into dangerous states that are irreversible, causing great damage. To solve the safety problem, in this paper we introduce a Multi-Agent Cooperation Q-Learning Algorithm based on Constrained Markov Game. In this method, safety constraints are added to the set of actions, and each agent, when interacting with the environment to search for optimal values, should be restricted by the safety rules, so as to obtain an optimal policy that satisfies the security requirements. Since traditional Multi-Agent reinforcement learning algorithm is no more suitable for the proposed model in this paper, a new solution is introduced for calculating the global optimum state-action function that satisfies the safety constraints. We take advantage of the Lagrange multiplier method to determine the optimal action that can be performed in the current state based on the premise of linearizing constraint functions, under conditions that the state-action function and the constraint function are both differentiable, which not only improves the efficiency and accuracy of the algorithm, but also guarantees to obtain the global optimal solution. The experiments verify the effectiveness of the algorithm.


2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 6611-6658 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Koutsoyiannis

Abstract. According to the traditional notion of randomness and uncertainty, natural phenomena are separated into two mutually exclusive components, random (or stochastic) and deterministic. Within this dichotomous logic, the deterministic part supposedly represents cause-effect relationships and, thus, is physics and science (the "good"), whereas randomness has little relationship with science and no relationship with understanding (the "evil"). We argue that such views should be reconsidered by admitting that uncertainty is an intrinsic property of nature, that causality implies dependence of natural processes in time, thus suggesting predictability, but even the tiniest uncertainty (e.g., in initial conditions) may result in unpredictability after a certain time horizon. On these premises it is possible to shape a consistent stochastic representation of natural processes, in which predictability (suggested by deterministic laws) and unpredictability (randomness) coexist and are not separable or additive components. Deciding which of the two dominates is simply a matter of specifying the time horizon of the prediction. Long horizons of prediction are inevitably associated with high uncertainty, whose quantification relies on understanding the long-term stochastic properties of the processes.


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