Introduction of an Optimization Technique with Dividing Term and Moving Horizon

Abstract

In case of considering real scale processes, because of many facilities, many numbers of jobs and long target terms, it usually takes long time to make production plan and schedule, and to make matters worse, we are not able to get them with adequate accuracy. There are few papers to solve these problems before, so in this paper, we propose a method to get them faster than ever and with adequate accuracy for these kinds of problems. In this method, we decide time horizon and make plan and schedule for this time horizon. In real processes, there are many complex constraints, so in the above horizon, the problems to be solved are simplified. Once problems are simplified, we solve the simplified problems, and we revise the plans and the schedules as the plans and schedules satisfy original constraints by using the precise simulator imitating the real processes. Then we proceed to next time horizon. We tested this method by computational experiments, and this method is effective for getting plans and schedules with adequate accuracy faster than ever.