Abstract
Optimal path design is a problem that is considered to have wide range of applications. In this study, we deal with a path design problem of a pattern that consists of a number of small pattern elements; a pattern consisting of characters or symbols is a typical example. In such a case, we can naturally introduce a kind of hierarchical structure to the problem. We develop an approach to this type of problem that takes advantage of the hierarchical structure and utilizes an abstraction of the paths for the small patterns that make up the entire pattern. Some example path designs are conducted; the applicability and the performance of the proposed optimal path design approach are discussed.
