Autonomous agent scheduling
First Claim
1. A method of optimizing task planning for a plurality of service agents and transport agents operating in a plurality of service areas, said method comprising the steps of:
- formulating said task planning as a sequence of said service agents and said transport agents tasks and start times during a plurality of phases such that all of said areas are serviced, fuel limitations are observed during each of said plurality of phases and each of said service agents is docked with one of said transport agents at an end of a last phase of said plurality of phases, such that an end time of said last phase over all said agents is minimized;
constraining docking and deployment actions of said agents;
constraining fuel availability, fuel costs and fuel capacity of said agents;
constraining goals and capabilities of said agents;
constraining time dependency and wait times of said agents;
constraining transit and transport actions of said agents;
constraining servicing actions of said agents;
employing mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) techniques on a computer system to determine a task plan minimizing said end time based on said formulating and said constraining; and
communicating said task plan from said computer to said agents for execution of said plan.
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Abstract
Methods are provided to obtain task allocation, planning, and scheduling necessary to ensure service agents can accomplish their tasks efficiently, while transport agents perform the necessary transport and refueling operations. The methods take a scheduling-centric approach, formally incorporate fuel constraints, and are generalized for an arbitrary number of service agents and transport agents. The methods provide for the formal definition of the novel simple agent transport problem, the unique modeling and constraint-based logic required for the docking, transport, and deployment of service agents and the resulting analysis. Tasks to be completed consist of a set of locations, and the agents must service each location set. The methods and systems incorporate Bayes risk to schedule slips and to the application of service agent-transport agent scheduling.
26 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method of optimizing task planning for a plurality of service agents and transport agents operating in a plurality of service areas, said method comprising the steps of:
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formulating said task planning as a sequence of said service agents and said transport agents tasks and start times during a plurality of phases such that all of said areas are serviced, fuel limitations are observed during each of said plurality of phases and each of said service agents is docked with one of said transport agents at an end of a last phase of said plurality of phases, such that an end time of said last phase over all said agents is minimized; constraining docking and deployment actions of said agents; constraining fuel availability, fuel costs and fuel capacity of said agents; constraining goals and capabilities of said agents; constraining time dependency and wait times of said agents; constraining transit and transport actions of said agents; constraining servicing actions of said agents; employing mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) techniques on a computer system to determine a task plan minimizing said end time based on said formulating and said constraining; and communicating said task plan from said computer to said agents for execution of said plan. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification