Near-optimal path apparatus and method
First Claim
1. An apparatus for providing a near-optimal path through a plurality of nodes interconnected by edges, each edge associated with a unique connection between two nodes, each node comprising a component, and the nodes configured in granules, the apparatus comprising:
- granules interconnected in a topology, each granule comprising one or more nodes operably interconnected by an edge, each edge having associated therewith a connection state selectable from an unloaded state and at least one loaded state, and having associated therewith an edge state comprising data corresponding to the connection state;
a memory device comprising;
a vacuum space containing vacuum data corresponding to the topology of the granules, the topology corresponding to the unloaded state corresponding to each granule and each edge connecting each granule to a proximate granule;
a load space containing data corresponding to a topology of the granules in a loaded state comprising the granule states corresponding to a loaded state of the plurality of loaded states for each granule; and
a processor operably connected to the memory device and programmed to execute an executable application comprising;
a granule manager effective to provide definitions of the granules,load manager effective to create and update load data stored in the load space,a granule event manager effective to provide data reflecting updated loads associated with edges between granules, anda vacuum space manager effective to receive data corresponding to events associated with changes in loading of the granules, and to update the load space with the load data corresponding to the events.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for dynamically providing a path through a network of nodes or granules may use a limited, advanced look at potential steps along a plurality of available paths. Given an initial position, at an initial node or granule within a network, and some destination node or granule in the network, all nodes or granules may be represented in a connected graph. An apparatus and method may evaluate current potential paths, or edges between nodes still considered to lie in potential paths, according to some cost or distance function associated therewith. Each next edge may lie ahead across the advancing "partial" wavefront, toward a new candidate node being considered for the path. With each advancement of the wavefront, one or more potential paths, previously considered, may be dropped from consideration. Thus, a "partial" wavefront, limited in size (number of nodes and connecting edges) continues to evaluate some number of the best paths "so far." The method deletes worst paths, backs out of cul-de-sacs, and penalizes turning around. The method and apparatus may be implemented to manage a computer network, a computer internetwork, parallel processors, parallel processes in a multi-processing operating system, a smart scissor for a drawing application, and other systems of nodes.
116 Citations
25 Claims
-
1. An apparatus for providing a near-optimal path through a plurality of nodes interconnected by edges, each edge associated with a unique connection between two nodes, each node comprising a component, and the nodes configured in granules, the apparatus comprising:
-
granules interconnected in a topology, each granule comprising one or more nodes operably interconnected by an edge, each edge having associated therewith a connection state selectable from an unloaded state and at least one loaded state, and having associated therewith an edge state comprising data corresponding to the connection state; a memory device comprising; a vacuum space containing vacuum data corresponding to the topology of the granules, the topology corresponding to the unloaded state corresponding to each granule and each edge connecting each granule to a proximate granule; a load space containing data corresponding to a topology of the granules in a loaded state comprising the granule states corresponding to a loaded state of the plurality of loaded states for each granule; and a processor operably connected to the memory device and programmed to execute an executable application comprising; a granule manager effective to provide definitions of the granules, load manager effective to create and update load data stored in the load space, a granule event manager effective to provide data reflecting updated loads associated with edges between granules, and a vacuum space manager effective to receive data corresponding to events associated with changes in loading of the granules, and to update the load space with the load data corresponding to the events. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. A method for providing an improved path from a source node to a destination node through a network comprising a plurality of nodes interconnected between the source node and the destination node, the method comprising:
-
defining a connected graph corresponding to the network, the connected graph comprising mathematical nodes connected by edges; defining a metric space associated with the connected graph, the metric space having associated therewith a metric effective to define a cost associated with each edge; providing a measure associated with each edge; and determining a first cost associated with advancing from the source to each of a plurality of edges connecting the source to a corresponding plurality of first intermediate nodes; determining a second cost associated with advancing from a first intermediate node to each of a plurality of second intermediate nodes; and selecting a trial set of nodes from the plurality of first intermediate nodes, based on an evaluation corresponding to a distribution function and related to the second cost; deleting a deletable first intermediate node not included in the trial set, and corresponding to a less-preferable cost function associated with the deletable first intermediate node. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
-
-
15. A method for finding a path between a source node and a destination node connected in a network of nodes, the method comprising:
-
defining a plurality of granules, each granule comprising at least one node; interconnecting the granules with a plurality of edges; providing a capacity associated with each edge; implementing a steering function for guiding advancement along a path segment comprised of edges, the path segment comprising a candidate path to be evaluated for consideration as a permanent segment of a satisfactory path between the source node and the destination node; deleting from consideration all unsatisfactory edges by a process of superposition and reduction. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
-
Specification