Tuning a schedule of transportation resources using mathematical programming
First Claim
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1. A computer-implemented method for iteratively refining a seed schedule for a network of transportation resources, the method comprising:
- identifying a first seed schedule including a plurality of segments, with each segment connecting two markets and having at least one of a corresponding departure time or a corresponding arrival time, the first seed schedule further including paths to be traversed by a particular transportation resource, each path including a plurality of sequentially connected segments;
defining at least one of additional candidate departure windows or additional candidate arrival windows for at least one segment in the first seed schedule;
generating additional candidate paths with the computer from a set of available segments, each additional candidate path including a different plurality of sequentially connected segments than the paths in the first seed schedule, wherein the set of available segments includes at least a portion of the segments in the first seed schedule and at least a portion of the segments having at least one of additional candidate departure windows or arrival windows;
using the computer to generate a composite score using mathematical programming for the first seed schedule and at least one possible alternative schedule, wherein the at least one possible alternative schedule includes a different combination of candidate paths than the first seed schedule; and
identifying a replacement schedule with the computer by comparing the composite scores for the at least one possible alternative schedule and the first seed schedule.
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Abstract
Techniques for refining a schedule involve identifying schedule alternatives to an original schedule and generating one or more substitute schedules using one or more of the schedule alternatives. An objective function is used to perform an analysis of the original schedule and the one or more substitute schedules, and a refined schedule is selected based on the analysis.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method for iteratively refining a seed schedule for a network of transportation resources, the method comprising:
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identifying a first seed schedule including a plurality of segments, with each segment connecting two markets and having at least one of a corresponding departure time or a corresponding arrival time, the first seed schedule further including paths to be traversed by a particular transportation resource, each path including a plurality of sequentially connected segments; defining at least one of additional candidate departure windows or additional candidate arrival windows for at least one segment in the first seed schedule; generating additional candidate paths with the computer from a set of available segments, each additional candidate path including a different plurality of sequentially connected segments than the paths in the first seed schedule, wherein the set of available segments includes at least a portion of the segments in the first seed schedule and at least a portion of the segments having at least one of additional candidate departure windows or arrival windows; using the computer to generate a composite score using mathematical programming for the first seed schedule and at least one possible alternative schedule, wherein the at least one possible alternative schedule includes a different combination of candidate paths than the first seed schedule; and identifying a replacement schedule with the computer by comparing the composite scores for the at least one possible alternative schedule and the first seed schedule. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An article comprising a non-transitory, machine-readable medium storing instructions for refining a seed schedule for a network of transportation resources, the instructions causing data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:
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identifying a first seed schedule including a plurality of segments, with each segment connecting two markets and having at least one of a corresponding departure time or a corresponding arrival time, the first seed schedule further including paths to be traversed by a particular transportation resource, each path including a plurality of sequentially connected segments; defining at least one of additional candidate departure windows or additional candidate arrival windows for at least one segment in the first seed schedule; generating additional candidate paths from a set of available segments, each additional candidate path including a different plurality of sequentially connected segments than the paths in the first seed schedule, wherein the set of available segments includes at least a portion of the segments in the first seed schedule and at least a portion of the segments having at least one of additional candidate departure windows or arrival windows; generating a composite score using mathematical programming for the first seed schedule and at least one possible alternative schedule, wherein the at least one possible alternative schedule includes a different combination of candidate paths than the first seed schedule; and identifying a replacement schedule by comparing the composite scores for the at least one possible alternative schedule and the first seed schedule. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A system for refining a seed schedule for a network of transportation resources, the system comprising:
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memory operable to store information associated with a first seed schedule and possible alternative schedules; and one or more processors operable to; identify a first seed schedule including a plurality of segments, with each segment connecting two markets and having at least one of a corresponding departure time or a corresponding arrival time, the first seed schedule further including paths to be traversed by a particular transportation resource, each path including a plurality of sequentially connected segments; define at least one of additional candidate departure windows or additional candidate arrival windows for at least one segment in the first seed schedule; generate additional candidate paths from a set of available segments, each additional candidate path including a different plurality of sequentially connected segments than the paths in the first seed schedule, wherein the set of available segments includes at least a portion of the segments in the first seed schedule and at least a portion of the segments having at least one of additional candidate departure windows or arrival windows; generate a composite score using mathematical programming for the first seed schedule and at least one possible alternative schedule, wherein the at least one possible alternative schedule includes a different combination of candidate paths than the first seed schedule; and identify a replacement schedule by comparing the composite scores for the at least one possible alternative schedule and the first seed schedule. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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Specification