• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.213-226
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• 2011

In global supply chain, the scheduling problems of large products such as ships, airplanes, space shuttles, assembled constructions, and/or automobiles are complicated by nature. New scheduling systems are often developed in order to reduce inherent computational complexity. As a result, a problem can be decomposed into small sub-problems, problems that contain independently small scheduling systems integrating into the initial problem. As one of the authors experienced, DAS (Daewoo Shipbuilding Scheduling System) has adopted a two-layered hierarchical architecture. In the hierarchical architecture, individual scheduling systems composed of a high-level dock scheduler, DAS-ERECT and low-level assembly plant schedulers, DAS-PBS, DAS-3DS, DAS-NPS, and DAS-A7 try to search the best schedules under their own constraints. Moreover, the steep growth of communication technology and logistics enables it to introduce distributed multi-nation production plants by which different parts are produced by designated plants. Therefore vertical and lateral coordination among decomposed scheduling systems is necessary. No standard coordination mechanism of multiple scheduling systems exists, even though there are various scheduling systems existing in the area of scheduling research. Previous research regarding the coordination mechanism has mainly focused on external conversation without capacity model. Prior research has heavily focuses on agent-based coordination in the area of agent research. Yet, no scheduling domain has been developed. Previous research regarding the agent-based scheduling has paid its ample attention to internal coordination of scheduling process, a process that has not been efficient. In this study, we suggest a general framework for agent-based coordination of multiple scheduling systems in global supply chain. The purpose of this study was to design a standard coordination mechanism. To do so, we first define an individual scheduling agent responsible for their own plants and a meta-level coordination agent involved with each individual scheduling agent. We then suggest variables and values describing the individual scheduling agent and meta-level coordination agent. These variables and values are represented by Backus-Naur Form. Second, we suggest scheduling agent communication protocols for each scheduling agent topology classified into the system architectures, existence or nonexistence of coordinator, and directions of coordination. If there was a coordinating agent, an individual scheduling agent could communicate with another individual agent indirectly through the coordinator. On the other hand, if there was not any coordinating agent existing, an individual scheduling agent should communicate with another individual agent directly. To apply agent communication language specifically to the scheduling coordination domain, we had to additionally define an inner language, a language that suitably expresses scheduling coordination. A scheduling agent communication language is devised for the communication among agents independent of domain. We adopt three message layers which are ACL layer, scheduling coordination layer, and industry-specific layer. The ACL layer is a domain independent outer language layer. The scheduling coordination layer has terms necessary for scheduling coordination. The industry-specific layer expresses the industry specification. Third, in order to improve the efficiency of communication among scheduling agents and avoid possible infinite loops, we suggest a look-ahead load balancing model which supports to monitor participating agents and to analyze the status of the agents. To build the look-ahead load balancing model, the status of participating agents should be monitored. Most of all, the amount of sharing information should be considered. If complete information is collected, updating and maintenance cost of sharing information will be increasing although the frequency of communication will be decreasing. Therefore the level of detail and updating period of sharing information should be decided contingently. By means of this standard coordination mechanism, we can easily model coordination processes of multiple scheduling systems into supply chain. Finally, we apply this mechanism to shipbuilding domain and develop a prototype system which consists of a dock-scheduling agent, four assembly- plant-scheduling agents, and a meta-level coordination agent. A series of experiments using the real world data are used to empirically examine this mechanism. The results of this study show that the effect of agent-based platform on coordinated scheduling is evident in terms of the number of tardy jobs, tardiness, and makespan.

• Journal of Communications and Networks
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.352-361
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• 2004

In this paper, we study how to achieve the maximum capacity under delay constraints for large mobile wireless networks. We develop a systematic methodology for studying this problem in the asymptotic region when the number of nodes n in the network is large. We first identify a number of key parameters for a large class of scheduling schemes, and investigate the inherent tradeoffs among the capacity, the delay, and these scheduling parameters. Based on these inherent tradeoffs, we are able to compute the upper bound on the maximum per-node capacity of a large mobile wireless network under given delay constraints. Further, in the process of proving the upper bound, we are able to identify the optimal values of the key scheduling parameters. Knowing these optimal values, we can then develop scheduling schemes that achieve the upper bound up to some logarithmic factor, which suggests that our upper bound is fairly tight. We have applied this methodology to both the i.i.d. mobility model and the random way-point mobility model. In both cases, our methodology allows us to develop new scheduling schemes that can achieve larger capacity than previous proposals under the same delay constraints. In particular, for the i.i.d. mobility model, our scheme can achieve (n-1/3/log3/2 n) per-node capacity with constant delay. This demonstrates that, under the i.i.d. mobility model, mobility increases the capacity even with constant delays. Our methodology can also be extended to incorporate additional scheduling constraints.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.5 no.6
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• pp.714-723
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• 1999

This paper presents a short-term scheduling algorithm for the operation of steelmaking processes. The scope of the problem covers refining of the hot iron transferred form a blast furnace, ladle treatment, continuous casting, hot-rolling, and coiling for the final products that should satisfy the given demand. The processing time at each unit depends on how much the batch amount is treated, and te dedicated intermediate storage with finite capacity between the units is considered. Resource constraints and initial amount of each state are incorporated into the presented scheduling model for the algorithm of on-line scheduling. We propose amixed integer linear programming (MILP) model with two objectives for the scheduling. The first is to maximize the total profit while atisfying the due date constraint for each product. And the second is to minimize the total processing time, makespan, while satisfying the demand for each product. Especially, we observe the effect of penalizing the intermediate storage and the inventory level of the final product on the scheduling results.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.175-185
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• 2005

The scheduling methods of the distributed real-time systems have been proposed. However, they have some weak points. They did not schedule both sporadic and periodic tasks and messages at the same time or did not consider the end-to-end constraints such as precedence relations between sporadic tasks. This means that system scheduling must guarantee the constraints of practical systems and be applicable to them. This paper proposes a new scheduling method that can be applied to more practical model of distributed real-time systems. System model consists of sporadic and periodic tasks with precedence relations and sporadic and periodic messages and has end-to-end constraints. The proposed method is based on a binary search-based period assignment algorithm, an end-to-end laxity-based priority assignment algorithm, and three kinds of schedulability analysis, node, network, and end-to-end schedulability analysis. In addition, this paper describes the application model of sporadic tasks with precedence constraints in a distributed real-time system, shows that existing scheduling methods such as Rate Monotonic scheduling are not proper to be applied to the system having sporadic tasks with precedence constraints, and proposes an end-to-end laxity-based priority assignment algorithm.

• 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1996.10a
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• pp.354-357
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• 1996

Virtual Manufacturing System(VMS) is an integrated computer based model which has physical, logical schema and behavior of real manufacturing system. In this paper, an integrated scheduling system is developed to simulate and control a Virtual Factory. A workflow model is constructed to define and analyze the structure of a VMS. On-line dynamic dispatching system is developed using MultiPass algorithm and scheduling system considering dynamic CAPP is carried out. Integrated scheduling system developed in this paper reduces the discrepancies between virtual model and real manufacturing system, and control of real shop floor is possible.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.19 no.1 s.19
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• pp.56-64
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• 1986

This paper describes a GPSS-based, multi-server queueing model that was developed to simulate the patient flow, and to analyze the effectiveness of the patient scheduling system under various conditions. Unpredictable and unacceptably long waits to receive the service at the outpatient department of a general hospital necessitated the study. Arrival and service time distribution needed for the simulation model were generated from actual arrival and service patterns observed during the peak hours. The simulation results show that a change in patient scheduling system (i.e. time interval between appointments, starting time. and the number of physicians) from a current system would significantly reduce the patient wait time. This study provides the hospital administrator with an analysis of patient scheduling system under several conditions, and will be used to plan future scheduling system and staffing. Studies such as this can demonstrate the value of simulation in providing information for use in future planning.

• Journal of Korean Institute of Industrial Engineers
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.517-532
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• 1996

The area and time-dependent vehicle scheduling problem(ATVSP) is a generalization of the vehicle scheduling problem in which the travel speed between two locations depends on the passing areas and time of day. We propose a simple model for estimating area and time-dependent travel speeds in the ATVSP that relieves much burden for the data collection and storage problems. A mixed integer nonlinear programming formulation of the ATVSP is presented. We also propose three heuristics for the ATVSP, developed by extending and modifying existing heuristics for conventional vehicle scheduling problems. The results of computational experiments demonstrate that the proposed estimation model performs well and the saving method is the best among the three heuristics.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.2 no.3 s.7
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• pp.83-91
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• 2001

Generally the level of accumulating scheduling knowledge-base in Korean construction companies is in the scheduling knowledge-base infrastructure construction phase and Even in top 10 construction companies, the level is in early scheduling knowledge activity phase. The principle causes of this situation are unawareness of importance to scheduling knowledge and absence of procedure related to scheduling knowledge-base. This research analyzes the problems to accumulate scheduling knowledge-base in Korean construction companies and proposes a procedure model to accumulate scheduling knowledge-base property, which adds items of scheduling knowledge-base infrastructure and scheduling knowledge activity to the existing scheduling procedures of Korean construction companies. Using procedure model for accumulating scheduling knowledge-base, Korean construction companies can develop a new scheduling procedure and accumulate scheduling knowledge accordingly. If scheduling knowledge were accumulated property according to the procedure, a framework for knowledge management system could be provided.

• Journal of KIISE:Computer Systems and Theory
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.201-212
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• 2002

This paper proposes a reconfigurable scheduler model that can support various real-time scheduling algorithms. The proposed model consists of two hierarchical upper and lower components, task scheduler and scheduling framework, respectively. The scheduling framework provides a job dispatcher and software timers. The task scheduler implements an appropriate scheduling algorithm, which supports a specific real-time application, based on the scheduling framework. If system developers observe internal kernel interfaces to communicate between two hierarchical components, they can implement a new scheduling algorithm independent of complex low kernel mechanism. Once a task scheduler is developed, it can be reused in a new real-time system in future. In Real-Time Linux (5), we implemented the proposed scheduling framework and several representative real-time scheduling algorithms. Throughout these implementations, we confirmed that a new scheduling algorithm could be developed independently without updates of complex low kernel modules. In order to confirm efficiency of the proposed model, we measured the performance of representative task schedulers. The results showed that the scheduling overhead of proposed model, which has two separated components, is similar to that of a classic monolithic kernel scheduler.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2013.01a
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• pp.403-411
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• 2013

Horizontal construction projects such as oil and gas pipeline projects typically involve repetitive-work activities with the same crew and equipment from one end of the project to the other. Repetitive scheduling also known as linear scheduling is known to have superior schedule management capabilities specifically for such horizontal construction projects. This study discusses on expanding the capabilities of repetitive scheduling to account for the variance in production rates and visual representation by developing an automated alignment based linear scheduling program for applying temporal and spatial changes in production rates. The study outlines a framework to apply changes in productions rates when and where they will occur along the horizontal alignment of the project and illustrates the complexity of construction through the time-location chart through a new linear scheduling model, Linear Scheduling Model with Varying Production Rates (LSM_VPR). The program uses empirically derived production rate equations with appropriate variables as an input at the appropriate time and location based on actual 750 mile natural gas liquids pipeline project starting in Wyoming and terminating in the center of Kansas. The study showed that the changes in production rates due to time and location resulted in a close approximation of the actual progress of work as compared to the planned progress and can be modeled for use in predicting future linear construction projects. LSM_VPR allows the scheduler to develop schedule durations based on minimal project information. The model also allows the scheduler to analyze the impact of various routes or start dates for construction and the corresponding impact on the schedule. In addition, the graphical format lets the construction team to visualize the obstacles in the project when and where they occur due to a new feature called the Activity Performance Index (API). This index is used to shade the linear scheduling chart by time and location with the variation in color indicating the variance in predicted production rate from the desired production rate.