Multi-Agent Collaborative Task Planning with Uncertain Task Requirements

In response to the uncertainty of information of the injured in post disaster situations,considering constraints such as random chance and the quantity of rescue resource,the split deliv-ery vehicle routing problem with stochastic demands(SDVRPSD)model and the multi-depot split delivery heterogeneous vehicle routing problem with stochastic demands(MDSDHVRPSD)model are established.A two-stage hybrid variable neighborhood tabu search algorithm is designed for unmanned vehicle task planning to minimize the path cost of rescue plans.Simulation experiments show that the solution obtained by the algorithm can effectively reduce the rescue vehicle path cost and the rescue task completion time,with high optimization quality and certain portability.

Multi-UAV Collaborative Mission Planning Method for Self-Organized Sensor Data Acquisition

In recent years,sensor technology has been widely used in the defense and control of sensitive areas in cities,or in various scenarios such as early warning of forest fires,monitoring of forest pests and diseases,and protection of endangered animals.Deploying sensors to collect data and then utilizing unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)to collect the data stored in the sensors has replaced traditional manual data collection as the dominant method.The current strategies for efficient data collection in above scenarios are still imperfect,and the low quality of the collected data and the excessive energy consumed by UAV flights are still the main problems faced in data collection.With regards this,this paper proposes a multi-UAV mission planning method for self-organized sensor data acquisition by comprehensively utilizing the techniques of self-organized sensor clustering,multi-UAV mission area allocation,and sub-area data acquisition scheme optimization.The improvedα-hop clustering method utilizes the average transmission distance to reduce the size of the collection sensors,and the K-Dimensional method is used to form a multi-UAV cooperative workspace,and then,the genetic algorithm is used to trade-off the speed with the age of information(AoI)of the collected information and the energy consumption to form the multi-UAV data collection operation scheme.The combined optimization scheme in paper improves the performance by 95.56%and 58.21%,respectively,compared to the traditional baseline model.In order to verify the excellent generalization and applicability of the proposed method in real scenarios,the simulation test is conducted by introducing the digital elevation model data of the real terrain,and the results show that the relative error values of the proposed method and the performance test of the actual flight of the UAV are within the error interval of±10%.Then,the advantages and disadvantages of the present method with the existing mainstream schemes are tested,and the results show that the present method has a huge advantage in terms of space and time complexity,and at the same time,the accuracy for data extraction is relatively improved by 10.46%and 12.71%.Finally,by eliminating the clustering process and the subtask assignment process,the AoI performance decreases by 3.46×and 4.45×,and the energy performance decreases by 3.52×and 4.47×.This paper presents a comprehensive and detailed proactive optimization of the existing challenges faced in the field of data acquisition by means of a series of combinatorial optimizations.

Planning,monitoring and replanning techniques for handling abnormity in HTN-based planning and execution

A framework that integrates planning,monitoring and replanning techniques is proposed.It can devise the best solution based on the current state according to specific objectives and properly deal with the influence of abnormity on the plan execution.The framework consists of three parts:the hierarchical task network(HTN)planner based on Monte Carlo tree search(MCTS),hybrid plan monitoring based on forward and backward and norm-based replanning method selection.The HTN planner based on MCTS selects the optimal method for HTN compound task through pre-exploration.Based on specific objectives,it can identify the best solution to the current problem.The hybrid plan monitoring has the capability to detect the influence of abnormity on the effect of an executed action and the premise of an unexecuted action,thus trigger the replanning.The norm-based replanning selection method can measure the difference between the expected state and the actual state,and then select the best replanning algorithm.The experimental results reveal that our method can effectively deal with the influence of abnormity on the implementation of the plan and achieve the target task in an optimal way.

Coordinated Planning Transmission Tasks in Heterogeneous Space Networks:A Semi-Distributed Approach

This paper studies the coordinated planning of transmission tasks in the heterogeneous space networks to enable efficient sharing of ground stations cross satellite systems.Specifically,we first formulate the coordinated planning problem into a mixed integer liner programming(MILP)problem based on time expanded graph.Then,the problem is transferred and reformulated into a consensus optimization framework which can be solved by satellite systems parallelly.With alternating direction method of multipliers(ADMM),a semi-distributed coordinated transmission task planning algorithm is proposed,in which each satellite system plans its own tasks based on local information and limited communication with the coordination center.Simulation results demonstrate that compared with the centralized and fully-distributed methods,the proposed semi-distributed coordinated method can strike a better balance among task complete rate,complexity,and the amount of information required to be exchanged.

Complex task planning method of space-aeronautics cooperative observation based on multi-layer interaction

With the new development trend of multi-resource coordinated Earth observation and the new goal of Earth observation application of“short response time,high observation accuracy,and wide coverage”,space-aeronautics cooperative complex task planning problem has become an urgent problem to be solved.The focus of this problem is to use multiple resources to perform collaborative observations on complex tasks.By analyzing the process from task assignment to receiving task observation results,we propose a multi-layer interactive task planning framework which is composed of a preprocessing method for complex tasks,a task allocation layer,a task planning layer,and a task coordination layer.According to the characteristics of the framework,a hybrid genetic parallel tabu(HGPT)algorithm is proposed on this basis.The algorithm uses genetic annealing algorithm(GAA),parallel tabu(PT)algorithm,and heuristic rules to achieve task allocation,task planning,and task coordination.At the same time,coding improvements,operator design,annealing operations,and parallel calculations are added to the algorithm.In order to verify the effectiveness of the algorithm,simulation experiments under complex task scenarios of different scales are carried out.Experimental results show that this method can effectively solve the problems of observing complex tasks.Meanwhile,the optimization effect and convergence speed of the HGPT is better than that of the related algorithms.

Adaptive Resource Planning for AI Workloads with Variable Real-Time Tasks

AI(Artificial Intelligence)workloads are proliferating in modernreal-time systems.As the tasks of AI workloads fluctuate over time,resourceplanning policies used for traditional fixed real-time tasks should be reexamined.In particular,it is difficult to immediately handle changes inreal-time tasks without violating the deadline constraints.To cope with thissituation,this paper analyzes the task situations of AI workloads and findsthe following two observations.First,resource planning for AI workloadsis a complicated search problem that requires much time for optimization.Second,although the task set of an AI workload may change over time,thepossible combinations of the task sets are known in advance.Based on theseobservations,this paper proposes a new resource planning scheme for AIworkloads that supports the re-planning of resources.Instead of generatingresource plans on the fly,the proposed scheme pre-determines resourceplans for various combinations of tasks.Thus,in any case,the workload isimmediately executed according to the resource plan maintained.Specifically,the proposed scheme maintains an optimized CPU(Central Processing Unit)and memory resource plan using genetic algorithms and applies it as soonas the workload changes.The proposed scheme is implemented in the opensourcesimulator SimRTS for the validation of its effectiveness.Simulationexperiments show that the proposed scheme reduces the energy consumptionof CPU and memory by 45.5%on average without deadline misses.

An Integrated Image Task Planning in Satellite Networks:From Instruction Release and Observation Perspective

The unreasonable observation arrangements in the satellite operation control center(SOCC)may result in the observation data cannot be downloaded as scheduled.Meanwhile,if the operation instructions released by the satellite telemetry tracking center(STTC)for the on-board payloads are not injected on the specific satellites in time,the corresponding satellites cannot perform the observation operations as planned.Therefore,there is an urgent need to design an integrated instruction release,and observation task planning(I-IRO-TP)scheme by efficiently collaborating the SOCC and STTC.Motivated by this fact,we design an interaction mechanism between the SOCC and the STTC,where we first formulate the I-IRO-TP problem as a constraint satisfaction problem aiming at maximizing the number of completed tasks.Furthermore,we propose an interactive imaging task planning algorithm based on the analysis of resource distribution in the STTC during the previous planning periods to preferentially select the observation arcs that not only satisfy the requirements in the observation resource allocation phase but also facilitate the arrangement of measurement and control instruction release.We conduct extensive simulations to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in terms of the number of completed tasks.

Task Oriented Optimal Grasp Planning by Three Fingered Robot Hands

This paper presents a way for research on grasp planning of three fingered robot hands. According to the assortment of human hand grasping, two typical grasping poses for three finger grasps are summarized. The task requirements, the geometrical and physical features of the object and the information from the environment are synthesized. Grasp pose is deduced by task analysis, and the graspable plane is sought and determined. The process of grasp planning is finally carried out by determining three grasp points on the feasible grasp plane.

Agile Satellite Mission Planning via Task Clustering and Double-Layer Tabu Algorithm

Satellite observation schedule is investigated in this paper.A mission planning algorithm of task clustering is proposed to improve the observation efficiency of agile satellite.The newly developed method can make the satellite observe more targets and therefore save observation resources.First,for the densely distributed target points,a preprocessing scheme based on task clustering is proposed.The target points are clustered according to the distance condition.Second,the local observation path is generated by Tabu algorithm in the inner layer of cluster regions.Third,considering the scatter and cluster sets,the global observation path is obtained by adopting Tabu algorithm in the outer layer.Simulation results show that the algorithm can effectively reduce the task planning time of large-scale point targets while ensuring the optimal solution quality.

Emergency Tasks Planning Based on Formal Modeling of Emergency Plan and HTN Planning System SHOP2

A theoretical approach of ordered emergency tasks generation is proposed for dealing with a specific emergency event rapidly, exactly and effectively. According to the general principles of an emergency plan developed to response to an emergency management, a workflow model is employed to complete the formal modeling of concrete emergency plan firstly. Then the HTN planning system SHOP2 is introduced, the transformation method of domain knowledge from emergency domain to SHOP2 domain is studied. At last, the general procedure to solve the emergency decision prob-lems and to generate executive emergency tasks is set up drawing support from SHOP2 planning system, which will combine the principles (or knowledge) of emergency plan and the real emergency situations.

Research on Model and Algorithm of Task Allocation and Path Planning for Multi-Robot

Based on the modeling of robot working environment, the shortest distance matrix between points is solved by Floyd algorithm. With the objective of minimizing the sum of the fixed cost of robot and the cost of robot operation, an integer programming model is established and a genetic algorithm for solving the model is designed. In order to make coordination to accomplish their respective tasks for each robot with high efficiency, this paper uses natural number encoding way. The objective function is based on penalty term constructed with the total number of collisions in the running path of robots. The fitness function is constructed by using the objective function with penalty term. Based on elitist retention strategy, a genetic algorithm with collision detection is designed. Using this algorithm for task allocation and path planning of multi-robot, it can effectively avoid or reduce the number of collisions in the process of multi-robot performing tasks. Finally, an example is used to validate the method.

Distributed cooperative task planning algorithm for multiple satellites in delayed communication environment

Multiple earth observing satellites need to communicate with each other to observe plenty of targets on the Earth together. The factors, such as external interference, result in satellite information interaction delays, which is unable to ensure the integrity and timeliness of the information on decision making for satellites. And the optimization of the planning result is affected. Therefore, the effect of communication delay is considered during the multi-satel ite coordinating process. For this problem, firstly, a distributed cooperative optimization problem for multiple satellites in the delayed communication environment is formulized. Secondly, based on both the analysis of the temporal sequence of tasks in a single satellite and the dynamically decoupled characteristics of the multi-satellite system, the environment information of multi-satellite distributed cooperative optimization is constructed on the basis of the directed acyclic graph（DAG）. Then, both a cooperative optimization decision making framework and a model are built according to the decentralized partial observable Markov decision process（DEC-POMDP）. After that, a satellite coordinating strategy aimed at different conditions of communication delay is mainly analyzed, and a unified processing strategy on communication delay is designed. An approximate cooperative optimization algorithm based on simulated annealing is proposed. Finally, the effectiveness and robustness of the method presented in this paper are verified via the simulation.

Research on Task Planning Algorithm of Retrieving Invalid Satellite for Free-Flying Space Robot

A free-flying space robot will accomplish manufacturing, assembling and repair instead of astronauts in the future unmanned space flight hbecause of its flexible maneuverability in space. This paper presents a task planning algorithm of retrieving invalid satellite for free-fiving space robot. First we discuss kinematics model and deduct cinematics equations of dual-arm space robot. Then the process of retrieving an invalid satellite, which is divided into eleven motion procedures. At the same time, we have developed a free-flying space robot task planning simulation system and the experimental results show that this algorithm is feasible and correct.

Study on DSM-based task planning of product cooperative development

The results of analyzing the managerial characteristics and complexity of product cooperative development suggest that task planning is an important aspect for process management of product cooperative development and the method for planning tasks should be able to model the dependency between tasks and iterations during the development process. In this paper, a DSM-based method and its corresponding optimization algorithms are developed. At first the coupled task sets and uncoupled task sets are identified, and the tasks are then optimized by the corresponding algorithms. The optimal tasks plan will reduce the development time and cost. Considering the practical requirements in real world, a Multilayer DSM is proposed, and its information communication techniques between DSM and traversing principle are described in details.

Effectiveness of Task Sharing and Task Shifting on the Uptake of Family Planning in Kenya

Background: Contraception is an inexpensive and cost-effective intervention, but health workforce shortages and restrictive policies on the roles of mid and lower-level cadres limit access to effective contraceptive methods in many settings. Task sharing and task shifting are strategies that can be adopted to increase uptake of health services including family planning. Methods: We collected data through online survey, key informant interviews and focused grouped discussions with an intervention group and that implemented the task sharing and task shifting policy guidelines and a control group that did not implement the policy. A total of 434 questionnaires were filled by health workers’ in primary health care facilities to assess effectiveness of task sharing and task shifting on the uptake of family planning services including its strengths and challenges. The questionnaire was designed with the aim of getting data on services provided by the cadres on effectiveness (number of clients, increase in use of methods, access to services), how they perceive these tasks, the bottlenecks and facilitating factors associated with the practice of task sharing and task shifting. Results: We found out that the task sharing and task shifting can expand and increase access to services as stated by 95% of the respondents. Most community health workers provided more of the family planning services at 45% with only 5% of the services of family planning being provided by medical officers. 98% of family planning services were integrated with other services. Task shifting was beneficial to the health care providers as well as the clients and the success of task sharing and task shifting depended on training, supportive supervision and a regulated environment through policies. Conclusion: The study shows that formalized task sharing and task shifting can increase health service uptake especially when community health workers are involved to provide services in the community. This leads to increased service provision, equivalent health professional performance across cadres and patient outcomes in the provision of family planning services.

Collaborative task planning for an internet based multi-operator multi-robot system

In an Internet based multi-operator and multi-robot system (IMOMR), operators have to work collaboratively to overcome the constraints of space and time. Inherently, the activities among them can be defined as a computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW). As a practical application of CSCW, a collaborative task planning system (CTPS) for IMOMR is proposed in this paper on the basis of Petri nets. Its definition, components design, and concrete implementation are given in detail, respectively. As a result, a clear collaboration mechanism of multiple operators in an IMOMR is obtained to guarantee their task planning.

Hierarchical Task Planning for Power Line Flow Regulation

The complexity and uncertainty in power systems cause great challenges to controlling power grids.As a popular data-driven technique,deep reinforcement learning(DRL)attracts attention in the control of power grids.However,DRL has some inherent drawbacks in terms of data efficiency and explainability.This paper presents a novel hierarchical task planning(HTP)approach,bridging planning and DRL,to the task of power line flow regulation.First,we introduce a threelevel task hierarchy to model the task and model the sequence of task units on each level as a task planning-Markov decision processes(TP-MDPs).Second,we model the task as a sequential decision-making problem and introduce a higher planner and a lower planner in HTP to handle different levels of task units.In addition,we introduce a two-layer knowledge graph that can update dynamically during the planning procedure to assist HTP.Experimental results conducted on the IEEE 118-bus and IEEE 300-bus systems demonstrate our HTP approach outperforms proximal policy optimization,a state-of-the-art deep reinforcement learning(DRL)approach,improving efficiency by 26.16%and 6.86%on both systems.

Learning Top-K Subtask Planning Tree Based on Discriminative Representation Pretraining for Decision-making

Decomposing complex real-world tasks into simpler subtasks and devising a subtask execution plan is critical for humans to achieve effective decision-making.However,replicating this process remains challenging for AI agents and naturally raises two questions:(1)How to extract discriminative knowledge representation from priors?(2)How to develop a rational plan to decompose complex problems?To address these issues,we introduce a groundbreaking framework that incorporates two main contributions.First,our multiple-encoder and individual-predictor regime goes beyond traditional architectures to extract nuanced task-specific dynamics from datasets,enriching the feature space for subtasks.Second,we innovate in planning by introducing a top-K subtask planning tree generated through an attention mechanism,which allows for dynamic adaptability and forward-looking decision-making.Our framework is empirically validated against challenging benchmarks BabyAI including multiple combinatorially rich synthetic tasks(e.g.,GoToSeq,SynthSeq,BossLevel),where it not only outperforms competitive baselines but also demonstrates superior adaptability and effectiveness incomplex task decomposition.

Integrated Virtual Assembly Process Planning System

Assembly process planning（APP） for complicated products is a time-consuming and difficult work with conventional method. Virtual assembly process planning（VAPP） provides engineers a new and efficiency way. Previous studies in VAPP are almost isolated and dispersive, and have not established a whole understanding and discussed key realization techniques of VAPP from a systemic and integrated view. The integrated virtual assembly process planning（IVAPP） system is a new virtual reality based engineering application, which offers engineers an efficient, intuitive, immersive and integrated method for assembly process planning in a virtual environment. Based on analysis the information integration requirement of VAPP, the architecture of IVAPP is proposed. Through the integrated structure, IVAPP system can realize information integration and workflow controlling. In order to mode/the assembly process in IVAPP, a hierarchical assembly task list（HATL） is presented, in which different assembly tasks for assembling different components are organized into a hierarchical list. A process-oriented automatic geometrical constraint recognition algorithm（AGCR） is proposed, so that geometrical constraints between components can be automatically recognized during the process of interactive assembling. At the same time, a progressive hierarchical reasoning（PHR） model is discussed. AGCR and PHR will greatly reduce the interactive workload. A discrete control node model（DCNM） for cable harness assembly planning in IVAPP is detailed. DCNM converts a cable harness into continuous flexed line segments connected by a series of section center points, and designs can realize cable harness planning through controlling those control nodes. Mechanical assemblies （such as transmission case and engine of automobile） are used to illustrate the feasibility of the proposed method and algorithms. The application of IVAPP system reveals advantages over the traditional assembly process planning method in shortening the time-consumed in assembly planning and in minimizing the handling difficulty, excessive reorientation and dissimilarity of assembly operations.

Overall plan and design of the task management system of ternary optical computer

t In this paper an overall scheme of the task management system of ternary optical computer （TOC） is proposed, and the software architecture chart is given. The function and accomplishment of each module in the system are described in general. In addition, according to the aforementioned scheme a prototype of TOC task management system is implemented, and the feasibility, rationality and completeness of the scheme are verified via running and testing the prototype.