US 12,393,896 B1
Systems and methods for solving multi-objective hierarchical linear programming problems in parallel
Tushar Shekhar, Bangalore (IN)
Assigned to Blue Yonder Group, Inc., Scottsdale, AZ (US)
Filed by Blue Yonder Group, Inc., Scottsdale, AZ (US)
Filed on Sep. 30, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/958,155.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/285,594, filed on Dec. 3, 2021.
Int. Cl. G06Q 10/0631 (2023.01); G06F 17/12 (2006.01)
CPC G06Q 10/06315 (2013.01) [G06F 17/12 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system of solving a supply chain planning problem modeled as a multi-objective hierarchical linear programming problem, comprising:
a threaded architecture comprising at least a first thread and one or more secondary threads;
a computer, comprising a processor and memory, and configured to execute multiple threads of the threaded architecture to solve the supply chain planning problem by:
receiving supply chain input data for the supply chain planning problem;
modeling the supply chain planning problem as the multi-objective hierarchal linear programming problem based on the supply chain input data;
defining a hierarchy of one or more objectives specifying an order of solving the one or more objectives of the supply chain planning problem;
executing the first thread as a mainline solve of a first objective and executing the one or more secondary threads as one or more auxiliary solves of one or more additional objectives;
determining if a next objective of the hierarchy has been solved by the one or more auxiliary solves in response to the first objective being solved, and in response to the next objective being solved, using the auxiliary solve of the next objective as a starting solution for a mainline solve of the next objective;
using a solution from a previous solved mainline objective as a starting solution for a mainline solve of the next objective in response to the next objective of the hierarchy not being solved by the one or more auxiliary solves;
killing any live threads being processed by a solver, wherein the any live threads are solving one or more solutions whose bounds are farther away than a solution associated with a particular thread, wherein the solution associated with the particular thread has bounds that are closest to a bounds specified by the multi-objective hierarchical linear programming problem; and
repeating the determining and using steps to solve each objective in the hierarchy.