Discrete particle swarm algorithm with Q-Learning for solving flexible job shop scheduling problem with parallel batch processing machine

Abstract

For the flexible job shop scheduling problem with parallel batch processing machines (FJSP-PBPM), the mathematical model of the problem is defined, and an improved enhanced discrete particle swarm algorithm is proposed to solve this problem. In terms of global search, an improved discrete particle swarm algorithm is adopted, and effective particle velocity and position update formulas are designed; in the local search, in order to speed up the convergence speed and avoid local convergence, it is integrated into the q-learning method in reinforcement learning. The state space, action space, reward function, and Q-table update methods that meet the scheduling problem are designed, and the proposed hybrid algorithm achieves an effective balance between global search and local search capabilities. At the same time, according to the characteristics of FJSP-PBPM, effective process sequence scheduling rules and batch machine selection rules are designed respectively to improve the search ability of the algorithm. Through the standard FJSP benchmark problem and the production data of a transformer manufacturer that meets the characteristics of the FJSP-PBPM problem, the validity and feasibility of the proposed algorithm are verified.