Solving large scale combinatorial optimisation problems based on a divide and conquer strategy

Abstract

A Hopfield neural network for a large scale problem optimisation poses difficulties due to the issues of stability and the determination of network parameters. In this paper, we introduce the concept of a divide and conquer algorithm to solve large scale optimisation problems using the Hopfield neural network. This paper also introduces the Grossberg Regularity Detector (GRD) neural network as a partition tool. This neural network based partition tool has the advantages of reducing the complexity of partition selection as well as removing the recursive division process during the divide and conquer operation. A large scale combinatorial optimisation problem (i.e. sequence-dependent set-up time minimisation problem with a large number of parts (N> 100)) is linearly partitioned into smaller sets of sub-problems based on their similarity relations. With a large number of parts (N>100), the problem could not effectively be verified with other methods, such as the heuristic or branch and bound methods. Hence, the effectiveness of the divide and conquer strategy implemented by the GRD neural network in conjunction with a Hopfield neural network was benchmarked against the first-come first-serve method, and the Hopfield neural network based on arbitrary separations. The results showed that the divide and conquer strategy of the GRD neural network was far superior to the other methods.