http://ieeexplore.ieee.org TOC Alert for Publication# 5326 2008 July 15 In this paper, we consider a new inventory control technique for large-scale supply chains including repairs. The part flow is bidirectional with broken parts propagated upstream for repair. It is well known that available optimization techniques for inventory control for bidirectional stochastic supply chains are computationally intractable and also necessitate several simplifying assumptions. In contrast, the proposed approach is an adaptive scheme that scales well to practically interesting large-scale multiitem supply chains. Furthermore, practical issues such as stochastic transport delays, manufacturing times, and repair times and probabilistic characterization of part repair success are handled in a unified framework. The control scheme is based on a hierarchical two-level architecture that comprises an adaptive set point generator and a lower-level order-up-to policy. An application to aircraft supply chains involving multiple original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), depots, bases, squadrons, and planes is also investigated. ]]> 38 4 551 561 453 Elevator group supervisory control systems (EGSCSs) are designed so that the movement of several elevators in a building is controlled efficiently. The efficient control of EGSCSs using conventional control methods is very difficult due to its complexity, so it is becoming popular to introduce artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into EGSCSs in recent years. As a new approach, a graph-based evolutionary method named genetic network programming (GNP) has been applied to the EGSCSs, and its effectiveness is clarified. The GNP can introduce various a priori knowledge of the EGSCSs in its node functions easily, and can execute an efficient rule-based group supervisory control that is optimized in an evolutionary way. Meanwhile, double-deck elevator systems (DDESs) where two cages are connected in a shaft have been developed for the rising demand of more efficient transport of passengers in high-rise buildings. The DDESs have specific features due to the connection of cages and the need for comfortable riding; so its group supervisory control becomes more complex and requires more efficient group control systems than the conventional single-deck elevator systems (SDESs). In this paper, a new group supervisory control system for DDESs using GNP is proposed, and its optimization and performance evaluation are done through simulations. First, optimization of the GNP for DDSEs is executed. Second, the performance of the proposed method is evaluated by comparison with conventional methods, and the obtained control rules in GNP are studied. Finally, the reduction of space requirements compared with SDESs is confirmed. ]]> 38 4 535 550 1052 Sustainable development and growth of agriculture sector calls for improving its competitiveness through a better understanding of lands, weather and climate, and planting, especially prediction of events with increased accuracy, and systematic integration of observations and prediction into decision-making in agriculture management. In this short paper, a systematic approach based on integrated information systems (IISs) for agricultural ecosystem management is proposed. The approach involves establishing an IIS called agricultural ecosystem enterprise information system (AEEIS) that extracts data on terrain, land use, planting, and others, and integrates them for the purpose of agricultural and ecosystem management. The integration helps in generating managerial/policy alternatives in consultation not only with agricultural and ecological specialists, but also with agriculture and ecosystems management. AEEIS, a platform of enterprise information systems, includes operational database, extract transform and load, data warehouse, data mining, simulation modeling, and knowledge management for generating managerial strategies on land use, planting species/variety, and optimal coverage of plants. AEEIS is part of efforts on integrated agricultural information services that is one of the main applications of China's sustainable agricultural development plan. The short paper concludes that, for effective management of agriculture and ecosystems, a systematic approach is essential in which IISs play a crucial role. ]]> 38 4 590 599 359 Future generations of air traffic management systems may give appropriately equipped aircraft the freedom to change flight paths in real time. This would require a conflict avoidance and resolution scheme that is both decentralized and cooperative. We describe a multiagent solution to aircraft conflict resolution based on satisficing game theory. A key feature of the theory is that satisficing decision makers form their preferences by taking into consideration the preferences of others, unlike conventional game theory that models agents that maximize self-interest metrics. This makes possible situational altruism, a sophisticated form of unselfish behavior in which the preferences of another agent are accommodated provided that the other agent will actually take advantage of the sacrifice. This approach also makes possible the creation of groups in which every decision maker receives due consideration. We present simulation results from a variety of scenarios in which the aircraft are limited to constant-speed heading-change maneuvers to avoid conflicts. We show that the satisficing approach results in behavior that is attractive both in terms of safety and performance. The results underscore the applicability of satisficing game theory to multiagent problems in which self-interested participants are inclined to cooperation. ]]> 38 4 510 521 283 With recent advances in battery capacity and the development of hydrogen fuel cells, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are being used to undertake longer missions that were previously performed by manned or tethered vehicles. As a result, more advanced navigation systems are needed to maintain an accurate position over a larger operational area. The accuracy of the navigation system is critical to the quality of the data collected during survey missions and the recovery of the AUV. Many different methods for navigation in different underwater environments have been proposed in the literature. In this correspondence paper, the state of the art in navigation technologies for AUVs is investigated for theoretical and operational systems. Their suitability for use in different environments is compared and current limitations of these methods are identified. In addition, new approaches to address these current problems and areas for future research are suggested. Finally, it is concluded that only geophysically referenced methods will enable AUVs to navigate accurately over large areas and that advances in underwater feature recognition are required before these methods can be implemented in operational AUVs. ]]> 38 4 581 589 135 In this paper, we propose a geometric approach to the theory of evidence based on convex geometric interpretations of its two key notions of belief function (b.f.) and Dempster's sum. On one side, we analyze the geometry of b.f.'s as points of a polytope in the Cartesian space called belief space, and discuss the intimate relationship between basic probability assignment and convex combination. On the other side, we study the global geometry of Dempster's rule by describing its action on those convex combinations. By proving that Dempster's sum and convex closure commute, we are able to depict the geometric structure of conditional subspaces, i.e., sets of b.f.'s conditioned by a given function $b$. Natural applications of these geometric methods to classical problems such as probabilistic approximation and canonical decomposition are outlined. ]]> 38 4 522 534 252 Open complex agent systems (OCAS) are becoming increasingly important in constructing problem-solving systems for enterprise applications. are challenging because they present very high system complexities involving human users and interactions with a changing environment. The existing agent-oriented software engineering (AOSE) approaches have trouble in engineering OCAS because of a number of deficiencies, e.g., lacking the capability of handling system dynamics analysis. This paper introduces an effective AOSE approach, i.e., organization- and service-oriented system analysis and design (OSOAD). It is used to extract and model system members and design a real-life OCAS system called financial trading rule automated development and evaluation (F-Trade). Through the case studies of visual and formal modeling and design of major organizational members, relations, and subsystems in F-Trade, this paper demonstrates the effective mechanisms and capabilities of the OSOAD approach. System implementation and evaluation results further show that OSOAD provides comprehensive AOSE support for engineering real-world open complex agent organizations. ]]> 38 4 483 496 1054 Solving multiobjective optimization problems requires suitable algorithms to find a satisfactory approximation of a globally optimal Pareto front. Furthermore, it is a computationally demanding task. In this paper, the grid implementation of a distributed multiobjective genetic algorithm is presented. The distributed version of the algorithm is based on the island algorithm with forgetting island elitism used instead of a genetic data exchange. The algorithm is applied to the allocation of booster stations in a drinking water distribution system. First, a multiobjective formulation of the allocation problem is further enhanced in order to handle multiple water demand scenarios and to integrate controller design into the allocation problem formulation. Next, the new grid-based algorithm is applied to a case study system. The results are compared with a nondistributed version of the algorithm. ]]> 38 4 497 509 456 This paper presents an integrated approach for Web-based collaborative manufacturing, including distributed process planning, dynamic scheduling, real-time monitoring, and remote control. It is enabled by a Web-based integrated sensor-driven e-ShopFloor (Wise-ShopFloor) framework targeting distributed yet collaborative manufacturing environments. Utilizing the latest Java technologies (Java 3D and Java Servlet) for system implementation, this approach allows users to plan and control distant shop floor operations based on runtime information from the shop floor. The objective of this research is to develop methodology and algorithms for Web-based collaborative planning and control, supported by real-time monitoring for dynamic scheduling. Details on the principle of the Wise-ShopFloor framework, system architecture, and a proof-of-concept prototype are reported in this paper. An example of distributed process planning for remote machining is chosen as a case study to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach toward Web-based collaborative manufacturing. ]]> 38 4 562 573 1668 This paper presents an alternative method to design a fuzzy neural network (FNN) using a set of nonoverlapped block pulse membership functions (BMPFs), and this FNN with nonoverlapped BPMFs will be shown to be equivalent to the conventional table lookup (TL) technique. Therefore, the hidden links between TL and FNN techniques are revealed in this paper that provides a methodology to design a TL controller based on the FNN design concept. In order to do so, a new direct formula is first developed to generate the fuzzy rules from the premise part in FNN. This direct formula not only guarantees a one-to-one mapping that maps the fuzzy membership functions onto the fuzzy rules, but also alleviates the coding effort during hardware implementation. It is further elaborated that the FNN with nonoverlapped BPMFs has the advantage of faster online training that requires less computation time, but at the cost of more memory requirement to store the fuzzy rules. The application of this new approach has been applied successfully in the water injection control of a turbo-charged automobile with excellent results. ]]> 38 4 574 580 350 Current industrial robot-programming methods require, depending on the task to be developed, an elevated degree of technical ability and time from a human operator, in order to obtain a precise, nonoptimal result. This correspondence paper presents a methodology used to generate an optimal sequence of robot configurations that enable a precise point-allocating task applicable, for instance, to spot-welding, drilling, or electronic component placement maneuvers. The optimization process starts from a nonoptimal, initial sequence designated intuitively by a human operator using an easy-to-use interface. In this correspondence paper, intuitive programming is considered as the process of defining, in a computer graphics environment and with a limited user knowledge of robotics or the industrial task, the sequence of motions that enable the execution of a complex industrial robotic maneuver. Such an initial sequence is later followed by a robot, very precisely, using a vision-based, calibration-free, robot control method. Further robot path optimization is performed with a genetic algorithm approach. An industrial robot, which is part of the experimental setup, was used in order to validate the proposed procedure. ]]> 38 4 600 608 1417 Hand movement data acquisition is used in many engineering applications ranging from the analysis of gestures to the biomedical sciences. Glove-based systems represent one of the most important efforts aimed at acquiring hand movement data. While they have been around for over three decades, they keep attracting the interest of researchers from increasingly diverse fields. This paper surveys such glove systems and their applications. It also analyzes the characteristics of the devices, provides a road map of the evolution of the technology, and discusses limitations of current technology and trends at the frontiers of research. A foremost goal of this paper is to provide readers who are new to the area with a basis for understanding glove systems technology and how it can be applied, while offering specialists an updated picture of the breadth of applications in several engineering and biomedical sciences areas. ]]> 38 4 461 482 1938 38 4 C1 C1 38 38 4 C2 C2 38 38 4 C3 C3 29 38 4 C4 C4 36