Ant colony algorithm based Controls' arrangement optimization

For the arrangement of Controls in human-machine interface based on the multiple operating conditions, the following factors should be considered: the design principles such as the importance of Controls, operating frequency, operating sequence and relativity between the Controls, and the total motion distance of the operator's hand. The arrangement in manual mode can hardly take all the factors above, and easily be influenced by subjective factors, so there is large randomcity in controller arrangement. Ant colony algorithm can take all the factors above into account, so it can be applied to optimization the arrangement objectively. In this paper, the importance, operating frequency, operating sequence and relativity was take as the variables, the minimum total motion distance of the operator's hand in the multiple operating conditions as objective function, and a mathematical model for optimizing the arrangement of the Controls was established based on Ant colony algorithm. Finally, the process of optimization was introduced, and the feasibility of the optimization method was proved through a case.