Abstract
We consider an algorithmic problem that arises in manufacturing applications. The input is a sequence of objects of various types. The scheduler is fed the objects in the sequence one by one, and is equipped with a finite buffer. The goal of the scheduler/sorter is to maximally reduce the number of type transitions. We give the first polynomial-time constant approximation algorithm for this problem. We prove several lemmas about the combinatorial structure of optimal solutions that may be useful in future research, and we show that the unified algorithm based on the local ratio lemma performs well for a slightly larger class of problems than was apparently previously known.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bar-Noy, A., Bar-Yehuda, R., Freund, A., Seffi Naor, J., Schieber, B.: A unified approach to approximating resource allocation and scheduling. Journal of the ACM 48(5), 1069–1090 (2001)
Brückner, S., Wyns, J., Peeters, P., Kollingbaum, M.: Designing agent for manufacturing control. In: Proceedings of the 2nd AI & Manufacturing Research Planning Workshop, pp. 40–46 (1998)
Cormen, T.H., Leiserson, C.E., Rivest, R.L., Stein, C.: Introduction to Algorithms, ch. 16, 2nd edn. MIT Press and McGraw-Hill Book Company (2001)
Gupta, U.I., Lee, D.T., Leung, J.Y.-T.: An Optimal Solution for the Channel-Assignment Problem. IEEE Transactions on Computers 28(11), 807–810 (1979)
Kohrt, J.S., Pruhs, K.: A constant approximation algorithm for sorting buffers. Technical Report PP-2003-21, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Southern Denmark, Odense (2003)
Räcke, H., Sohler, C., Westermann, M.: Online scheduling for sorting buffers. In: Möhring, R.H., Raman, R. (eds.) ESA 2002. LNCS, vol. 2461, p. 820. Springer, Heidelberg (2002)
Sokol, J.S.: Optimizing Paint Blocking in an Automobile Assembly Line: An Application of Specialized TSP’s. PhD thesis, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT (June 1999)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2004 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Kohrt, J.S., Pruhs, K. (2004). A Constant Approximation Algorithm for Sorting Buffers. In: Farach-Colton, M. (eds) LATIN 2004: Theoretical Informatics. LATIN 2004. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 2976. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-24698-5_23
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-24698-5_23
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-21258-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-24698-5
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive