On global warming: Flow-based soft global constraints

On global warming: Flow-based soft global constraints

In case a CSP is over-constrained, it is natural to allow some constraints, called soft constraints, to be violated. We propose a generic method to soften global constraints that can be represented by a flow in a graph. Such constraints are softened by adding violation arcs to the graph and then com...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of heuristics 2006-09, Vol.12 (4-5), p.347-373
Main Authors: Van Hoeve, Willem-Jan, Pesant, Gilles, Rousseau, Louis-Martin
Format: Article
Language:eng
Subjects:
Algorithms
Global warming
Graph representations
Heuristic
Mathematical models
Preferences
Propagation
Studies
Variables
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Summary:In case a CSP is over-constrained, it is natural to allow some constraints, called soft constraints, to be violated. We propose a generic method to soften global constraints that can be represented by a flow in a graph. Such constraints are softened by adding violation arcs to the graph and then computing a minimum-weight flow in the extended graph to measure the violation. We present efficient propagation algorithms, based on different violation measures, achieving domain consistency for the all different constraint, the global cardinality constraint, the regular constraint and the same constraint. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:1381-1231
1572-9397