Distributed Problem Solving

Abstract

Distributed problem solving is a subfield within multiagent systems, where agents are assumed to be part of a team and collaborate with each other to reach a common goal. In this article, we illustrate the motivations for distributed problem solving and provide an overview of two distributed problem solving models, namely distributed constraint satisfaction problems (DCSPs) and distributed constraint optimization problems (DCOPs), and some of their algorithms.

Solving distributed constraint optimization problems using logic programming

“…A Distributed Constraint Optimization Problem (DCOP) (Modi et al 2005;Petcu and Faltings 2005a;Mailler and Lesser 2004;Yeoh and Yokoo 2012) can be described as a tuple M = X , D, F, A, α where:…”

Holonic coordination obtained by joining the contract net protocol with constraint satisfaction

“…Besides the method of this paper, there is also the possibility to integrate optimality search within DisCSP by using the approach of distributed constraint optimization problems (DCOPs) [19]. In [20] different DCOP methods are discussed, and the difficulties on obtaining a certain quality for the solution determined through an asynchronous communication between agents are underlined.…”

“…A remark about this is made in [19], namely on the usefulness of DisCSP for solving problems in which agents' tasks, resulted from a global goal, are a priori determined. If this is not the case, then the use of CNP is suggested, without any details given about the possible combination of CNP with DisCSP.…”

“…In DisCSP, a problem to be solved must be expressed as assignment for a set of variables [19]. We considered the most used variant, when each holon manages one variable.…”

Incremental DCOP Search Algorithms for Solving Dynamic DCOP Problems

“…Distributed constraint optimization (DCOP) problems are problems where agents need to coordinate their value assignments to minimize the sum of the resulting constraint costs [1], [2], [3], [4]. They are well-suited for modeling multiagent coordination problems where the primary interactions are between local subsets of agents, such as the scheduling of meetings [5], the coordination of sensors in networks [6], and the generation of coalition structures [7].…”