A Plan Fusion Algorithm for Multi-Agent Systems
Mathijs M. De Weerdt, Andre Bos, J.F.M. Tonino, Cees Witteveen · 2000
We introduce an algorithm for cooperative planning in multi-agent systems. The algorithm enables the agents to combine (fuse) their plans in order to increase their joint profits. A computational resources and skills framework is developed for representing the planned activities of an agent under time constraints. Using this resource-skill framework, we present an ecient (polynomial time) algorithm that fuses the plans of a group of agents in such a way that their joint profits improve. The framework and the algorithm are illustrated using a simplified example from the freight transport domain. 1 Introduction Recently, much attention has been given to the topic of cooperation and cooperative planning in multiagent systems. Usually, the starting point for research on this problem is the observation that there exist classes of problems that cannot be solved by a single agent in isolation, but require several agents to work together in an interactive way, coordinating their plans and sharing ...