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Hybrids of Constructive Metaheuristics and Constraint Programming: A Case Study with ACO

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Hybrid Metaheuristics

Part of the book series: Studies in Computational Intelligence ((SCI,volume 114))

A long-standing problem in combinatorial optimization with metaheuristics has been how to handle hard constraints effectively. Integrating metaheuristic methods with Constraint Programming (CP), an exact technique for solving hard constraints, promises a solution to this problem.

This chapter explores how such an integration can be achieved. We discuss possible types of couplings between the two algorithmic frameworks and define hybrid algorithms for each type. The central distinction is between tight coupling in which both components collaborate in an interleaved fashion and loose coupling where both components run in parallel, exchanging only (partial) solutions and bounds.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. FIT Centre for Research in Intelligent Systems, Monash University, Clayton, Australia

    Bernd Meyer

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  1. Bernd Meyer
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Llenguatges i Sistemes Informátics, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Jordi Girona 1-3 Omega 112, E-08034, Barcelona, Spain

    Christian Blum

  2. Dept. Llenguatges i Sistemes Informátics, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Jordi Girona 1-3 Omega 213, E-08034, Barcelona, Spain

    Maria José Blesa Aguilera

  3. Università di Bologna, Via Venezia 52, I-47023, Cesena, Italy

    Andrea Roli

  4. Université Libre de Bruxelles, Avenue Franklin Roosevelt 50, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium

    Michael Sampels

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Meyer, B. (2008). Hybrids of Constructive Metaheuristics and Constraint Programming: A Case Study with ACO. In: Blum, C., Aguilera, M.J.B., Roli, A., Sampels, M. (eds) Hybrid Metaheuristics. Studies in Computational Intelligence, vol 114. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-78295-7_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-78295-7_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-78294-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-78295-7

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