Comparing several heuristics for a packing problem

Packing problems are in general NP-hard, even for simple cases. Since now there are no highly efficient algorithms available for solving packing problems. The two-dimensional bin packing problem is about packing all given rectangular items, into a minimum size rectangular bin, without overlapping. The restriction is that the items cannot be rotated. The current paper is comparing a greedy algorithm with a hybrid genetic algorithm in order to see which technique is better for the given problem. The algorithms are tested on different sizes data.Comment: 5 figures, 2 tables; accepted: International Journal of Advanced Intelligence Paradigm

An Efficient Data Structure for Dynamic Two-Dimensional Reconfiguration

In the presence of dynamic insertions and deletions into a partially reconfigurable FPGA, fragmentation is unavoidable. This poses the challenge of developing efficient approaches to dynamic defragmentation and reallocation. One key aspect is to develop efficient algorithms and data structures that exploit the two-dimensional geometry of a chip, instead of just one. We propose a new method for this task, based on the fractal structure of a quadtree, which allows dynamic segmentation of the chip area, along with dynamically adjusting the necessary communication infrastructure. We describe a number of algorithmic aspects, and present different solutions. We also provide a number of basic simulations that indicate that the theoretical worst-case bound may be pessimistic.Comment: 11 pages, 12 figures; full version of extended abstract that appeared in ARCS 201

Fast movement strategies for a step-and-scan wafer stepper

We describe algorithms for the determination of fast movement strategies for a step-and-scan wafer stepper, a device that is used for the photolithographic processing of integrated circuits. The proposed solution strategy consists of two parts. First, we determine the maximum number of congruent rectangular chips that can be packed on a wafer, subject to the restriction that the chips are placed in a rectangular grid. Second, we find fast movement strategies for scanning all chips of a given packing, given the mechanical restrictions of the wafer stepper. The corresponding combinatorial optimization problem is formulated as a generalized asymmetric traveling salesman problem. We show how feasible scan strategies are determined, and how these strategies are improved by local search techniques, such as iterative improvement based on 2- and 3-exchanges, and simulated annealing based on 2-exchanges.\ud \u

Defragmenting the Module Layout of a Partially Reconfigurable Device

Modern generations of field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) allow for partial reconfiguration. In an online context, where the sequence of modules to be loaded on the FPGA is unknown beforehand, repeated insertion and deletion of modules leads to progressive fragmentation of the available space, making defragmentation an important issue. We address this problem by propose an online and an offline component for the defragmentation of the available space. We consider defragmenting the module layout on a reconfigurable device. This corresponds to solving a two-dimensional strip packing problem. Problems of this type are NP-hard in the strong sense, and previous algorithmic results are rather limited. Based on a graph-theoretic characterization of feasible packings, we develop a method that can solve two-dimensional defragmentation instances of practical size to optimality. Our approach is validated for a set of benchmark instances.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figures, 1 table, Latex, to appear in "Engineering of Reconfigurable Systems and Algorithms" as a "Distinguished Paper

Restricted Strip Covering and the Sensor Cover Problem

Given a set of objects with durations (jobs) that cover a base region, can we schedule the jobs to maximize the duration the original region remains covered? We call this problem the sensor cover problem. This problem arises in the context of covering a region with sensors. For example, suppose you wish to monitor activity along a fence by sensors placed at various fixed locations. Each sensor has a range and limited battery life. The problem is to schedule when to turn on the sensors so that the fence is fully monitored for as long as possible. This one dimensional problem involves intervals on the real line. Associating a duration to each yields a set of rectangles in space and time, each specified by a pair of fixed horizontal endpoints and a height. The objective is to assign a position to each rectangle to maximize the height at which the spanning interval is fully covered. We call this one dimensional problem restricted strip covering. If we replace the covering constraint by a packing constraint, the problem is identical to dynamic storage allocation, a scheduling problem that is a restricted case of the strip packing problem. We show that the restricted strip covering problem is NP-hard and present an O(log log n)-approximation algorithm. We present better approximations or exact algorithms for some special cases. For the uniform-duration case of restricted strip covering we give a polynomial-time, exact algorithm but prove that the uniform-duration case for higher-dimensional regions is NP-hard. Finally, we consider regions that are arbitrary sets, and we present an O(log n)-approximation algorithm.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figure