Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Constraint Based Heuristic for Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Digital Connectivity – Social Impact (CSI 2016)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 679))

Included in the following conference series:

  • 593 Accesses

Abstract

Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows (VRPTW) is a well known combinatorial optimization problem. Many solution strategies are proposed to solve VRPTW. In this work, a constraint based (COB) heuristic approach is proposed to solve VRPTW. The algorithm uses two stages to solve. In the first stage, priority based decomposition is introduced that partitions the customers based on spatial constraints with a devised priority metric. In the second stage, an urgency based orientation is introduced based on temporal constraints to direct the customers along the route. The routes obtained are improved for optimality. The proposed algorithm is tested on Solomon’s benchmark data sets and implemented using MATLAB 7.0.1. The results obtained are found to be competitive with other well known methods.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Azi, N., et al.: An exact algorithm for single vehicle routing problem with time window. Eur. J. Oper. Res. 178(3), 755–766 (2007)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  2. Solomon, M.: Algorithms for vehicle routing and scheduling problem with time window constraints. Oper. Res. 35(2), 254–265 (1987)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  3. Ioannou, G., et al.: A greedy look-ahead heuristic for the vehicle routing problem with time windows. J. Oper. Res. Soc. 52, 523–537 (2001)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  4. Chiang, W., Russell, R.A.: A reactive tabu search metaheuristic for the vehicle routing problem with time windows. INFORMS J. Comput. 9(4), 417–430 (1997)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  5. Lin, S.W., et al.: Vehicle routing problems with time windows using simulated annealing. In: IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics SMC 2006, pp. 8–11 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Alvarenga, G.B., et al.: A genetic and set partitioning two-phase approach for the vehicle routing problem with time windows. Comput. Oper. Res. 34(6), 1561–1584 (2007)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  7. Yu, B., et al.: A hybrid algorithm for vehicle routing problem with time windows. Expert Syst. Appl. 38, 435–441 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Ai, T.J., Kachitvichyanukul, V.: A particle swarm optimization for vehicle routing problem with time windows. Int. J. Oper. Res. 6(4), 519–537 (2009)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  9. Caseau, Y., Laburthe, S.: Heuristics for large constrained vehicle routing problems. J. Heurist. 5, 281–303 (1999)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  10. Potvin, J.Y., Bengio, S.: The vehicle routing problem with time windows part II: genetic search. INFORMS J. Comput. 8(2), 165–172 (1996)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  11. Taillard, É., et al.: A tabu search heuristic for the vehicle routing problem with soft time windows. Transp. Sci. 31(2), 170–186 (1997)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  12. Schulze, J., Fahle, T.: A parallel algorithm for the vehicle routing problem with time window constraints. Ann. Oper. Res. 86, 585–607 (1999)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  13. Lau, H.C., et al.: Vehicle routing problem with time windows and a limited number of vehicles. Eur. J. Oper. Res. 148(3), 559–569 (2003)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  14. Tan, K.C., et al.: A hybrid multi-objective evolutionary algorithm for solving vehicle routing problem with time windows. Comput. Optim. Appl. 34(1), 115–151 (2006)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Mathematics and Computational Sciences, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, 641 004, India

    G. Poonthalir & R. Nadarajan

  2. Department of Computer Applications, Government Arts College, Udumalpet, India

    S. Geetha

Authors
  1. G. Poonthalir
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. R. Nadarajan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. S. Geetha
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to G. Poonthalir .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Karpagam Academy of Higher Education, Coimbatore, India

    S. Subramanian

  2. PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, India

    R. Nadarajan

  3. International Institute of Information Technology, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

    Shrisha Rao

  4. Applied Mathematics and Computational Sciences, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India

    Shina Sheen

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this paper

Cite this paper

Poonthalir, G., Nadarajan, R., Geetha, S. (2016). A Constraint Based Heuristic for Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows. In: Subramanian, S., Nadarajan, R., Rao, S., Sheen, S. (eds) Digital Connectivity – Social Impact. CSI 2016. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 679. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3274-5_9

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3274-5_9

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-10-3273-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-3274-5

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation