An immune inspired algorithm for solving dynamic vehicle dispatching problem in a port container terminal

Abstract

A typical Vehicle Dispatching Problem (VDP) for a port container terminal often involves offline resource allocation and is often successfully solved by heuristics algorithms. In this research, an autonomous and decentralized vehicle dispatching algorithm is proposed in which the algorithm is inspired by the human immune system. Specifically, the proposed algorithm is inspired by the cell-mediate immune response of T-cells that possess the capability of exploring the environment and providing an adaptive and specific immune response to the invading antigens. We conduct extensive simulation studies to study the performance of the algorithm in solving a typical vehicle dispatch problem derived from realistic terminal configurations and operational constraints. The results show good vehicle utilization and low computational cost when comparing with a GA-based algorithm. © 2009 Springer.