Two-Phase Resource Allocation for Reconfiguration Cost Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional resource management approaches often result in suboptimal performance due to the decoupling of configuration and contingency planning phases, leading to high reconfiguration costs and potential service outages, especially during network outages, as they fail to efficiently allocate resources for contingency scenarios.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that formulate initial resource allocation as a two-phase process, an optimization phase and a restricted allocation phase, to create reconfiguration scenarios that minimize reconfiguration costs and enable efficient resource use during disruptions, using a reconfiguration engine that analyzes resource characteristics and constraints to determine optimal initial allocations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If contingency planning is performed after configuration phase, then resource allocation can be established for normal operations, but reconfiguration costs increase and service availability decreases during contingencies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates contingency planning into the initial resource allocation phase rather than performing it separately after configuration. The system formulates and solves an optimization problem that simultaneously determines resource allocation for normal operations and identifies reconfiguration actions for contingency scenarios, preparing reconfiguration plans in advance to reduce costs and improve availability when contingencies occur
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the configuration phase and contingency planning phase into a unified optimization process. The initial resource allocation problem is formulated as an optimization problem that jointly optimizes resource allocation for baseline scenarios and identifies reconfiguration actions for contingency scenarios, eliminating the decoupling that causes suboptimal performance
2Productivity
If contingency planning is performed after configuration, then initial resource allocation can be established, but resource constraints conflict during reconfiguration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the resource allocation dynamic by formulating it as an optimization problem that can adapt to different scenarios. The system determines an initial resource allocation for baseline scenarios and simultaneously identifies reconfiguration actions for contingency scenarios, allowing the allocation to flexibly adapt to changing conditions while respecting resource constraints
3Loss of time
If contingency planning is performed separately, then configuration phase can be completed, but the process becomes highly complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines configuration and contingency planning into a single optimization problem formulation and solution process. By jointly optimizing resource allocation for baseline scenarios and identifying reconfiguration actions for contingency scenarios in one unified framework, the patent eliminates the time and complexity overhead of performing these phases separately
Data Source
AI summary
A description of a resource associated with a service of an entity can be captured. The service can be associated with one or more resources, a constraint, and a demand. The resource can be associated with one or more characteristics including a utility, a limited availability, and a consumption rate. The entity can be an organization or a system. An initial allocation problem associated with the resource can be formulated as a two phase problem. The first phase can be an optimization problem and the second phase can be a restricted allocation problem. The initial allocation problem can be associated with reconfiguring a previously established allocation of a baseline scenario. The optimization problem can be solved optimally or approximately to establish a favorable allocation. The favorable allocation can minimizes the reconfiguration cost of the reconfiguring. The baseline scenario can be a normal operation of the service.