Patent ID: 9639813
Date: 2017-05-02
CPC Classifications: G06Q

Claim:
1. A method, comprising: (a) receiving an optimization problem, the optimization problem including a plurality of cost functions and a plurality of variables, the cost functions representing possible costs for values of the variables in the optimization problem, each of the cost functions having a predetermined relationship with select ones of the variables, (b) generating a first message for each of the cost functions for each corresponding variable based upon the respective predetermined relationship, the first message indicating a first belief that the corresponding variable has a first value when the optimization problem is solved, the first message having a respective first weight indicating a certainty of the first message; (c) generating a second message for each of the variables for each corresponding cost function based upon the respective predetermined relationship, the second message indicating a second belief that the corresponding variable has a second value when the optimization problem is solved, the second message having a respective second weight indicating a certainty of the second message, wherein each of the first and second weights is one of a zero weight, an infinite weight, and a standard weight; (d) generating a disagreement variable for each corresponding pair of variables and cost functions measuring a disagreement value between the first and second beliefs; (e) repeating steps (b), (c), and (d) until a consensus is formed between the first and second messages based on the cost functions and the variables, a subsequent first message being modified based upon the second message, its corresponding second weight, and the corresponding disagreement variable, and a subsequent second message being modified based upon the first message, its corresponding first weight, and the corresponding disagreement variable; and (f) determining an optimization solution based upon the consensus,