Patent ID: 7363280

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for optimizing multi-objective engineering or design problems using evolutionary algorithms, the method comprising the steps of: (a) setting up an initial population of individuals as parents, the individuals encoding object parameters to be optimized wherein said object parameters represent engineering or design characteristics including physical characteristics; (b) reproducing the parents to create a plurality of offspring individuals; (c) evaluating a quality of the offspring individuals by means of a fitness function; (d) wherein the fitness function includes a sum of weighted sub-functions that represent an objective, said weights for the sub-functions are changed dynamically during the optimization of the multi-objective engineering or design problems; (e) selecting one or more offspring having a highest evaluated quality value as parents for a next generation corresponding to a next evolution cycle, wherein said weights for the sub-functions are changed according to a periodic function during the optimization wherein a value of said weights repeats periodically according to said periodic function; (f) repeating steps (a)-(e) until a termination condition for the optimization is satisfied; and (g) outputting said weight values to a computer readable medium for use in the design of at least one of an aerodynamic body, a physical object, or a heat exchange wall.