Fleet Sizing and Empty Equipment Redistribution for Center-Terminal Transportation Networks
从库存理论出发，为枢纽辐射网络中的空设备开发分散式库存控制策略，通过解析建模随机过程并与蒙特卡洛模拟对比，同时提出分解方法计算缺货概率与车队规模及局部控制参数的关系。
Fleet sizing and empty equipment redistribution are important issues in managing transportation systems. Most of the mathematical models that have been developed for these problems are complex and computationally demanding, including dynamic linear programming and stochastic/dynamic mathematical programs. Our research takes an alternate approach by building from inventory theory and developing decentralized stock control policies for empty equipment. This approach is applied to hub-and-spoke networks (i.e., center-terminal networks), by first analytically modeling the stochastic processes representing various stock-control variables, and then comparing the analytical results to monte-carlo simulations. A decomposition approach is also developed to determine stock-out probabilities as a function of the fleet size as a whole, and as a function of localized control parameters.