Simulation Based Parameter and Structure Optimisation of Discrete Event Systems

Modelling and simulation based on discrete event systems is used routinely in research and industrial applications. An advanced, but now well established technique is modelling and simulation with integrated parameter optimisation to improve system performance. In using these established approaches model structure is considered to be fixed as the relationships between model elements are defined during model development. As model performance is optimised it may be necessary to redesign the model structure, normally carried out manually by an analyst. With increasingly complex and reconfigurable discrete event systems and therefore with an increasing number of possible structure variants the potential benefit of automatic model structure optimisation becomes significant.
The research reported in this thesis details a new approach providing automatic reconfiguration and optimisation of both model structure and model parameters. This is achieved through a combination of simulation, optimisation and model management methods.