A taxonomy for task allocation problems with temporal and ordering constraints

Previous work on assigning tasks to robots has proposed extensive categorizations of allocation of tasks with and without constraints. The main contribution of this paper is a specific categorization of problems that have temporal and ordering constraints. We propose a novel taxonomy that emphasizes the differences between temporal and ordering constraints, and organizes the current literature according to the nature of those constraints. We summarize widely used models and methods from the task allocation literature and related areas, such as vehicle routing and scheduling problems, showing similarities and differences. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.