Learning-Based Multiobjective Coevolutionary Algorithm for Mixed-Model Assembly Line Balancing and Sequencing Problem With Collaborative Robots

Collaborative robots (cobots) are increasingly used to help human workers perform assembly tasks or complete assembly tasks themselves in assembly lines. The ergonomic risks of human workers are a key factor influencing assembly line efficiency. Therefore, this study investigates the mixed-product-model assembly line balancing and sequencing problem (ALBSP) with cobots, considering ergonomic risks in cases where human workers and cobots can operate different tasks in parallel. A mixed-integer programming model is formulated to optimize the makespan and ergonomic risks; this model can solve small-scale instances optimally using the CPLEX solver. A Q-learning-based multiobjective coevolutionary algorithm (QMOCEA) is then developed to handle large-scale instances. This algorithm adopts five vectors for encoding: the task assignment vector handles the task allocation subproblem, the worker allocation vector handles the worker allocation subproblem, the cobot allocation vector handles the cobot allocation subproblem, the process alternative selection vector handles the process alternative selection subproblem, and the product model sequencing vector handles the product model sequencing subproblem. Additionally, this algorithm uses knowledge-based decoding and initialization to obtain high-quality initial solutions. A parameter self-update strategy is proposed to adjust algorithm parameters dynamically. Comparative analysis demonstrates that the proposed method outperforms the original version and exhibits promising performance in comparison with benchmark methods, achieving the highest average hypervolume (HV) ratio of 0.805 and the lowest inverted generational distance (IGD) of 0.028 across 22 instance groups.