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Constraint Satisfaction Problems (CSP)

Constraint satisfaction problems (CSPs) involve assigning values to variables while satisfying constraints. CSPs can be solved using backtracking search, which incrementally assigns a single variable at each node using depth-first search. Heuristics like most constrained variable selection and least constraining value help guide the search. Forward checking and constraint propagation techniques like arc consistency further prune inconsistent values and detect failures earlier.

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57 views36 pages

Constraint Satisfaction Problems (CSP)

Constraint satisfaction problems (CSPs) involve assigning values to variables while satisfying constraints. CSPs can be solved using backtracking search, which incrementally assigns a single variable at each node using depth-first search. Heuristics like most constrained variable selection and least constraining value help guide the search. Forward checking and constraint propagation techniques like arc consistency further prune inconsistent values and detect failures earlier.

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Constraint Satisfaction

Problems (CSP)
What is Search For?
• Assumptions about the world : a single agent, deterministic actions,
fully observed state, discrete state space
• Planning: sequences of actions
• Want: path to the goal.
• Paths have various costs, depths.
• Heuristics give problem-specific guidance
• Identification: assignments to variables
• The goal itself is important, not path.
• All paths at same depth (for some formulations)
• CSPs are specialized identification problems
Standard Search and CSP
Standard search problem:
◦ state is a "black box“ – any data structure that supports successor function, heuristic
function, and goal test
CSP:
◦ state is defined by variables Xi with values from domain Di
◦ goal test is a set of constraints specifying allowable combinations of values for
subsets of variables
Allows useful general-purpose algorithms with more power than
standard search algorithms
Constraint Satisfaction Problems
• CSP is defined by a set of variables, X1,X2,……Xn, and a set of
constraints, C1,C2,….Cn.
• Each variable Xi has a non empty domain Di of possible values
• Each constraint Ci involves some subset of the variables and specifies
the allowable combinations of values for that subset.
More on CSP
• A state of the problem is defined by an assignment of values to some
or all of the variables {Xi=vi, Xj=vj….}
• An assignment that does not violate any constraints is called a
consistent or legal assignment.
• A complete assignment is one in which every variable is mentioned,
and a soln to a CSP is a complete assignment that satisfies all the
constraints
• Some CSP require a soln that maximizes an objective function
Example: Map Coloring
• Variables: WA, NA, Q, NSW, V, SA, T
• Domains: D = {red, green, blue}
• Constraints: adjacent regions must have
different colors
• Implicit:
• Explicit: (WA,NT) ∈ {(red,green),(red,blue),...,}
• Solutions are assignmets satisfying all
constrains, e.g:
{ WA = red, NT= green, Q = red, NSW=green,
V=red, SA=blue, T=green }
 
Example: N Queen
 
Formulation 1:

Variables:
Domains: {0,1}
Constraints:
Example: N Queen
𝑄1
 
 
Formulation 2:
𝑄2
 

Variables:
Domains: {1,2,3, … , N} 𝑄3
 

Constraints:
Implicit: non threatening 𝑄4
 
Explicit:
…
…
Constraint Graph
Binary CSP: each constraint relates two
variables
Constraint graph: nodes are variables, arcs are
constraints
General-purpose CSP algorithms use the
graph structure to speed up search.
E.g., Tasmania is an independent subproblem!
Varieties of CSPs and Constraints
• Discrete Variables
• Finite domains
• Size d means O(dn) complete assignments.
• E.g., Boolean CSPs, including Boolean satisfiability (NP-complete)
• Infinite domains (integers, strings, etc.)
• E.g., Scheduling: Variables = Job start times.
• Linear constraints solvable
• Nonlinear undecidable
• Continuous variables
• E.g., start/end times for Hubble Telescope observations
• Linear constraints solvable in polynomial time by LP methods
(see cs170 for a bit of this theory)
Varieties of Constraints
Unary constraints involve a single variable,
◦ e.g., SA ≠ green
Binary constraints involve pairs of variables,
◦ e.g., SA ≠ WA
Higher-order constraints involve 3 or more variables,
◦ e.g., cryptarithmetic column constraints

◦ Preferences (soft constraints):


◦ E.g., red is better than green
◦ Often represented as cost for assignment
◦ Gives constrained optimization problems
Standard search formulation (incremental)
Let's start with the straightforward approach, then fix it
States are defined by the values assigned so far
• Initial state: the empty assignment { }
• Successor function: assign a value to an unassigned variable that does not conflict with
current assignment
 fail if no legal assignments
• Goal test: the current assignment is complete
Search Methods
• What would BFS do?
• What would DFS do?
• What problems does naive search have?
Backtracking Search
• Backtracking search is the basic uninformed algorithm for solving CSPs
• Idea 1: One variable at a time.
• Variable assignments are commutative, so fix ordering
• I.e., [WA = red then NT = green] same same [NT = green then WA = red]
• Assign single variable at each step
• Idea 2: Check constraints as you go.
• I.e. consider values which do not conflict with previous assignments Might have to do some
computation to check the constraints
• “Incremental goal test”
• Depth-first search with these two improvements is called backtracking search (not
the best name)
• Can solve n-queens for n ≈ 25
Backtracking example
Backtracking example
Backtracking example
Backtracking example
• Backtracking = DFS + variable-ordering + fail-on-violation
• What are the choice points?
Most constrained variable
• Most constrained variable:
choose the variable with the fewest legal values

• WA=red and NT=green, one possible value for SA, so rather assign value
at Q we choose SA
• And later Q,NSW and V values are forced. Reduce the unnecessary
backtracking steps, failure will be detect easily
• minimum remaining values (MRV) heuristic
• Fail-first heuristic
Degree Heuristic
• Selecting the variable that involved in the largest number of
constraints on other unassigned variables
• Reduce the branching factor on future choices
• Tie-breaker among most constrained variables

• SA is the variable with highest degree 5


Least constraining value
• Given a variable, choose the least constraining value:
• the one that rules out the fewest choice values in the remaining
variables

• Combining these heuristics makes 1000 queens feasible


Forward checking
• Idea:
• Keep track of remaining legal values for unassigned
variables
• Terminate search when any variable has no legal values
Forward checking
• Idea:
• Keep track of remaining legal values for unassigned
variables
• Terminate search when any variable has no legal values
Forward checking
• Idea:
• Keep track of remaining legal values for unassigned
variables
• Terminate search when any variable has no legal values
Forward checking
• Idea:
• Keep track of remaining legal values for unassigned
variables
• Terminate search when any variable has no legal values
Constraint propagation
• Forward checking propagates information from assigned
to unassigned variables, but doesn't provide early
detection for all failures:

• NT and SA cannot both be blue!


• Constraint propagation repeatedly enforces constraints
locally
Arc consistency
• Arc consistency is based on a very simple concept
• Stronger than Forward Checking
• if we can look at just one constraint and see that x=v is
impossible …obviously we can remove the value x=v from
consideration
• How do we know a value is impossible?
• If the constraint provides no support for the value
• e.g. if Dx= {1,4,5} and Dy= {1, 2, 3}
• then the constraint x > y provides no support for x=1
• we can remove x=1 from Dx
Arc consistency
• Simplest form of propagation makes each arc consistent
• X Y is consistent iff
for every value x of X there is some allowed y
Arc consistency
• Simplest form of propagation makes each arc consistent
• X Y is consistent iff
for every value x of X there is some allowed y
Arc consistency
• Simplest form of propagation makes each arc consistent
• X Y is consistent iff
for every value x of X there is some allowed y

• If X loses a value, neighbors of X need to be rechecked


Arc consistency
• Simplest form of propagation makes each arc consistent
• X Y is consistent iff
for every value x of X there is some allowed y

• If X loses a value, neighbors of X need to be rechecked


• Arc consistency detects failure earlier than forward checking
• Can be run as a preprocessor or after each assignment
Arc consistency algorithm AC-3

• A binary CSP O(n2) arcs, each arc (xk,xj) inserted only d times so
O(n2d)..checking consistency of an arc can be done O(d2).
• Time complexity: O(n2d3)
Example: 4-Queens
• States: 4 queens in 4 columns (44 = 256 states)
• Actions: move queen in column
• Goal test: no attacks
• Evaluation: h(n) = number of attacks

• Given random initial state, can solve n-queens in almost constant


time for arbitrary n with high probability (e.g., n = 10,000,000)
Summary
• CSPs are a special kind of problem:
• states defined by values of a fixed set of variables
• goal test defined by constraints on variable values
• Backtracking = depth-first search with one variable assigned
per node
• Variable ordering and value selection heuristics help
significantly
• Forward checking prevents assignments that guarantee later
failure
• Constraint propagation (e.g., arc consistency) does additional
work to constrain values and detect inconsistencies
• Iterative min-conflicts is usually effective in practice

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