Improved Packing Representation Model for the Orthogonal Packing Problem

The multidimensional NP-hard orthogonal bin packing problem is considered in the article. Usually the problem is solved using heuristic algorithms of discrete optimization which optimize a selection sequence of objects to be packed in containers. The quality and speed of getting the resulting packing for a given sequence of placing objects is determined by the used packing representation model. In the article presented a new packing representation model for constructing the orthogonal packing. The proposed model of potential containers describes all residual free spaces of containers in packing. The developed model is investigated on well-known standard benchmarks of three-dimensional orthogonal bin packing problem. The model can be used in development of applied software for the optimal allocation of orthogonal resources.