For the deficiency of the basic sine-cosine algorithm in dealing with global optimization problems such as the low solution precision and the slow convergence speed, a new improved sine-cosine algorithm is proposed in this paper. The improvement involves three optimization strategies. Firstly, the method of exponential decreasing conversion parameter and linear decreasing inertia weight is adopted to balance the global exploration and local development ability of the algorithm. Secondly, it uses the random individuals near the optimal individuals to replace the optimal individuals in the primary algorithm, which allows the algorithm to easily jump out of the local optimum and increases the search range effectively. Finally, the greedy Levy mutation strategy is used for the optimal individuals to enhance the local development ability of the algorithm. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can effectively avoid falling into the local optimum, and it has faster convergence speed and higher optimization accuracy.

A flower pollination algorithm is proposed based on the hormone modulation mechanism (HMM-FPA) to solve the no-wait flow shop scheduling problem (NWFSP). This algorithm minimizes the maximum accomplished time. Random keys are encoded based on an ascending sequence of components to make the flower pollination algorithm (FPA) suitable for the no-wait flow shop scheduling problem. The hormone modulation factor is introduced to strengthen information sharing among the flowers and improve FPA cross-pollination to enhance the algorithm global search performance. A variable neighborhood search strategy based on dynamic self-adaptive variable work piece blocks is constructed to improve the local search quality. Three common benchmark instances are applied to test the proposed algorithm. The result verifies that this algorithm is effective.