Pointing scheduler for a pointable device

Abstract

A method of determining a schedule for a pointing device includes distributing targets among a plurality of groups and assigning schedules to the groups, after which the groups and group schedules are not modified. A partial pointing schedule is successively grown by selecting a list of remaining groups, and appending a best candidate sub-schedule for the list to the partial schedule. If a sub-schedule cannot be found for which the grown partial schedule meets all applicable requirements, the partial schedule is pruned to a previous state and a different, previously evaluated sub-schedule is appended to the pruned partial schedule to attempt re-growth. Groups, group schedules, lists, and sub-schedules can be selected according to values, dwell times, and/or windows of performance of the targets, groups, and sub-schedules. If no schedule is found that meets all requirements, a missed group can be excluded from the schedule.