Fuzzy part coding for group technology

Contemporary Group Technology (GT) methods apply coding schemes as a popular method for capturing the design and manufacturing information pertinent to the parts to be grouped. Coding schemes are very popular and many different coding systems are commercially available. The main disadvantage of current coding systems, however, is their generality and lack of informative representation of the parts.This paper presents a new methodology for coding parts using fuzzy codes. The methodology is general and applies to attributes that have a crisp value (e.g., “length”, “ratio of length to diameter”), an interval value (e.g., “tolerance”, “surface roughness”) or a fuzzy value (e.g., “primary shape”). The methodology considers the range of attributes' values relevant for the grouping, and therefore, is tuned and adjusted to the specific collection of parts of interest. This method creates a more informative coding scheme which leads to improved variant process planning methods, scheduling and inventory control as well as other manufacturing functions that utilize GT.     

Design of fuzzy logic controllers based on generalized T-operators

Since Zadeh first proposed the basic principle of fuzzy logic controllers in 1968, the and operators have been popular in the design of fuzzy logic controllers. In this paper, the general concept of T-operators is introduced into the conventional design methods for fuzzy logic controllers so that a general and flexible methodology for the design of these fuzzy logic controllers is available. Then, by computer simulations, studies are made so as to determine the relations between the various T-operators and the performance of a fuzzy logic controller. It is concluded that the performance of the fuzzy logic controller for a given class of plants very much depends upon the choice of the T-operators.     

A fuzzy random forest

When individual classifiers are combined appropriately, a statistically significant increase in classification accuracy is usually obtained. Multiple classifier systems are the result of combining several individual classifiers. Following Breiman’s methodology, in this paper a multiple classifier system based on a “forest” of fuzzy decision trees, i.e., a fuzzy random forest, is proposed. This approach combines the robustness of multiple classifier systems, the power of the randomness to increase the diversity of the trees, and the flexibility of fuzzy logic and fuzzy sets for imperfect data management. Various combination methods to obtain the final decision of the multiple classifier system are proposed and compared. Some of them are weighted combination methods which make a weighting of the decisions of the different elements of the multiple classifier system (leaves or trees). A comparative study with several datasets is made to show the efficiency of the proposed multiple classifier system and the various combination methods. The proposed multiple classifier system exhibits a good accuracy classification, comparable to that of the best classifiers when tested with conventional data sets. However, unlike other classifiers, the proposed classifier provides a similar accuracy when tested with imperfect datasets (with missing and fuzzy values) and with datasets with noise.     

Exact inversion of decomposable interval type-2 fuzzy logic systems

It has been demonstrated that type-2 fuzzy logic systems are much more powerful tools than ordinary (type-1) fuzzy logic systems to represent highly nonlinear and/or uncertain systems. As a consequence, type-2 fuzzy logic systems have been applied in various areas especially in control system design and modelling. In this study, an exact inversion methodology is developed for decomposable interval type-2 fuzzy logic system. In this context, the decomposition property is extended and generalized to interval type-2 fuzzy logic sets. Based on this property, the interval type-2 fuzzy logic system is decomposed into several interval type-2 fuzzy logic subsystems under a certain condition on the input space of the fuzzy logic system. Then, the analytical formulation of the inverse interval type-2 fuzzy logic subsystem output is explicitly driven for certain switching points of the Karnik–Mendel type reduction method. The proposed exact inversion methodology driven for the interval type-2 fuzzy logic subsystem is generalized to the overall interval type-2 fuzzy logic system via the decomposition property. In order to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed methodology, a simulation study is given where the beneficial sides of the proposed exact inversion methodology are shown clearly.     

Fuzzy analytic hierarchy process: Fallacy of the popular methods

The fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (fuzzy AHP) is a very popular decision making method and literally thousands of papers have been published about it. However, we find the basic logic of this approach has problems. From its methodology, the definition and operational rules of fuzzy numbers not only oppose the main logic of fuzzy set theory, but also oppose the basic principles of the AHP. In dealing with the outcomes, fuzzy AHP does not give a generally accepted method to rank fuzzy numbers and a way to check the validity of the results. Besides, we discuss the validity of the Analytic Hierarchy/Network Process (AHP/ANP) in complex and uncertain environments and find that fuzzy ANP is a false proposition because there is no fuzzy priority in the super matrix which provides the basis for the ANP. Although fuzzy AHP has been applied in many cases and cited hundreds of times, we hoped that those who use fuzzy AHP would understand the problems associated with this method.     

Decomposition of a complex fuzzy controller for the truck-and-trailer reverse parking problem

The use of fuzzy logic has, in the last twenty years, become standard practice in the field of control. The reason lies in the fuzzy logic’s ability to relatively quickly transfer uncertain experience and knowledge about the observed object’s behaviour into the process of decision making. Nevertheless, one of the biggest problems that arises when using a fuzzy approach is the large number of fuzzy rules that have to be processed in order to produce one decision (i.e. one control output). The number of rules in a fuzzy controller primarily originates from the number of input variables that are entering the decision process and one possible solution for decreasing it is to use the method of decomposition. Its main goal is to implement the equivalent control functionality with a hierarchy of simpler fuzzy controllers. Their main characteristic is a lower number of input variables, which as a consequence leads to a smaller number of fuzzy rules. In our paper we apply the decomposition approach to the classical complex control case of the Truck-and-Trailer (T&T) reverse parking control problem. In such cases the implementation of control using only one fuzzy controller is very complex and the existing solutions, in some details, even deviate from the classical fuzzy approach. Our solution is, on the other hand, based only on the uncertain knowledge about the behaviour of the T&T driver and the results achieved are even better than those achieved by using the existing solutions.     

A Fuzzy Logic Approach for Determining Expected Values: A Project Management Application

This paper presents a methodology rooted in the general concepts of fuzzy logic theory with specific emphasis on belief functions and extension principles, and fuzzy probability distributions with fuzzy expectation based on fuzzy probability measures. This approach offers a useful alternative to the traditional approach in the estimation of probabilities in the absence of information about relative frequencies. An algorithm called BIPFET is developed and its application is demonstrated by utilizing data from a real-life research and development project.     

Fuzzy logic based intersection delay estimation

A fuzzy logic based delay estimation system is proposed and modelled. Conventional method of delay study involves solving static engineering equations in which only technical factors (traffic demand, roadway geometry, and signal control, etc.) are considered and the affect of nontechnical factors (such as weather or visibility) cannot be analyzed since they do not follow a predefined process. The fuzzy logic based delay estimation combines the complex technical and nontechnical factors and is adaptive to the changing driving environment. The rule base of the delay estimation system is constructed either following a mathematical model or from real-time traffic operational data. Simulation and field test of the fuzzy system have shown that fuzzy logic based modelling is a promising approach to improving intersection delay estimation.     

An intelligent system for prioritisation of organ transplant patient waiting lists using fuzzy logic

The objective of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of using fuzzy logic in a complex decision-making capacity, and in particular, for the prioritisation of kidney transplant recipients. Fuzzy logic is an extension to Boolean logic allowing an element to have degrees of true and false as opposed to being either 100% true or 100% false. Thus, it can account for the ‘shades of grey’ found in many real-world situations. In this paper, two fuzzy logic models are developed demonstrating its effectiveness as a model for vastly improving the current prioritisation system used in the UK and abroad. The first model converts an element of the current kidney transplant prioritisation system used in the UK into fuzzy logic. The result is an improvement to the current system and a demonstration of fuzzy logic as an effective decision-making approach. The second model offers an alternative prioritisation system to overcome the limitations of the current system both in the UK and abroad, as brought up by research reviewed in this paper. The current UK transplant prioritisation system, adapted in the first model, uses objective criteria (age of recipient, waiting time, etc) as inputs into the decision-making process. This alternative model takes advantage of the facility for infinitely varying inputs into fuzzy logic and a system is developed that can handle subjective (humanistic) criteria (pain level, quality of life, etc) that are key to arriving at such important decisions. Furthermore, the model is highly flexible allowing any number of criteria to be used and the individual characteristics of each criterion to be altered. The result is a model that utilises the scope of fuzzy logic's flexibility, usability and effectiveness in the field of decision-making and a transplant prioritisation method vastly superior to the original system, which is constrained by its use of only objective criteria. The ‘humanistic’ model demonstrates the ability of fuzzy logic to consider subjective and complex criteria. However, the criteria used are not intended to be exhaustive. It is simply a template to which medical professionals can apply limitless additional criteria. The model is produced as an alternative to any current national system. However, the model can also be used by individual hospitals to decide initially whether a patient should be placed on the transplant or surgery waiting list. The model can be further adapted and used for the transplant of other organs or similar decisions in medicine. Concurrently with the research and work carried out to develop the two models the investigation focused on the constraints of the current systems used in the UK and the US and the seemingly impossible dilemmas experienced by those having to make the prioritisation decisions. By removing the parameters of objective-only inputs the ‘humanistic’ model eradicates the previous limitations on decision-making.     

Fuzzy analytic hierarchy process: A logarithmic fuzzy preference programming methodology

Fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) proves to be a very useful methodology for multiple criteria decision-making in fuzzy environments, which has found substantial applications in recent years. The vast majority of the applications use a crisp point estimate method such as the extent analysis or the fuzzy preference programming (FPP) based nonlinear method for fuzzy AHP priority derivation. The extent analysis has been revealed to be invalid and the weights derived by this method do not represent the relative importance of decision criteria or alternatives. The FPP-based nonlinear priority method also turns out to be subject to significant drawbacks, one of which is that it may produce multiple, even conflict priority vectors for a fuzzy pairwise comparison matrix, leading to entirely different conclusions. To address these drawbacks and provide a valid yet practical priority method for fuzzy AHP, this paper proposes a logarithmic fuzzy preference programming (LFPP) based methodology for fuzzy AHP priority derivation, which formulates the priorities of a fuzzy pairwise comparison matrix as a logarithmic nonlinear programming and derives crisp priorities from fuzzy pairwise comparison matrices. Numerical examples are tested to show the advantages of the proposed methodology and its potential applications in fuzzy AHP decision-making.     

Indirect adaptive fuzzy observer and controller design based on interval type-2 T-S fuzzy model

This paper presents the design scheme of the indirect adaptive fuzzy observer and controller based on the interval type-2 (IT2) T-S fuzzy model. The nonlinear systems can be well approximated by IT2 T-S fuzzy model, in which the fuzzy rules’ antecedents are interval type-2 fuzzy sets and consequents are linear state equations. The proposed IT2 T-S fuzzy model is a combination of IT2 fuzzy system and T-S fuzzy model, and also inherits the benefits of type-2 fuzzy logic systems, which is able to directly handle uncertainties and can minimize the effects of uncertainties in rule-based fuzzy system. These characteristics can improve the accuracy of the system modeling and reduce the number of system rules. The proposed method using feedback control, adaptive laws, and on-line object parameters are adjusted to ensure observation error bounded. In addition, using Lyapunov synthesis approach and Lipschitz condition, the stability analysis is conducted. The simulation results show that the proposed method can handle unpredicted disturbance and data uncertainties very well in advantage of the effectiveness of observation and control.     

Fuzzy modelling through logic optimization

This study proposes a new logic-driven approach to the development of fuzzy models. We introduce a two-phase design process realizing adaptive logic processing in the form of structural and parametric optimization. By recognizing the fundamental links between binary (two-valued) and fuzzy (multi-valued) logic, effective structural learning is achieved through the use of well-established methods of Boolean minimization encountered in digital systems. This blueprint structure is then refined by adjusting connections of fuzzy neurons, helping to capture the numeric details of the target system’s behavior. The introduced structure along with the learning mechanisms helps achieve high accuracy and interpretability (transparency) of the resulting model.     

An integrated approach for supplier selection in multi-item/multi-supplier environment

One of the important stages in supply chain management which regards all the activities from the purchasing of raw material to final delivery of the product is the supplier selection process. Since it is the first stage of the supply chain management, it is a critical process affecting the consecutive stages. It is simply desired to select the best supplier for a specific product. But since there are a lot of criteria and alternatives to be considered, numerous decision making models have been proposed to provide a solution to this problem. Within this study, an integrated approach including fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and a mixed integer linear programming model is developed to select the best supplier in a multi-item/multi-supplier environment. The importance value of each supplier with respect to each product is obtained via fuzzy TOPSIS in the first stage. Then in the second stage, these values are used as an input in the mathematical model which determines the suppliers and the quantities of products to be provided from the related suppliers. So as to validate the proposed methodology, an application is performed in air filter sector.     

Robust fuzzy fault detection and isolation approach applied to surge in centrifugal compressor modeling and control

This work presents the results of applying an advanced fault detection and isolation technique to centrifugal compressor; this advanced technique uses physics models of the centrifugal compressor with a fuzzy modeling and control solution method. The fuzzy fault detection and isolation has become an issue of primary importance in modern process engineering automation as it provides the prerequisites for the task of fault detection. In this work, we present an application of this approach in fault detection and isolation of surge in compression system. The ability to detect the surge is essential to improve reliability and security of the gas compressor plants. We describe and illustrate an alternative implementation to the compression systems supervision task using the basic principles of fuzzy fault detection and isolation associated with fuzzy modeling approach. In this supervision task, the residual generation is obtained from the real input-output data process and the residual evaluation is based on fuzzy logic method. The results of this application are very encouraging with relatively low levels of false alarms and obtaining a good limitation of surge in natural gas pipeline compressors.     

Modelling class hierarchies in the fuzzy object-oriented data model

In this paper we describe a fuzzy logic based approach to modelling uncertainty in class hierarchies. It is shown that the traditional view of class hierarchies is subsumed in this model as a special case. The problem of multiple inheritance in class hierarchies is discussed and analyzed. The membership value derivations in the inheritance hierarchy reflects the degree of fuzziness existing in the data values and the semantics of the situation being modelled. Thus a more realistic modelling of the universe of discourse is possible through this approach. This model is compatible with existing object-oriented data models.     

直觉模糊模型检测在工程决策上的应用

将直觉模糊Kripke结构扩展到加权直觉模糊Kripke结构,将直觉模糊计算树逻辑诱导到加权直觉模糊计算树逻辑;研究在此之上的直觉模糊期望测度和多属性工程决策问题。用加权直觉模糊Kripke结构的权值自然地刻画了工程问题中的成本和收益,直觉模糊测度量化工程进展的不确定性,用加权直觉模糊计算树逻辑描述不确定性工程属性约束。给出了基于直觉模糊模型检测的多属性工程寻优算法,并讨论了算法的复杂度。     

An integrated model-based interactive approach to FMAGDM with incomplete preference information

Incomplete fuzzy preference relations, incomplete multiplicative preference relations, and incomplete linguistic preference relations are very useful to express decision makers’ incomplete preferences over attributes or alternatives in the process of decision making under fuzzy environments. The aim of this paper is to investigate fuzzy multiple attribute group decision making problems where the attribute values are represented in intuitionistic fuzzy numbers and the information on attribute weights is provided by decision makers by means of one or some of the different preference structures, including weak ranking, strict ranking, difference ranking, multiple ranking, interval numbers, incomplete fuzzy preference relations, incomplete multiplicative preference relations, and incomplete linguistic preference relations. We transform all individual intuitionistic fuzzy decision matrices into the interval decision matrices and construct their expected decision matrices, and then aggregate all these expected decision matrices into a collective one. We establish an integrated model by unifying the collective decision matrix and all the given different structures of incomplete weight preference information, and develop an integrated model-based approach to interacting with the decision makers so as to adjust all the inconsistent incomplete fuzzy preference relations, inconsistent incomplete linguistic preference relations and inconsistent incomplete multiplicative preference relations into the ones with acceptable consistency. The developed approach can derive the attribute weights and the ranking of the alternatives directly from the integrated model, and thus it has the following prominent characteristics: (1) it does not need to construct the complete fuzzy preference relations, complete linguistic preference relations and complete multiplicative preference relations from the incomplete fuzzy preference relations, incomplete linguistic preference relations and incomplete multiplicative preference relations, respectively; (2) it does not need to unify the different structures of incomplete preferences, and thus can simplify the calculation and avoid distorting the given preference information; and (3) it can sufficiently reflect and adjust the subjective desirability of decision makers in the process of interaction. A practical example is also provided to illustrate the developed approach.     

Adaptive fuzzy output feedback control for a single-link flexible robot manipulator driven DC motor via backstepping

In this paper, an adaptive fuzzy output feedback approach is proposed for a single-link robotic manipulator coupled to a brushed direct current (DC) motor with a nonrigid joint. The controller is designed to compensate for the nonlinear dynamics associated with the mechanical subsystem and the electrical subsystems while only requiring the measurements of link position. Using fuzzy logic systems to approximate the unknown nonlinearities, an adaptive fuzzy filter observer is designed to estimate the immeasurable states. By combining the adaptive backstepping and dynamic surface control (DSC) techniques, an adaptive fuzzy output feedback control approach is developed. Stability proof of the overall closed-loop system is given via the Lyapunov direct method. Three key advantages of our scheme are as follows: (i) the proposed adaptive fuzzy control approach does not require that all the states of the system be measured directly, (ii) the proposed control approach can solve the control problem of robotic manipulators with unknown nonlinear uncertainties, and (iii) the problem of “explosion of complexity” existing in the conventional backstepping control methods is avoided. The detailed simulation results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller.