A new fuzzy operator and its application to topology design of distributed local area networks

Topology design of distributed local area networks can be classified as a hard combinatorial optimization problem. The problem has several conflicting objectives, such as cost, reliability, network delay, and number of hops between source and destination. These objectives can conveniently be expressed in linguistic terms - a key component of fuzzy logic. This paper presents an approach based on fuzzy logic that combines the conflicting objectives into a single optimization function. A new fuzzy operator, namely, the unified AND-OR (UAO) operator is also proposed, and a decision-making approach based on fuzzy rules and preference rules is introduced. The UAO operator is empirically compared with the well-known ordered weighted averaging (OWA) operator through application to an evolutionary algorithm. Results show that the UAO operator exhibits comparatively better performance than the OWA operator.