Fuzzy assisted learning in backpropagation neural networks

This paper reports on studies to overcome difficulties associated with setting the learning rates of backpropagation neural networks by using fuzzy logic. Building on previous research, a fuzzy control system is designed which is capable of dynamically adjusting the individual learning rates of both hidden and output neurons, and the momentum term within a back-propagation network. Results show that the fuzzy controller not only eliminates the effort of configuring a global learning rate, but also increases the rate of convergence in comparison with a conventional backpropagation network. Comparative studies are presented for a number of different network configurations. The paper also presents a brief overview of fuzzy logic and backpropagation learning, highlighting how the two paradigms can enhance each other.