Rule-based multi-FNN identification with the aid of evolutionary fuzzy granulation

In this paper, we introduce a category of Multi-Fuzzy-Neural Networks (Multi-FNNs) models, analyze the underlying architectures and propose a comprehensive identification framework. The proposed Multi-FNNs are based on a concept of fuzzy rule-based FNNs that use H ard C-M eans (HCM) clustering and evolutionary fuzzy granulation and exploit linear inference being treated as a generic inference mechanism of approximate reasoning. By this nature, this FNN model is geared toward capturing relationships between information granules–fuzzy sets. The form of the information granules themselves (in particular their distribution and a type of membership functions) becomes an important design feature of the FNN model that contributes to its structural and parametric optimization. The genetically guided global optimization is then augmented by more refined gradient-based learning mechanisms such as a standard back-propagation. The HCM algorithm, whose role is to carry out preprocessing of the experimental data, is utilized to determine the structure of Multi-FNNs. The detailed parameters of the Multi-FNN (such as apexes of membership functions, learning rates, and momentum coefficients) are adjusted using genetic algorithms. The proposed aggregate performance index helps achieve a sound balance between approximation and generalization (predictive) abilities of the model. To evaluate an effectiveness of the introduced model, several numeric data sets are experimented with. Those include a time-series data of gas furnace, NOx emission process of gas turbine power plant and some synthetic data.