Quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization with generalized space transformation search

Nature-inspired algorithms have been proved to be very powerful methods for complex numerical optimization problems. Quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (QPSO) is a typical member of nature-inspired algorithms, and it is a simple and effective population-based technique used in numerical optimization. Despite its efficiency and wide use, QPSO suffers from premature convergence and poor balance between exploration and exploitation in solving complex optimization problems. To address these issues, a new evolutionary technique called generalized space transformation search is proposed, and then, we introduce an improved quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization algorithm combined with this new technique in this study. The proposed generalized space transformation search is based on opposition-based learning and generalized opposition-based learning, which can not only improve the exploitation of the current search space but also strengthen the exploration of the neighborhood of the current search space. The improved quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization algorithm employs generalized space transformation search for population initialization and generation jumping. A comprehensive set of 16 well-known unconstrained benchmark functions is employed for experimental verification. The contribution of the generalized space transformation search is empirically verified, and the influence of dimensionality is also investigated. Besides, the improved quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization algorithm is also compared with some typical extensions of QPSO and several competitive meta-heuristic algorithms. Such comparisons suggest that the improved quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization algorithm may lead to finding promising solutions compared to the other algorithms.