Minimax Probability TSK Fuzzy System Classifier: A More Transparent and Highly Interpretable Classification Model

When an intelligent model is used for medical diagnosis, it is desirable to have a high level of interpretability and transparent model reliability for users. Compared with most of the existing intelligence models, fuzzy systems have shown a distinctive advantage in their interpretabilities. However, how to determine the model reliability of a fuzzy system trained for a recognition task is still an unsolved problem at present. In this study, a minimax probability Takagi-Sugeno-Kang (TSK) fuzzy system classifier called MP-TSK-FSC is proposed to train a fuzzy system classifier and determine the model reliability simultaneously. For the proposed MP-TSK-FSC, a lower bound of correct classification can be presented to the users to characterize the reliability of the trained fuzzy classifier. Thus, the obtained classifier has the distinctive characteristics of both a high level of interpretability and transparent model reliability inherited from the fuzzy system and minimax probability learning strategy, respectively. Our experiments on synthetic datasets and several real-world datasets for medical diagnosis have confirmed the distinctive characteristics of the proposed method.