Eliciting transparent fuzzy model using differential evolution

In this paper a new technique for eliciting a fuzzy inference system (FIS) from data for nonlinear systems is proposed. The strategy is conducted in two phases: in the first one, subtractive clustering is applied in order to extract a set of fuzzy rules, in the second phase, the generated fuzzy rule base is refined and redundant rules are removed on the basis of an interpretability measure. Finally the centers and widths of the Membership Functions (MFs) are tuned by means differential evolution. Case studies are presented to illustrate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed approach. The results obtained are compared and contrasted with those obtained from a conventionally neuro-fuzzy technique and the superiority of the proposed approach is highlighted. (C) 2007 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.