A transputer-based inferencing system using fuzzy logic concepts : design and implementation

Thesis (M.Eng.Sc.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, 199

An Inexact Inferencing Strategy for Spatial Objects with Determined and Indeterminate Boundaries

For many years, spatial querying has been of interest for the researchers in the GIS community. Any successful implementation and long-term viability of the GIS technology depends on the issue of accuracy of spatial queries. In order to improve the accuracy and quality of spatial querying, the problems associated with the areas of fuzziness and uncertainty need to be addressed. There has been a strong demand to provide approaches that deal with inaccuracy and uncertainty in GIS. In this paper, we develop an approach that can perform fuzzy spatial querying under uncertainty. An inexact inferencing strategy for objects with determined and indeterminate boundaries is investigated, using type-2 fuzzy set theory

Evolutionary and Reinforcement Fuzzy Control

Many modern and classical techniques exist for the design of control systems. However, many real world applications are inherently complex and the application of traditional design and control techniques is limited. In addition, no single design method exists which can be applied to all types of system. Due to this 'deficiency', recent years have seen an exponential increase in the use of methods loosely termed 'computational intelligent techniques' or 'soft- computing techniques'. Such techniques tend to solve problems using a population of individual elements or potential solutions or the flexibility of a network as opposed to using a rigid, single point of computing. Through use of computational redundancies, soft-computing allows unmatched tractability in practical problem solving. The intelligent paradigm most successfully applied to control engineering, is that of fuzzy logic in the form of fuzzy control. The motivation of using fuzzy control is twofold. First, it allows one to incorporate heuristics into the control strategy, such as the model operator actions. Second, it allows nonlinearities to be defined in an intuitive way using rules and interpolations. Although it is an attractive tool, there still exist many problems to be solved in fuzzy control. To date most applications have been limited to relatively simple problems of low dimensionality. This is primarily due to the fact that the design process is very much a trial and error one and is heavily dependent on the quality of expert knowledge provided by the operator. In addition, fuzzy control design is virtually ad hoc, lacking a systematic design procedure. Other problems include those associated with the curse of dimensionality and the inability to learn and improve from experience. While much work has been carried out to alleviate most of these difficulties, there exists a lack of drive and exploration in the last of these points. The objective of this thesis is to develop an automated, systematic procedure for optimally learning fuzzy logic controllers (FLCs), which provides for autonomous and simple implementations. In pursuit of this goal, a hybrid method is to combine the advantages artificial neural networks (ANNs), evolutionary algorithms (EA) and reinforcement learning (RL). This overcomes the deficiencies of conventional EAs that may omit representation of the region within a variable's operating range and that do not in practice achieve fine learning. This method also allows backpropagation when necessary or feasible. It is termed an Evolutionary NeuroFuzzy Learning Intelligent Control technique (ENFLICT) model. Unlike other hybrids, ENFLICT permits globally structural learning and local offline or online learning. The global EA and local neural learning processes should not be separated. Here, the EA learns and optimises the ENFLICT structure while ENFLICT learns the network parameters. The EA used here is an improved version of a technique known as the messy genetic algorithm (mGA), which utilises flexible cellular chromosomes for structural optimisation. The properties of the mGA as compared with other flexible length EAs, are that it enables the addressing of issues such as the curse of dimensionality and redundant genetic information. Enhancements to the algorithm are in the coding and decoding of the genetic information to represent a growing and shrinking network; the defining of the network properties such as neuron activation type and network connectivity; and that all of this information is represented in a single gene. Another step forward taken in this thesis on neurofuzzy learning is that of learning online. Online in this case refers to learning unsupervised and adapting to real time system parameter changes. It is much more attractive because the alternative (supervised offline learning) demands quality learning data which is often expensive to obtain, and unrepresentative of and inaccurate about the real environment. First, the learning algorithm is developed for the case of a given model of the system where the system dynamics are available or can be obtained through, for example, system identification. This naturally leads to the development of a method for learning by directly interacting with the environment. The motivation for this is that usually real world applications tend to be large and complex, and obtaining a mathematical model of the plant is not always possible. For this purpose the reinforcement learning paradigm is utilised, which is the primary learning method of biological systems, systems that can adapt to their environment and experiences, in this thesis, the reinforcement learning algorithm is based on the advantage learning method and has been extended to deal with continuous time systems and online implementations, and which does not use a lookup table. This means that large databases containing the system behaviour need not be constructed, and the procedure can work online where the information available is that of the immediate situation. For complex systems of higher order dimensions, and where identifying the system model is difficult, a hierarchical method has been developed and is based on a hybrid of all the other methods developed. In particular, the procedure makes use of a method developed to work directly with plant step response, thus avoiding the need for mathematical model fitting which may be time-consuming and inaccurate. All techniques developed and contributions in the thesis are illustrated by several case studies, and are validated through simulations

Data and Language in Organizations: Epistemological Aspects of Management Support Systems

This book contributes to the literature on management decision support systems (DSS). DSS research is motivated by the observation that much of what managers do involves unstructured problem solving. For the reason, the structured, procedural models implemented in management information systems (MIS) have had little impact on actual managerial practice. Actually, the terms "decision" and "problem solving" over-simplify the image of managerial activity, if what is meant is choosing from a set of well-defined alternatives. Management also includes such aspects as reality testing, problem finding, scenario generation, and just plain muddling through. A broader conception of management cognition -- of which decision making is only a part -- is therefore adopted. The challenge to technology development is to support these unstructured managerial activities. The emphasis is to amplify managerial cognition and to improve decision effectiveness. However, to achieve this we must go beyond platitudes and come to a better understanding of what managers actually do. The activity of managers is almost entirely linguistic. Computers, as symbolic processors, ought to be an effective complement. However, a fundamental problem, stressed repeatedly throughout the book, is semantic change. The context of managers is always changing, whereas computational inference depends on fixed semantics. Herein Lies the basis for a theory of management support systems. The theory takes the form of an applied epistemology: how do managers know their world and detect its changes? Thus, while this book is oriented towards improving information technology, its attention is primarily to the content of management information and only secondarily to technology. Technological innovations abound. What is needed now is a better understanding of what these technologies are to do

Ontology-based infrastructure for intelligent applications

Ontologies currently are a hot topic in the areas of knowledge management and enterprise application integration. In this thesis, we investigate how ontologies can also be used as an infrastructure for developing applications that intelligently support a user with various tasks. Based on recent developments in the area of the Semantic Web, we provide three major contributions. We introduce inference engines, which allow the execution of business logic that is specified in a declarative way, while putting strong emphasis on scalability and ease of use. Secondly, we suggest various solutions for interfacing applications that are developed under this new paradigm with existing IT infrastructure. This includes the first running solution, to our knowledge, for combining the emerging areas of the Semantic Web Services. Finally, we introduce a set of intelligent applications, which is built on top of onologies and Semantic Web standards, providing a proof of concept that the engineering effort can largely be based on standard components.Ontologien sind derzeit ein viel diskutiertes Thema in Bereichen wie Wissensmanagement oder Enterprise Application Integration. Diese Arbeit stellt dar, wie Ontologien als Infrastruktur zur Entwicklung neuartiger Applikationen verwendet werden können, die den User bei verschiedenen Arbeiten unterstützen. Aufbauend auf den im Rahmen des Semantischen Webs entstandenen Spezifikationen, werden drei wesentliche Beiträge geleistet. Zum einen stellen wir Inferenzmaschinen vor, die das Ausführen von deklarativ spezifizierter Applikationslogik erlauben, wobei besonderes Augenmerk auf die Skalierbarkeit gelegt wird. Zum anderen schlagen wir mehrere Lösungen zum Anschluss solcher Systeme an bestehende IT Infrastruktur vor. Dies beinhaltet den, unseres Wissens nach, ersten lauffähigen Prototyp der die beiden aufstrebenden Felder des Semantischen Webs und Web Services verbindet. Schließlich stellen wir einige intelligente Applikationen vor, die auf Ontologien basieren und somit großteils von Werkzeugen automatisch generiert werden können

Self-adaptation and rule generation in a fuzzy system for X-ray rocking curve analysis.

X-ray rocking curve analysis is an example of a changing application domain. The salient characteristic of such a domain is that situations and facts can change over time. This means that the domain cannot be modelled by a fixed set of fuzzy rules. Instead, the rules must change over time and these changes must model actual changes that occur in the application domain. Three new techniques have been developed for altering a set of fuzzy rules: altering the credibility weight of an expert and using connection matrices to shift the focus of attention between different sets of rules; fine-tuning and changing the membership functions of fuzzy premise variables and thereby altering the meaning of the rules; and generating new fuzzy rules by inductive learning from examples. A fuzzy system for X -ray rocking curve analysis has been developed and used to test each of these techniques. This fuzzy system uses frames, logic-based variables, connection matrices and credibility weights, fuzzy rules and a record of previous decisions in order to model X-ray rocking curve analysis. Question and answer sessions with the user are used to describe experimental rocking curves and structural parameters are deduced from this description. These structural parameters are then used to simulate a theoretical curve, which is compared with the experimental one. A performance measure is derived to calculate the degree of matching between the two curves. This performance measure is used to test each of the three techniques in turn. Tests have shown that the fuzzy system optimises its performance to suit new situations and facts

Caractérisation et reconnaissance de sons d'eau pour le suivi des activités de la vie quotidienne. Une approche fondée sur le signal, l'acoustique et la perception

Avec le vieillissement de la population, le diagnostic et le traitement des démences telle que la maladie d'Alzheimer constituent des enjeux sociaux de grande importance. Le suivi des activités de la vie quotidienne du patient représente un point clé dans le diagnostic des démences. Dans ce contexte, le projet IMMED propose une utilisation innovante de la caméra portée pour le suivi à distance des activités effectuées. Nous avons ainsi travaillé sur la reconnaissance de sons produits par l'eau, qui permet d'inférer sur un certain nombre d'activités d'intérêt pour les médecins, dont les activités liées à l'alimentation, à l'entretien, ou à l'hygiène. Si divers travaux ont déjà été effectués sur la reconnaissance des sons d'eau, ils sont difficilement adaptables aux enregistrements de la vie quotidienne, caractérisés par un recouvrement important de différentes sources sonores. Nous plaçons donc ce travail dans le cadre de l'analyse computationnelle de scènes sonores, qui pose depuis plusieurs années les bases théoriques de la reconnaissance de sources dans un mélange sonore. Nous présentons dans cette thèse un système basé sur un nouveau descripteur audio, appelé couverture spectrale, qui permet de reconnaître les flux d'eau dans des signaux sonores issus d'environnements bruités. Des expériences effectuées sur plus de 7 heures de vidéo valident notre approche et permettent d'intégrer ce système au sein du projet IMMED. Une étape complémentaire de classification permet d'améliorer notablement les résultats. Néanmoins, nos systèmes sont limités par une certaine difficulté à caractériser, et donc à reconnaître, les sons d'eau. Nous avons élargi notre analyse aux études acoustiques qui décrivent l'origine des sons d'eau. Selon ces analyses, les sons d'eau proviennent principalement de la vibration de bulles d'air dans l'eau. Les études théoriques et l'analyse de signaux réels ont permis de mettre au point une nouvelle approche de reconnaissance, fondée sur la détection fréquentielle de bulles d'air en vibration. Ce système permet de détecter des sons de liquide variés, mais se trouve limité par des flux d'eau trop complexes et bruités. Au final, ce nouveau système, basé sur la vibration de bulles d'air, est complémentaire avec le système de reconnaissance de flux d'eau, mais ne peux s'y substituer. Pour comparer ce résultat avec le fonctionnement de l'écoute humaine, nous avons effectué une étude perceptive. Dans une expérience de catégorisation libre, effectuée sur un ensemble important de sons de liquide du quotidien, les participants sont amenés à effectuer des groupes de sons en fonction de leur similarité causale. Les analyses des résultats nous permettent d'identifier des catégories de sons produits par les liquides, qui mettent en évidence l'utilisation de différentes stratégies cognitives dans l'identification les sons d'eau et de liquide. Une expérience finale effectuée sur les catégories obtenues souligne l'aspect nécessaire et suffisant de nos systèmes sur un corpus varié de sons d'eau du quotidien. Nos deux approches semblent donc pertinentes pour caractériser et reconnaître un ensemble important de sons produits par l'eau.The analysis of instrumental activities of daily life is an important tool in the early diagnosis of dementia such as Alzheimer. The IMMED project investigates tele-monitoring technologies to support doctors in the diagnostic and follow-up of the illnesses. The project aims to automatically produce indexes to facilitate the doctor’s navigation throughout the individual video recordings. Water sound recognition is very useful to identify everyday activities (e.g. hygiene, household, cooking, etc.). Classical methods of sound recognition, based on learning techniques, are ineffective in the context of the IMMED corpus, where data are very heterogeneous. Computational auditory scene analysis provides a theoretical framework for audio event detection in everyday life recordings. We review applications of single or multiple audio event detection in real life. We propose a new system of water flow recognition, based on a new feature called spectral cover. Our system obtains good results on more than seven hours of videos, and thus is integrated to the IMMED framework. A second stage improves the system precision using Gammatone Cepstral Coefficients and Support Vector Machines. However, a perceptive study shows the difficulty to characterize water sounds by a unique definition. To detect other water sounds than water flow, we used material provide by acoustics studies. A liquid sound comes mainly from harmonic vibrations resulting from the entrainment of air bubbles. We depicted an original system to recognize water sounds as group of air bubble sounds. This new system is able to detect a wide variety of water sounds, but cannot replace our water flow detection system. Our two systems seem complementary to provide a robust recognition of different water sounds of daily living. A perceptive study aims to compare our two approaches with human perception. A free categorization task has been set up on various excerpts of liquid sounds. The framework of this experiment encourages causal similarity. Results show several classes of liquids sounds, which may reflect the cognitive categories. In a final experiment performed on these categories, most of the sounds are detected by one of our two systems. This result emphasizes the necessary and sufficient aspect of our two approaches, which seem relevant to characterize and identify a large set of sounds produced by the water