Chapter 8
APPLICATIONS
In this chapter, we describe some industrial applications of fuzzy control, neural
control, neural-fuzzy control, and related neural-fuzzy technology. These exam-
ples are intended to give the reader some ideas about the type of problems that
are appropriate for using the technology discussed in this text, about how to
approach problems that arise in real-world situations, and how to evaluate the
performance of the approach.
These examples exemplify the need for soft computing approaches in decision-
making. They are intended to demonstrate the applicability of soft computing
techniques, their strengths and weaknesses, and the need for evaluating various
hybrid approaches. Thefirst two examples treat fuzzy control problems, and
the last two examples describe neuro-fuzzy approaches to classification. There
is no prescribed methodology or algorithm that dictates how problems can be
solved. This provides a motivation to experiment with techniques that allow
the combination of known variables in a manner that provides reasonable and
realistic outcomes.
8.1 A survey of industrial applications
We indicate briefly here some of industrial applications of fuzzy control, neural
control, and neural-fuzzy control. Beginning with Mamdaniís application in
1974 to a steam engine, fuzzy control has come to be applied in many areas. In
1987, the Sendai Subway Automatic Train Operations Controller started oper-
ating in Sendai, Japan. The fuzzy logic subway control system led to smooth
transitions between speeds and a comfortable ride. Today, when you have a par-
ticularly smooth ride on a hotel elevator, you might smile and assume that the
controller is based on fuzzy logic. Included in industrial applications are those
to water purification plants, subway operations, control of temperature, electric
currentflow, and motions of various machines. Many consumer products uti-
lize fuzzy control, including washing machines, vacuum cleaners, electronic fuel
injection systems and automatic cruise control systems of automobiles. There