Fuzzy Logic Controller with Interval-valued Inference for Distributed Parameter System

A fuzzy logic controller with interval-valued inference mechanism is presented for the control of distributed parameter system (DPS). Interval-valued fuzzy set, a special case of type-2 fuzzy set, is innovatively designed to cope with the spatial information of distributed parameter systems. The proposed fuzzy logic controller is composed of six modules: fuzzifier, fuzzy composition, rules, inference engine, type-reducer, and defuzzifier. The fuzzy composition maps actual spatial information to an interval-valued fuzzy set the fuzzy information that the FLC can identify, and then the interval-valued rule inference operates on the interval-valued fuzzy set that contains spatial information and produces control action. The application of the FLC with interval-valued inference to a catalytic reactor demonstrates its effectiveness to a class of distributed parameter systems. Compared with the ordinary FLC, the proposed FLC can improve its control performance due to its spatial expression and interval-valued inference mechanism.