Fuzzy methods in expert systems for
configuration and control
(models, implementations and experiences)
Christian Post hoff
Peter Sonntag
Abstract- Fuzzy methods are often dis-
cussed, and they may play an important role
in the construction of knowledge-based sy-
stems. The presented lecture discusses the
main fields of knowledge-processingwhich are
influenced by fuzzy methods, starting from
set-t heoretical considerations.
The experiences of the authors in construc-
ting expert systems in the fields of configu-
ration and process control are comprehended
and partially generalized.
I. INTRODUCTION
The pros and cons of fuzzy logics are broadly dis-
cussed, but there are important reasons to incorpo-
rate methods based on fuzzy logics into expert sy-
stems. We based our considerations on a strict set-
theoretical way of constructing the model for solving
problems by means of expert systems.
Many problems of application-oriented AI can be
formulated by means of appropriate sets, for instan-
ce:
0 diagnosis means to find whether a given person
is an element of the set of persons with any
(defined, interesting) illness;
0 planning is to find one element of the set of
possible plans (or sequences of operations) with
any optimal property which is most important;
0 configuration is to find the descript.ion of an
object with properties allowed in the given con-
text ...
This set-theoretical point of view is so important
because you can replace the classical (two-valued)
membership function
dz): x - (0, l}
& I ): -
by any function with real values
x [O, 13,
and the set-theoretical operations n,U,-, . . . (and
analogously the logical operations A , V, -) can be
generalized to operations with the generalized func-
D r P e t e r Sonntag,
Department of C o m p u t e r Science,
University of Technology Chemnitz-Zwickau,
D-09009 Chemnitz, P 0 Box 964, Germany
0-7803-1896-X/94 $4.00 01994 IEEE 337
rrrTT
tions q5 without any changig of the models. Fuzzy
logics should be applied al least in the following si-
tuations:
1. The problem is well-defined, but cannot be t'rea-
ted exactly because of its complexity. It is ne-
cessary to use some properties, to evaluate cer-
tain conditions wit.hout, knowing the exact re-
lation to the opt,imal solution. Strat,egic games
like go, chess or checkers are typical exponentas
of this situation. Heuristic evaluat,ions (genera-
lized to fuzzy relat,ions) and search algorithms
are used for these problems.
2. In a given field of problems, you may have noti-
ons, concepts, properi ies, relations t.he coiinec-
t,ion of which to t.lic> problem solutioii is iiof
known exactly, or which are ill-defined hut uI)
to now it was not possible to find better one>
or something like this. I n the same wax. if t l i c
knowledge is represeiit.rd by rules. the appli(,ti-
bility of certain rules may be not clear, the rt>-
lation between premises and conclusions is iiot
known exactly, and so on. Generally spoken.
the knowledge is uncertain, and again the a p p
lication of fuzzy logics could be very Iielpfiil.
3. The same difficult,ies are arising if the know-
ledge is incomplete. The problem solution can
be driven up to any point, and then you iiiust
take certain assuniptions, beliefs, hypotheses.
We investligated i n this field t,lie applicability
of learning from exaiiiples ( a set of solut.ioiib
~
represented by posit,ive ore negative examplcx
or by prototypes) and the case-based reasoniiig
(given the elements of a set together with so-
lutions, propert,ies whicli may b ilsed for i i ~ u
problems).
4. Very important at applving fuzzy logics I* I hr.
qualitative reasoning. i e. transferring fuzzy
evaluations to qualitative properties and vice
versa. This methodology has many applicat i-
ons if linguistic variables are used. Here you
may find also many points of contact to psy-
chological met hods.
5. And finally, fuzzy methods can be used to for-
malize purely subjective factors, for instance
 esthetic considerations, desired properties, ten- b) P2 is a refinement of P1
dencies, tastes, subjective experiences, ... Very
often some of these situations occur simulta- I I ... Pl

neously and must be considered within the mo-

dels a t the same time.
Our lecture is going to represent experiences from
the field of configuration and from the field of control
c) P2 is an implementation of P1
of industrial processes.
SYSTEMS
11. CONFIGURATION
y2 = 2 1 vz3
The starting point of a configuration prozess is a
specification defining a desired object within a gi-
ven context, represented as an initial description.
The goal is another description which is considered P2

"r'ty2
to be sufficient for the purposes of the user (may be
a set of drawings, wiring diagrams,...). The initial
as well as the final description are characterizing a 23

set of objects, and in general the final set is a proper

subset of the initial set. A very important method
d) P2 is an optimization of PI
is the description of the objects by attributes (pro-
perties).
Within the configuration process, we have a hier-
archy of descriptions and a decision tree for control-
ling and realizing the movement within the hierar- 7 1 P2,z = a'
chy.
e) In P2, more constraints are observed than in
PI.
During the configuration process, we have mainly

-
three types of uncertainty, one beeing treated effec-
tively by fuzzy methods:
Incompleteness of the object description
subsqurnr description
Starting a t the initial description, the descrip-
tion of the desired objects always is incomplete
Hierarchy of description Decision tree and will be reduced step by step. This kind of
uncertainty is the central problem of the confi-
Each decission according to a given mode within guration, and its elimination is the task of the
the decision tree gives a new description within the whole system.
hierarchy of descriptions. Going downwards in the Knowledge of the decision tree
tree in general causes refinements of the description, The knowledge of the decision tree or, more ge-
limiting the sets of the available or allowed objects, nerally, of the decision graph, determines in a
going upwards means more available objects, this in- high degree the methods to be applied. You
creasing the degrees of freedom. Important relations must always know
in the space of possible descriptions are:
- which task is to be performed next,
a ) P2 is a part, of PI - how to select the next step in case of se-
ver al possibilities!
I P1 I
Depending on the knowledge of the decision
I tree, the spectrum of the task ranges from rou-
tine problem to innovative design.
I P2 ...
Extreme points are:
- the complete knowledge of an optimal tree
(each problem can be solved in a straight
forward way);

338
 - between the initial and the final descripti-
methodes allowing the consideration of the experts’
on you may know nothing. knowledge which can be represented only by lingui-
c) Fuzzy descriptions stic variables. By the fuzzification of the process in-
Many properties of the objects to be created are formation, we created more rough models, reducing
”uncertain” in anyone of the cited meanings. in this way the decision space. The comprehension
This field is treated in our system by the follo- of the single facts to a fuzzy set allows an important
wing possibilities: reduction of the model without loosing the single in-
formation. The defuzzification then allows to regain
- description of sets by fuzzy predicates and the single points.
fuzzy functions] The central point of such process modells are fuz-
- by a library of fuzzy-logical operations (con- zy Petri nets generalizing fuzzy control rules to mo-
junctions, disjunctions, negation, ...) re complex rules represented by fuzzy transitions. It
- by a library of membership functions which could be seen that fuzzy Petri nets are very well sui-
are often used in technical problems. ted for describing process classes containing strongly
interconnected parallel subprocesses. They are deri-
ved from classic Petri nets by fuzzification of the set
of places and transitions] this fuzzification coming
from combination of many classic Petri nets which
are valid for certain process situations.
A fuzzy Petri net is given as follows:
uniform only values all values only the
deviation less than a between a value a
around of a allowed and b is allowed 0 F P N = (PIT,F I S , G ,M , m o )
allowed
0 P = { f i } fuzzy set of places
- generalization of fuzzy sets to fuzzy al-
gebraic structures (partial orders, equiva-
0

0 F : ( Px T )U (Tx P) -
T = {i} fuzzy set of transitions
[0,1] transition func-
lence relations, ...)
0
tion
S :(P x T) -- [ O , 1 ] initial evaluation
- consideration of fuzzy constraints]
- fuzzy decision ttrees (fuzzy evaluation of
the sucessors of one node),
0

- incorporat,ion of linguist,ic variables, of qua-
litative reasoning.
The results with regard to case-based reaso-
ning, learning froin examples, fuzzy-logical eva-
luation fuiict,ions are represented in a second
paper (,see [I] ).
All these possibilities are to be represented by
functions and procedures of the system which can
and must2 be selected by the user. In this way,
the fuzzy methods t.o be incorporat.ed into a spe-
cial probleiii-solving program are again a problem
of coiifigurat,ion!
111. ~JTILIZATION OF F U Z Z Y P E T R I NETS FOR
C 0 N T RO LL 1 N G I N D U S T RI A L PROCESSES
For cont,rolling indust(ria1processes by classical me-
t hods, the knowledge of a process model is very irn-
portant,. For processes with highly interconnected
subprocesses it. is often impossible to describe the
process with reasonable efforts. Even if the deter-
mination of the static transfer factors is still pos-
sible, the dynamic description of the process para-
inet.ers remains incomplete. Nevertheless] the ope-
rators control such systems by means of their expe-
riences. We solved these problems by using fuzzy
0
G : (Tx P)
- [O, 11 final evaluation
A4 : (P) N allowed markings
m o E 114 initial marking
The functionality of this model will be demon-
strated by tjwo examples of different, process classes:
- a fuzzy Petri net model for controlling a glass
press automaton
- application of the fuzzy Petri net model for
planning the production of chemical wood pulp.
The implementation of these models and the fuiic-
tioning of the control software shows the high per-
formance and the practicability of the models.
REFERENCES
[l] M. Schlosser “Learning from Examples for
the Construction of Fuzzy Evaluations’’ Proc.
IEEE I d . Conf. Fuzzy Systems, FIJZZ-IEEE
’94, Orlando. Florida. June 26. - July 2.. 1994.
[2] H.-P. Lipp, R. (;nenther, P. Sonntag “1Jn-
scharfe Petri-Netze - Ein Basiskonzept fu-
er computerunterstuetzte Entscheidungssyste-
me in komplexen Systemen” wzss. Zeztschrqft
der TU Karl-Marx-Stadl ‘7/1989, Chemnitz,
Germany, 1989
[3] P. Sonntag Steuerung eines Glaspressenauto-
maten mit unscharfen Methoden Dissertation
TU Chemnitz, Germany. 1993