Tuning of control parameters of the Whale Optimization Algorithm using fuzzy inference system

Abstract

The Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA) is a recent approach to the swarm intelligence field that can be explored in many global optimization applications. This paper proposes a new mechanism to tune the control parameters that influence the hunting process in the WOA to improve its convergence rate. This schema adjustment is made by a fuzzy inference system that uses the normalized fitness value of each whale and the hunting mechanism control parameters of WOA. The method proposed was tested and compared with the conventional WOA and another version that uses a fuzzy inference system as input information on the ratio of the current iteration number and the maximum number of iterations. For performance analysis of the method proposed, all optimizers were evaluated with twenty-three benchmark optimization functions in the continuous domain. The algorithms were also implemented in the identification process of two real control system that are a boiler system and water supply network. For identification process, it is used the value of MSE (mean squared error) to available each algorithm. The simulation results show that the proposed fuzzy mechanism improves the convergence of the conventional WOA and it is competitive in relation to another fuzzy version adopted in the WOA design.