Patent ID: 8892496

Claim:
A fuzzy inference apparatus comprising: a plurality of inputs for receiving time-varying input signals; at least one output for outputting a time-varying output signal dependent on the input signals; and a processing apparatus configured to: perform, on the time-varying input signals, a fuzzification process, thereby providing fuzzified data, the fuzzification process being performed in accordance with fuzzy membership functions contained within a knowledge base; and perform, on the fuzzified data, fuzzy inference to generate the output signal, the fuzzy inference being performed in accordance with fuzzy inference rules contained within the knowledge base; wherein the knowledge base comprises fuzzy membership functions and fuzzy inference rules, the fuzzy membership functions and fuzzy inference rules having been defined in advance; the knowledge base comprises at least two alternative definitions of the membership functions and inference rules, and the processing apparatus is operable to apply different ones of the definitions at different times; and the processing apparatus is arranged to optimize its fuzzy rule set automatically during operation, between fuzzification of the input signals and completion of the fuzzy inference.