Control chart pattern recognition using K-MICA clustering and neural networks

Automatic recognition of abnormal patterns in control charts has seen increasing demands nowadays in manufacturing processes. This paper presents a novel hybrid intelligent method (HIM) for recognition of the common types of control chart pattern (CCP). The proposed method includes two main modules: a clustering module and a classifier module. In the clustering module, the input data is first clustered by a new technique. This technique is a suitable combination of the modified imperialist competitive algorithm (MICA) and the K-means algorithm. Then the Euclidean distance of each pattern is computed from the determined clusters. The classifier module determines the membership of the patterns using the computed distance. In this module, several neural networks, such as the multilayer perceptron, probabilistic neural networks, and the radial basis function neural networks, are investigated. Using the experimental study, we choose the best classifier in order to recognize the CCPs. Simulation results show that a high recognition accuracy, about 99.65%, is achieved. (C) 2011 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.