Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm Hybrided with Molecular Force Mechanism and Its Parameters Optimization

To maintain the diversity of particles is crucial to improve the performance of particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. Enlightened by molecular kinetic theory, the PSO algorithm based on the molecular force (MPSO) is put forward. To make an analogy to thermodynamic molecular system, in the MPSO, molecular force between particles, swarm centroid and particle acceleration are introduced and thus particle's velocity updating formula is modified. The molecular force between itself and swarm centroid is presented as an attractive or repulsive force determined by the distance of them, and decides the particle to move towards the swarm centroid or to keep away from it for maintenance of diversity, hence the MPSO could effectively balance the global and local search. In addition, orthogonal test design method is applied to select and optimize the two additional parameters introduced in MPSO.