Polynomial-based radial basis function neural networks (P-RBF NNs) and their application to pattern classification

Polynomial neural networks have been known to exhibit useful properties as classifiers and universal approximators. In this study, we introduce a concept of polynomial-based radial basis function neural networks (P-RBF NNs), present a design methodology and show the use of the networks in classification problems. From the conceptual standpoint, the classifiers of this form can be expressed as a collection of “if-then” rules. The proposed architecture uses two essential development mechanisms. Fuzzy clustering (Fuzzy C-Means, FCM) is aimed at the development of condition parts of the rules while the corresponding conclusions of the rules are formed by some polynomials. A detailed learning algorithm for the P-RBF NNs is developed. The proposed classifier is applied to two-class pattern classification problems. The performance of this classifier is contrasted with the results produced by the “standard” RBF neural networks. In addition, the experimental application covers a comparative analysis including several previous commonly encountered methods such as standard neural networks, SVM, SOM, PCA, LDA, C4.5, and decision trees. The experimental results reveal that the proposed approach comes with a simpler structure of the classifier and better prediction capabilities.