Volterra filter modeling of a nonlinear discrete-time system based on a ranked differential evolution algorithm

This paper presents a ranked differential evolution (RDE) algorithm for solving the identification problem of non-linear discrete-time systems based on a Volterra filter model. In the improved method, a scale factor, generated by combining a sine function and randomness, effectively keeps a balance between the global search and the local search. Also, the mutation operation is modified after ranking all candidate solutions of the population to help avoid the occurrence of premature convergence. Finally, two examples including a highly nonlinear discrete-time rational system and a real heat exchanger are used to evaluate the performance of the RDE algorithm and five other approaches. Numerical experiments and comparisons demonstrate that the RDE algorithm performs better than the other approaches in most cases.