The construction of fuzzy least squares estimators in fuzzy linear regression models

A new concept and method of imposing imprecise (fuzzy) input and output data upon the conventional linear regression model is proposed. Under the considerations of fuzzy parameters and fuzzy arithmetic operations (fuzzy addition and multiplication), we propose a fuzzy linear regression model which has the similar form as that of conventional one. We conduct the h-level (conventional) linear regression models of fuzzy linear regression model for the sake of invoking the statistical techniques in (conventional) linear regression analysis for real-valued data. In order to determine the sign (nonnegativity or nonpositivity) of fuzzy parameters, we perform the statistical testing hypotheses and evaluate the confidence intervals. Using the least squares estimators obtained from the h-level linear regression models, we can construct the membership functions of fuzzy least squares estimators via the form of "Resolution Identity" which is well-known in fuzzy sets theory. In order to obtain the membership degree of any given estimate taken from the fuzzy least squares estimator, optimization problems have to be solved. We also provide two computational procedures to deal with those optimization problems. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.