Solving constrained optimization using a t-cell artificial immune system

Abstract

In this paper, we present a novel model of an artificial immune system (AIS), based on the process that suffers the T-Cell. The proposed model is used for solving constrained (numerical) optimization problems. The model operates on three populations: Virgins, Effectors and Memory. Each of them has a different role. Also, the model dynamically adapts the tolerance factor in order to improve the exploration capabilities of the algorithm. We also develop a new mutation operator which incorporates knowledge of the problem. We validate our proposed approach with a set of test functions taken from the specialized literature and we compare our results with respect to Stochastic Ranking (which is an approach representative of the state-of-the-art in the area) and with respect to an AIS previously proposed.