Performance evaluation of schedule plan for cuckoo search applied to the neural network controller of a rotary crane

Here, an optimized neural network controller (NC) was developed with the cuckoo search (CS) method. This was inspired by the mending behavior of the cuckoo bird, which lays eggs similar to those of their putative parents in their nests and allows the putative parents to raise them. CS is an evolutionary computation algorithm that mimics the ecological behavior of organisms to optimize a controller. Previous studies have demonstrated good evolutionary processes for NCs when the value of the scaling index varies in steps during a scheduled period. Therefore, the proposed CS scheduling plan adjusts the scaling index as a linear function, nonlinear function, or stairs. Computer simulations demonstrated that an NC optimized with the scheduled CS method had superior control performance compared to the original CS method. The best results were obtained when the schedule plan was set to a linear or nonlinear function rather than a stair plan.