OPTIMISER

One or more signals are optimized in many industrial applications, one or more input quantities are combined according to a predetermined process to produce an output as a function of the inputs. For many types of functions, an optimum output value is possible, corresponding to a predetermined optimum input value or, where there is more than one input, to a set of such input values, which may be considered to define an input vector. A problem with many search techniques is that a local optimum rather than the global optimum is found. However, in the present optimization process, test values are selected, and the most optimal function values generated from the selected test values are stored. When a local optima is detected stored optimal function values are used to move away from the local optima.