Combination rule of conflicting evidence based on focal element distance

The normalization calculation of Dempster-Shafer theory (DST) combination rule results in the irrational distribution of conflicting information, which often makes the counterintuitive results in the highly conflicting information fusion and restricts its application. The combination rule of conflict evidence based on the focal element distance is proposed. Firstly, the weight factors of the evidence source are obtained based on the focal element distance of the evidence source. Then the credibility and similarity degree of the focal element is defined by the relation of mathematical expectation and variance. After analysing the cause leading to a local conflict, the conflicting informations are distributed exploiting the data provided by the focal elements in conflicting evidence. The results of numerical examples prove that the new combination rule can not only effectively solve the combination of highly conflicting evidence but also obtain the reasonable results in the worst combination sequence.