Development of Expert Systems using Automatic Knowledge Acquisition and Composite Knowledge Expression Mechanism

In this research, we propose an automatic knowledge acquisition and composite knowledge expression mechanism based on machine learning and relational database. Most of traditional approaches to develop a knowledge base and inference engine of expert systems were based on IF-THEN rules, AND-OR graph, Semantic networks, and Frame separately. However, there are some limitations such as automatic knowledge acquisition, complicate knowledge expression, expansibility of knowledge base, speed of inference, and hierarchies among rules. To overcome these limitations, many of researchers tried to develop an automatic knowledge acquisition, composite knowledge expression, and fast inference method. As a result, the adaptability of the expert systems was improved rapidly. Nonetheless, they didn't suggest a hybrid and generalized solution to support the entire process of development of expert systems. Our proposed mechanism has five advantages empirically. First, it could extract the specific domain knowledge from incomplete database based on machine learning algorithm. Second, this mechanism could reduce the number of rules efficiently according to the rule extraction mechanism used in machine learning. Third, our proposed mechanism could expand the knowledge base unlimitedly by using relational database. Fourth, the backward inference engine developed in this study, could manipulate the knowledge base stored in relational database rapidly. Therefore, the speed of inference is faster than traditional text -oriented inference mechanism. Fifth, our composite knowledge expression mechanism could reflect the traditional knowledge expression method such as IF-THEN rules, AND-OR graph, and Relationship matrix simultaneously. To validate the inference ability of our system, a real data set was adopted from a clinical diagnosis classifying the dermatology disease.