A Study on Functional Link BP Network: Model, Algorithm, and Application

In this paper, on the basis of BP network, a new and more universal network, Functional Link BP (FLBP) network and its simplified network, Functional Weight BP (FWBP) network, are proposed. Then their algorithms, the selection of link functions and their relationships with other networks are discussed. Finally, by applying FLBP and FWBP network to a typical disease prediction example, simulation results indicate that, with appropriate selection of link functions, FLBP and FWBP network perform better than BP network in terms of speed, accuracy and robustness.