A novel combination method for conflicting evidence based on inconsistent measurements

Dempster-Shafer (D-S) evidence theory is a kind of effective tool for uncertain information fusion. However, the counter-intuitive results are often obtained when the conflicting pieces of evidence are fused with Dempster's combination rule. In order to solve the existing counter-intuitive problem more effectively and less conservatively, in this paper, we propose an improved combination method for the conflicting evidence based on inconsistent measurements. Firstly, a new approach is proposed for measuring the conflict between two pieces of evidence. Then, the conflicting evidence is revised by selecting discount coefficients. Moreover, Dempster's combination rule is significantly improved by the new conflict coefficients, and the fusion results are acquired by the improved combination rule. Finally, examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness and potential of the developed new techniques.