An Alternative Combination Rule for Evidential Reasoning

In order to have a normal behavior in combination of bodies of evidence, this paper proposes a new combination rule. This rule includes the cardinality of focal set elements in conjunctive operation and the conflict redistribution to all steps. Based on the focal set cardinalities, the conflict redistribution is assigned using factors. The weighted factors are computed from the original and the conjunctive masses assigned to each focal element. This strategy forces the conflict redistribution in favor of the more committed hypothesis. Our method is evaluated and compared with some numerical examples reported in the literature. As result, this rule redistributes the conflict in favor of the more committed hypothesis and gives intuitive interpretation for combining multiple information sources with coherent results