CEJM 2(3) 2004 388–398

Lattice valued intuitionistic fuzzy sets

Tadeusz Gerstenkorn1∗ , Andreja Tepavčević2†‡

1
Faculty of Mathematics,
L
 ódź University,
ul. S. Banacha 22, PL 90-238 L  ódź, Poland
2
Department of Mathematics and Informatics
Fac. of Sci., University of Novi Sad
Trg D. Obradovića 4, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia and Montenegro

Received 3 October 2003; accepted 11 June 2004

Abstract: In this paper a new definition of a lattice valued intuitionistic fuzzy set (LIFS) is
introduced, in an attempt to overcome the disadvantages of earlier definitions. Some properties
of this kind of fuzzy sets and their basic operations are given. The theorem of synthesis is
proved: For every two families of subsets of a set satisfying certain conditions, there is an
lattice valued intuitionistic fuzzy set for which these are families of level sets.
c Central European Science Journals. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Intuitionistic fuzzy sets, bifuzzy sets, lattice valued intuitionistic fuzzy sets
MSC (2000): 03E72, 03B52, 06D72

1 Preliminaries

Let X be a nonempty set, and f and g be two functions from X to [0, 1], such that for
all x ∈ X,

0 ≤ f (x) + g(x) ≤ 1.

By the original definition of Atanassov in [1], an intuitionistic fuzzy set is an

object of the form: A = {(x, f (x), g(x)) | x ∈ X}. This object is also called bifuzzy set
∗
E-mail: tadger@math.uni.lodz.pl
†
E-mail: etepavce@eunet.yu
‡
The research supported by Serbian Ministry of Science and Technology, Grant No. 1227.
T. Gerstenkorn, A. Tepavčević / Central European Journal of Mathematics 2(3) 2004 388–398 389

(according to [5]). We consider it in a form of an ordered triple: A = (X, f, g), where X,

f and g are as above.

Definition of LIFS by involutive unary operation

In the paper [2], Atanassov defined a lattice valued intuitionistic fuzzy set (intuitionistic
L-fuzzy set), using a complete lattice L with an involutive order reversing unary operation
N : L → L. An intuitionistic L-fuzzy set is an object of the form A = {(x, f (x), g(x)) |
x ∈ X}, where f and g are functions f : X → L, g : X → L, such that for all x ∈ X,

f (x) ≤ N (g(x)).

We call this object intuitionistic L-fuzzy set of the first type (LIFS-1).
The disadvantage of this definition is that very often such a required involutive, order
reversing unary operation does not exist. LIFS-1 can not be defined for a large class
of lattices ( there is e.g. a lattice of 6 elements without unary operation satisfying the
desired properties).
Moreover, some of the operators that are natural for ordinary intuitionistic fuzzy sets
can not be defined over the LIFS (see [3], page 181).

Definition of LIFS by a linearization function

In the paper [8] a notion of an L-valued bifuzzy set is introduced in the following way.
Let L be a lattice together with its linearization: L = (L, ∧, ∨, l), where (L, ∧, ∨) is a
complete lattice with the top element T , and the bottom element B. l is a mapping from
L to the real interval [0, 1] (l : L → [0, 1]), for which from x ≤ y it follows that l(x) ≤ l(y)
and l(T ) = 1, l(B) = 0.
A lattice valued bifuzzy (L-valued intuitionistic fuzzy) set is the ordered triple
(X, f, g), where X is a nonempty set, f and g are functions from X to L and L is a
lattice with a linearization function as above, such that

l(f (x) + l(g(x)) ≤ 1.

We call this object intuitionistic fuzzy set of the second type (LIFS-2).
Some of the most important properties of such fuzzy sets are proved in [8], like the
theorem of decomposition, synthesis and others. In spite of many advantages, this def-
inition have one main disadvantage: it does not allow the natural definitions of basic
set operations. This is the reason of introducing the new definition of lattice valued
(L-valued) intuitionistic fuzzy sets in this paper. To be more precise, we distinguish a
390 T. Gerstenkorn, A. Tepavčević / Central European Journal of Mathematics 2(3) 2004 388–398

special class of LIFS-2 and use the notion of L-valued intuitionistic fuzzy sets of the third
type for elements of this class.
The following example illustrates the unconvenience of the definition of LIFS-2 in
defining the set operations.

Example 1.1. Let L be a lattice, given in Figure 1:

T❝
❅
❅
a ❝ ❅ ❝c
❅
❅
❅❝
d

❝B
L

Fig. 1

Let the linearization function l : L → [0, 1] be given by l(T ) = 1, l(B) = 0, l(a) =

0.5, l(c) = 0.5, l(d) = 0.2. Let X = {x, y}, and fA and gA be functions defined by:
 
x y 
fA = 



aT
and
 
x y 
gA = 

.

c B
Further, we define functions fB and gB by:
 
x y 
fB = 



c T

and  
x y 
gB = 

.

aB

A = (X, fA , gA ) and B = (X, fB , gB ) are LIFS-2. However, an attempt to define a

union of these bifuzzy sets (analogously as the case of ordinary intuitionistic fuzzy sets),
would yield the following.
T. Gerstenkorn, A. Tepavčević / Central European Journal of Mathematics 2(3) 2004 388–398 391

We would like A ∪ B to be bifuzzy set: (X, fA∪B , gA∪B ), where

fA∪B (x) = fA (x) ∨ fB (x) = T, and

gA∪B (x) = gA (x) ∧ gB (x) = d.

However, l(fA (x) ∨ fB (x)) +l(gA (x)∧ gB (x)) = l(T ) +l(d) = 1+ 0.2 > 1, and the obtained
functions would not satisfy the condition: l(fA∪B (x)) + l(gA∪B (x)) ≤ 1. The definition
introduced in the next section will overcome this difficulty.

2 Definitions and basic properties

A new definition of an L-valued intuitionistic fuzzy set is introduced in this section.

Let L be a complete lattice with the top element T and the bottom element B and α a
lattice homomorphism from L to [0,1], such that α(T ) = 1 and α(B) = 0. Recall that the
lattice homomorphism is a function α : L → [0, 1] satisfying α(x ∧ y) = min(α(x), α(y)),
α(x ∨ y) = max(α(x), α(y)).
It is straightforward to prove that such a function is a linearization function as well,
so this definition is a special case of LIFS-2.
In the rest of the paper by L we will denote a lattice (as well as the underlying set),
and by L the lattice together with its homomorphism as above.
A lattice valued intuitionistic fuzzy (L-valued intuitionistic fuzzy) set of the
type 3 (LIFS-3) is the ordered triple (X, f, g), where X is a nonempty set, f and g are
functions from X to L and L a lattice with a homomorphism α as above, such that

α(f (x)) + α(g(x)) ≤ 1. (1)

A lattice valued intuinistic fuzzy set obtained in this way has some advantages when
compared with other definitions. The notion is a generalization of the ordinary intuition-
istic fuzzy set and its structure is richer. To every LIFS-3 there correspond two families
of level subsets, which are lattices under inclusion. An ordinary intuitionistic fuzzy set
is obtained by this homomorphism, in a natural way, which is not the case with LIFS-1.
However, still for some lattices there is no a convenient lattice homomorphism, mapping
the top element to 1 and the bottom element to 0.
In comparison with the LIFS-2, in LIFS-3 basic operations can be introduced in a
natural way.
The following proposition is a straightforward corollary of the analogous proposition
in [8].

Proposition 2.1. Let L be a lattice with a homomorphism α : L → [0, 1], and (X, f, g)
a LIFS-3. Then, (X, α ◦ f, α ◦ g) is an ordinary intuitionistic fuzzy set.
392 T. Gerstenkorn, A. Tepavčević / Central European Journal of Mathematics 2(3) 2004 388–398

We define some basic relations and operations over the new introduced fuzzy sets,
analogously as for ordinary intuitionistic fuzzy sets.
1. A ⊆ B if and only if for all x ∈ X

fA (x) ≤ fB (x) and gA (x) ≥ gB (x).

2. A = B if and only if A ⊆ B and B ⊆ A.

3. A = (X, fA , gA ), where fA (x) = gA (x) and gA (x) = fA (x).
4. A ∩ B = (X, fA∩B , gA∩B ), where for all x ∈ X,

fA∩B (x) = fA (x) ∧ fB (x), and

gA∩B (x) = gA (x) ∨ gB (x).

5. A ∪ B = (X, fA∪B , gA∪B ), where for all x ∈ X,

fA∪B (x) = fA (x) ∨ fB (x), and

gA∪B (x) = gA (x) ∧ gB (x).

In the following, we prove that by formulas 3-5 the operations complement, union and
intersection on the set of all LIFS-3 over the same set is well defined.

Proposition 2.2. Let A = (X, fA , gA ) and B = (X, fB , gB ) be LIFS-3, where L is a

lattice and α a homomorphism from L to [0, 1]. Then, ordered triples A, A ∩ B and
A ∪ B, defined as above are also LIFS-3.

Proof. The proof for A is obvious.

Further, we have to prove that for every x ∈ X,

α(fA∩B (x)) + α(gA∩B (x)) ≤ 1.

Indeed,

α(fA∩B (x)) + α(gA∩B (x)) =

α(fA (x) ∧ fB (x)) + α(gA (x) ∨ gB (x)) =
min{α(fA (x)), α(fB (x))} + max{α(gA (x)), α(gB (x))}.

Let max{α(gA (x)), α(gB (x))} = α(gA (x)) (the proof is similar in other case). Then
min{α(fA (x)), α(fB (x))} ≤ α(fA (x)), and the statement is easily proved.
The proof for union is similar. ✷

Now, it is not difficult to prove that the operations ∩ and ∪ satisfy commutative,
associative and absorptive laws. Moreover, if L is a distributive lattice, then distributive
laws are also satisfied .
T. Gerstenkorn, A. Tepavčević / Central European Journal of Mathematics 2(3) 2004 388–398 393

We already mentioned that a LIFS-3 determines two L-valued fuzzy sets. However,
the converse is not true: not every couple of L-valued fuzzy sets corresponds to a LIFS-3.
The notions of cut (level) subsets and cut (level) functions for LIFS-3 are introduced
similar to those of L-fuzzy sets.
For each p ∈ L, there are two cut sets defined by:

fp = {x ∈ X | f (x) ≥ p}

and
gp = {x ∈ X | g(x) ≥ p}.

The corresponding cut (level) functions are denoted by f p and g p .

Thus, for an L valued intuitionistic fuzzy set (X, f, g), there are two families of cut
sets.
The following two propositions are consequences of the fact that a LIFS-3 consists of
two L-valued fuzzy sets.

Proposition 2.3. Every LIFS-3 determines two families of cut sets. Each of these
families is closed under intersections and contains set X, and thus it is a lattice under
inclusion.

Proposition 2.4. Let (X, f, g) be a LIFS-3. Then the following is satisfied.

1. fB = X, and gB = X, where B is the bottom element of L.
2. If p ≤ q, then fq ⊆ fp , and gq ⊆ gp .
3.

f (x) = {p ∈ L | f p (x) = 1};

g(x) = {p ∈ L | gp (x) = 1}.

4. If M ⊆ L, then

(fp | p ∈ M ) = f {p|p∈M }

and

(gp | p ∈ M ) = g {p|p∈M } .

3 Theorem of synthesis for the L-valued intuitionistic fuzzy

sets LIFS-3

In this section necessary and sufficient conditions under which two families of subsets of
a set are families of cut sets of a LIFS-3 are given.
394 T. Gerstenkorn, A. Tepavčević / Central European Journal of Mathematics 2(3) 2004 388–398

Theorem 3.1. Let X be a nonempty set and let F1 and F2 be two families of subsets
of X, each of them closed under intersections, containing X, and satisfying the following
condition:

(∀x ∈ X)(∃A ∈ F1 ∪ F2 )(x ∈ A). (2)

Then, there is a lattice L with a homomorphism α : L → [0, 1] and two mappings f

and g from X to L, such that (X, f, g) is a LIFS-3, and F1 and F2 are its families of cut
sets.

Proof. The families F1 and F2 are closed under intersections, each of them containing
X, thus they are lattices under inclusion. Consider lattices (L1 , ≤1 ) and (L2 , ≤2 ), anti-
isomorphic to lattices F1 and F2 , under the functions f1 and f2 , respectively, such that
L1 ∩ L2 = ∅. We denote by TFi and by BFi , the top and the bottom element, respec-
tively, of lattices Fi , for i = 1, 2. By Ti , Bi , we denote the top and the bottom element,
respectively, of lattices Li , i = 1, 2.
Let (L, ≤) be a linear sum of L1 , L2 and one element lattice ({T }, ≤), for T ∈ L1 and
T ∈ L2 .
Namely, L = L1 ∪ L2 ∪ {T }, and



 x ∈ L1 and
 y ∈ L2 or






 x ≤1 y and x, y ∈ L1 or
x ≤ y if and only if 

 x ≤2 y and x, y ∈ L2 or







 y = T.

Obviously T is the top element of the lattice L.

Now, we define functions f : X → L and g : X → L, as follows.




 T, if x ∈ BF1 ;
f (x) = 


 f1 ( {X ∈ F1 | x ∈ X}) otherwise.




 T, if x ∈ BF2 ;
g(x) =  

 f2 ( {X ∈ F2 | x ∈ X}) otherwise.

We have to prove that the families of cut sets of the LIFS-3 (X, f, g) are F1 and F2 .
First we will consider all p ∈ L and prove that every cut set fp coincides with a set
from F1 .
T. Gerstenkorn, A. Tepavčević / Central European Journal of Mathematics 2(3) 2004 388–398 395

Case 1. p = T . Since f (x) = T for x ∈ BF1 , and for all other x ∈ X, f (x) < T , we have
that fT = BF1 .
Case 2. p ∈ L2 . Since f (x) ∈ L1 or f (x) = T , we have that fp = fT , for all p ∈ L2 .
Case 3. p = T1 . x ∈ fT1 if and only if f (x) ≥ T1 if and only if f (x) = T or

f (x) = T1 if and only if f1 ( {X ∈ F1 | x ∈ X}) = T1 or x ∈ BF1 if and only if

{X ∈ F1 | x ∈ X} = BF1 or x ∈ BF1 if and only if x ∈ BF1 .
Case 4. p ∈ L1 \ {T1 }.
We prove that fp = f2−1 (p).
If x ∈ BF1 , then obviously x ∈ fp and x ∈ f2−1 (p) , hence x ∈ fp if and only if
x ∈ f2−1 (p).
Now, suppose that x ∈ BF1 .
x ∈ fp if and only if f (x) ≥ p if and only if f1−1 (f (x)) ⊆ f1−1 (p) if and only if
 
f1−1 (f1 ( {X ∈ F1 | x ∈ X})) ⊆ f1−1 (p) if and only if {X ∈ F1 | x ∈ X} ⊆ f1−1 (p) if
and only if x ∈ f1−1 (p).
Thereby we also proved that every element from family F1 coincides with a cut set of f .
This proves that the family of cut sets of f coincides with family F1 .
The proof that the family of cut sets of g coincides with family F2 is similar.
Now, we have to define a homomorphism α from L to [0, 1], such that (1) is satisfied.
We define a function satisfying (1), as follows: α(T ) = 1, and α(x) = 0, for all
T = x ∈ L. This function is obviously a homomorphism, satisfying the condition (1).
Indeed, the condition (1) is not satisfied only in the case when there is an x ∈ X, such
that f (x) = T , and g(x) = T . In this case, x ∈ fT , and x ∈ gT , and by Proposition
2.4(2), x ∈ fp , and x ∈ gp for all p ∈ L, which is in contrary to (2).
It is evident that α need not be the only homomorphism satisfying (1), but here it is
enough to prove that there exists such a function. ✷

Theorem 3.2. Necessary and sufficient conditions under which two families F1 and
F2 of subsets of X are families of cut sets of a LIFS-3 are that both are closed under
intersections, X belongs to both of them, and that condition (2) is satisfied.

Proof. The first part follows by Theorem 3.1. Suppose that F1 and F2 are families
of cut sets of a LIFS-3 (X, f, g). They are closed under intersections and contain X,
by Proposition 2.3. Now, suppose that condition (2) is not satisfied, i.e., that there is
x ∈ X, such that x belongs to all elements of F1 and F2 . Now, f (x) = T and g(x) = T ,
by Proposition 2.4 (3). Since α(T ) = 1, α(f (x)) + α(g(x)) = 2, a contradiction. ✷

Example 3.3. Let X = {a, b, c, d}, F1 = {{a, b, c, d}, {a, c}, {b, d}, {c}, ∅} and F2 =
{{a, b, c, d}, {a, b, c}, {a, b, d}, {a, b}, {b, c}, {b}}. F1 and F2 satisfy conditions of Theo-
396 T. Gerstenkorn, A. Tepavčević / Central European Journal of Mathematics 2(3) 2004 388–398

rem 3.1, i.e., both families are closed under intersections, contain X, and the condition
(2) is also satisfied. By the construction in Theorem 3.1, we determine lattices L1 and
L2 , antiisomorphic to (F1 , ⊆) and (F2 , ⊆), respectively. The isomorphisms f1 and f2
are given by the following tables and corresponding lattices are presented in Figure 2a.
Lattice L in Figure 2b is a linear sum of L1 , L2 and {T }.

 
 {a, b, c, d} {a, c} {b, d} {c} ∅ 
f1 = 



B1 r t s T1

 
 {a, b, c, d} {a, b, c} {a, b, d} {a, b} {b, c}{b} 
f2 = 



B2 u v q p T2

Now, by the mentioned construction, we have that:

 
a b c d
f =



r ts t

and
 
a b c d
g=

.

qT pv

One possibility for the homomorphism is the one from Theorem 3.1. We present here
another homomorphism satisfying the conditions:

 
 x T p T2 u q B 2 v T1 s r t B1 
 
 
α(x) 1 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.5 0.5 0.1 0.1 0.1 0 0
T. Gerstenkorn, A. Tepavčević / Central European Journal of Mathematics 2(3) 2004 388–398 397

T❝

❝T2
❅
p❝ ❅ ❝q
❅ ❅
❅❝ ❅❝
v
T❝1 ❅
u❅
T❝2 ❝
B2
❏
s ❝ ❏ ❅ ❝T
❏❝ p❝ ❅ ❝q 1
t ❏
❝ ❅ ❅ s ❝
r ❅ ✡✡ ❅❝ ❅ ❝v ❏
❏❝
❅ ❝✡ u❅❅ t
❝
B1 ❝ r ❅ ✡✡
B2 ❅ ❝✡
B1
L2 L1 L

Fig. 2a Fig. 2b

The families of level sets of the obtained LIFS-3 (X, f, g) coincide with F1 and F2 ,
which is straightfoward to check.

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