Fuzzy Pattern Matching in Ordered Structures
The problem of pattern matching, that is, finding all occurrences of a given pattern in a string, is one of the fundamental problems in computer science that has applications in many areas. In this paper, we consider fuzzy patterns, defined as sequences of fuzzy properties over the basic alphabet. We first consider fuzzy pattern matching for sequences of elements of the basic alphabet and then extend the problem to partially ordered sets of nodes labeled by elements of the basic alphabet. For sequences, we seek segments that match the pattern, whereas for partially ordered structures, we seek saturated chains of nodes that match the pattern. The key concept underlying the solutions to these problems is the notion of a trajectory, which generalizes the concept of the prefix function used in the Knuth--Morris--Pratt (KMP) algorithm. A trajectory is processed together with the corresponding data structure, allowing the proposed algorithms to be represented as transition systems whose states are trajectories for sequences and trajectories associated with nodes for partially ordered structures. The trajectory-based approach provides a unified framework for fuzzy pattern matching in various data structures.