On the resolution of bipolar max-min equations

This paper investigates bipolar max-min equations which can be viewed as a generalization of fuzzy relational equations with max-min composition. The relation between the consistency of bipolar max-min equations and the classical boolean satisfiability problem is revealed. Consequently, it is shown that the problem of determining whether a system of bipolar max-min equations is consistent or not is NP-complete. Moreover, a consistent system of bipolar max-min equations, as well as its solution set, can be fully characterized by a system of integer linear inequalities.