Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Neural Networks (Computer)”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 181 records · Page 10

Real-time expert system and neural network for the classification of remotely sensed data

The paper examines software techniques for classifying remotely sensed data such that the number of computational steps and the amount of resources are bounded. The combination of both neural network and expert system methodology for classifying these data based on land use/land cover categories is examined. The method involves pipelining images through a neural net for initial classification and then through the expert system which resolves the ambiguous classifications. As with any pipeline, every component must have approximately equivalent run-times or otherwise a bottleneck will occur. If real-time is a requirement, each of the components must execute within a bounded number of steps. Attention is focused on the real-time system technique, which is argued to prevent a bottleneck for this data classification application.

Short, Nicholas, Jr.↗

Prediction of Stiffness and Fatigue Lives of Polymer Matrix Composite Laminates Using Artificial Neural Networks

Machine learning (ML) models are increasingly being used in many engineering fields due to the advancements in ML algorithms and availability of high-speed computing power. One of the most popular ML class of models is artificial neural networks (ANN). ML is increasingly being used in the design and analysis of composite materials and structures, specifically in the constitutive modeling of composite materials with the focus on greatly accelerating multiscale analyses of composite materials and structures through development of surrogate models. Towards that end, both Python and MATLAB-based neural nets have been developed to predict initial stiffness and fatigue life of an eight-ply symmetric polymer matrix composite laminate. Two types of neural networks, a Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) and a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN), have been developed for both platforms. Results show that the both neural net types can provide an excellent estimate of initial stiffness as well as fatigue life of eight-ply symmetric polymer matrix composite laminate. RNNs are better able to capture the shape of the fatigue curve of a laminate. This tool can be very useful for system level studies to obtain an estimate of desired properties and life of PMC composite laminates. The associated surrogate models could also be used in composite multiscale analyses to replace the actual physics-based calculations at lower scales and thereby significantly increase the computational efficiency of such analyses and thus make multiscale analyses a viable industrial tool for large scale structural problems.

Composite↗

Adjoint-Operator Learning For A Neural Network

Electronic neural networks made to synthesize initially unknown mathematical models of time-dependent phenomena or to learn temporally evolving patterns by use of algorithms based on adjoint operators. Algorithms less complicated, involve less computation and solve learning equations forward in time possibly simultaneously with equations of evolution of neural network, thereby both increasing computational efficiency and making real-time applications possible.

Barhen, Jacob↗

Optical fiber sensors for damage analysis in aerospace materials

Under this grant, fiber optic sensors were investigated for use in the nondestructive evaluation of aging aircraft. Specifically, optical fiber sensors for detection and location of impacts on a surface, and for detection of corrosion in metals were developed. The use of neural networks was investigated for determining impact location by processing the output of a network of fiberoptic strain sensors distributed on a surface. This approach employs triangulation to determine location by comparing the arrival times at several sensors, of the acoustic signal generated by the impact. For this study, a neural network simulator running on a personal computer was used to train a network using a back-propagation algorithm. Fiber optic extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer (EFPI) strain sensors are attached to or embedded in the surface, so that stress waves emanating from an impact can be detected. The ability of the network to determine impact location by time-or-arrival of acoustic signals was assessed by comparing network outputs with actual experimental results using impacts on a panel instrumented with optical fiber sensors. Using the neural network to process the sensor outputs, the impact location can be inferred to centimeter range accuracy directly from the arrival time data. In addition, the network can be trained to determine impact location, regardless of material anisotropy. Results demonstrate that a back-propagation network identifies impact location for an anisotropic graphite/bismaleimide plate with the same accuracy as that for an isotropic aluminum plate. Two different approaches were investigated for the development of fiber optic sensors for corrosion detection in metals, both utilizing optical fiber sensors with metal coatings. In the first approach, an extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric fiber optic strain sensor was placed under tensile stress, and while in the resulting strained position, a thick coating of metal was applied. Due to an increase in the quantity of material, the sensor does not return to its original position upon removal of the applied stress, and some residual strain is maintained within the sensor element. As the metal thickness decreases due to corrosion, this strain is released, providing the sensing mechanism for corrosion detection. In the second approach, photosensitive optical fibers with long period Bragg gratings in the core were coated with metal. The Bragg gratings serve to couple core modes at discrete wavelengths to cladding modes. Since cladding modes interact with the metal coating surrounding the fiber cladding, the specific wavelengths coupled from core to cladding depend on the refractive index of the metal coating. Therefore, as the metal corrodes, the resulting change in index of the coating may be measured by measuring the change in wavelength of the coupled mode. Results demonstrate that both approaches can be successfully used to track the loss in metal coating on the optical fiber sensors due to corrosion.

Schindler, Paul↗

Deep Neural Network Based Unsteady Flamelet Progress Variable Approach in a Supersonic Combustor

Higher dimensional flamelet manifolds are essential in capturing the coupled effects of pressure gradients and unsteady chemical kinetics observed in supersonic combustion applications. Previous studies have validated the feasibility of using deep neural networks as an alternative to computation-ally intensive multidimensional flamelet table storage and lookup. This approach has demonstrated a significant reduction in memory footprint and enabled the use of larger dimensional tabulated manifolds for supersonic combustion in canonical problems. In this study, the Unsteady Flamelet Progress Variable (UFPV)-ANN model implemented in the VULCAN-CFD code is validated by the Burrows-Kurkov supersonic mixing/combustion configuration. The well characterized experimental problem consists of hydrogen injection into a supersonic vitiated crossflow that results in a lifted flame structure. The initial model consists of a 4-dimensional table where the independent variables Z, C, Xst, P are tabulated using an unsteady flamelet code with boundary conditions corresponding to the vitiated air conditions. The results show the development of a lifted flame structure and over-all acceptable agreement with finite-rate chemistry (FRC) simulation and the experimental data. Moreover, direct mapping between the independent variables and the flamelet table is replaced by a deep neural network for significant memory reduction. The results indicate that the UFPV-ANN approach can retrieve the same solution as the memory intensive lookup table approach.

Flamelet↗

Non-parametric analysis of LANDSAT maps using neural nets and parallel computers

Nearest neighbor approaches and a new neural network, the Binary Diamond, are used for the classification of images of ground pixels obtained by LANDSAT satellite. The performances are evaluated by comparing classifications of a scene in the vicinity of Washington DC. The problem of optimal selection of categories is addressed as a step in the classification process.

Salu, Yehuda↗

Detecting and diagnosing SSME faults using an autoassociative neural network topology

An effort is underway at the University of Tennessee Space Institute to develop diagnostic expert system methodologies based on the analysis of patterns of behavior of physical mechanisms. In this approach, fault diagnosis is conceptualized as the mapping or association of patterns of sensor data to patterns representing fault conditions. Neural networks are being investigated as a means of storing and retrieving fault scenarios. Neural networks offer several powerful features in fault diagnosis, including (1) general pattern matching capabilities, (2) resistance to noisy input data, (3) the ability to be trained by example, and (4) the potential for implementation on parallel computer architectures. This paper presents (1) an autoassociative neural network topology, i.e. the network input and output is identical when properly trained, and hence learning is unsupervised; (2) the training regimen used; and (3) the response of the system to inputs representing both previously observed and unkown fault scenarios. The effects of noise on the integrity of the diagnosis are also evaluated.

Ali, M.↗

Neural network architecture for crossbar switch control

A Hopfield neural network architecture for the real-time control of a crossbar switch for switching packets at maximum throughput is proposed. The network performance and processing time are derived from a numerical simulation of the transitions of the neural network. A method is proposed to optimize electronic component parameters and synaptic connections, and it is fully illustrated by the computer simulation of a VLSI implementation of 4 x 4 neural net controller. The extension to larger size crossbars is demonstrated through the simulation of an 8 x 8 crossbar switch controller, where the performance of the neural computation is discussed in relation to electronic noise and inhomogeneities of network components.

Troudet, Terry P.↗

Classification of Magneto-Optic Images using Neural Networks

A real time imaging system with a neural network classifier has been incorporated on a Macintosh computer in conjunction with an MOI system. This system images rivets on aircraft aluminium structures using eddy currents and magnetic imaging. Moment invariant functions from the image of a rivet is used to train a multilayer perceptron neural network to classify the rivets as good or bad (rivets with cracks).

Nath, Shridhar↗

Tools for Atmospheric Radiative Transfer: Streamer and FluxNet

Two tools for the solution of radiative transfer problems are presented. Streamer is a highly flexible medium spectral resolution radiative transfer model based on the plane-parallel theory of radiative transfer. Capable of computing either fluxes or radiances, it is suitable for studying radiative processes at the surface or within the atmosphere and for the development of remote-sensing algorithms. FluxNet is a fast neural network-based implementation of Streamer for computing surface fluxes. It allows for a sophisticated treatment of radiative processes in the analysis of large data sets and potential integration into geophysical models where computational efficiency is an issue. Documentation and tools for the development of alternative versions of Fluxnet are available. Collectively, Streamer and FluxNet solve a wide variety of problems related to radiative transfer: Streamer provides the detail and sophistication needed to perform basic research on most aspects of complex radiative processes while the efficiency and simplicity of FluxNet make it ideal for operational use.

Key, Jeffrey R.↗

Experiments on neural network architectures for fuzzy logic

The use of fuzzy logic to model and manage uncertainty in a rule-based system places high computational demands on an inference engine. In an earlier paper, the authors introduced a trainable neural network structure for fuzzy logic. These networks can learn and extrapolate complex relationships between possibility distributions for the antecedents and consequents in the rules. Here, the power of these networks is further explored. The insensitivity of the output to noisy input distributions (which are likely if the clauses are generated from real data) is demonstrated as well as the ability of the networks to internalize multiple conjunctive clause and disjunctive clause rules. Since different rules with the same variables can be encoded in a single network, this approach to fuzzy logic inference provides a natural mechanism for rule conflict resolution.

Keller, James M.↗

Electronic hardware implementations of neutral networks

This paper examines some of the present work on the development of electronic neural network hardware. In particular, the investigations currently under way at JPL on neural network hardware implementations based on custom VLSI technology, novel thin film materials, and an analog-digital hybrid architecture are reviewed. The availability of such hardware will greatly benefit and enhance the present intense research effort on the potential computational capabilities of highly parallel systems based on neural network models.

Thakoor, A. P.↗

Deep Neural Network for Precision Multi-band Infrared Image Segmentation

Image segmentation is one of the fundamental steps in computer vision. Separating targets from background clutter with high precision is a challenging operation for both humans and computers. Currently, segmenting objects from IR images is done by tedious manual work. The implementation of a Deep Neural Network (DNN) to perform precision segmentation of multi-band IR video images is presented. A customized pix2pix DNN with multiple layers of generative encoder/decoder and discriminator architecture is used in the IR image segmentation process. Real and synthetic images and ground truths are employed to train the DNN. Iterative training is performed to achieve optimum accuracy of segmentation using a minimal number of training data. Special training images are created to enhance the missing features and to increase the segmentation accuracy of the objects. Retraining strategies are developed to minimize the DNN training time. Single pixel accuracy has been achieved in IR target boundary segmentation using DNNs. The segmentation accuracy between the customized pix2pix DNN and simple thresholding, GraphCut, simple neural network and ResNet models are compared.

Torres, Gil↗

Computer graphics testbed to simulate and test vision systems for space applications

Artificial intelligence concepts are applied to robotics. Artificial neural networks, expert systems and laser imaging techniques for autonomous space robots are being studied. A computer graphics laser range finder simulator developed by Wu has been used by Weiland and Norwood to study use of artificial neural networks for path planning and obstacle avoidance. Interest is expressed in applications of CLIPS, NETS, and Fuzzy Control. These applications are applied to robot navigation.

Cheatham, John B.↗

Efficient Simulation of Wing Modal Response: Application of 2nd Order Shape Sensitivities and Neural Networks

At the preliminary design stage of a wing structure, an efficient simulation, one needing little computation but yielding adequately accurate results for various response quantities, is essential in the search of optimal design in a vast design space. In the present paper, methods of using sensitivities up to 2nd order, and direct application of neural networks are explored. The example problem is how to decide the natural frequencies of a wing given the shape variables of the structure. It is shown that when sensitivities cannot be obtained analytically, the finite difference approach is usually more reliable than a semi-analytical approach provided an appropriate step size is used. The use of second order sensitivities is proved of being able to yield much better results than the case where only the first order sensitivities are used. When neural networks are trained to relate the wing natural frequencies to the shape variables, a negligible computation effort is needed to accurately determine the natural frequencies of a new design.

Kapania, Rakesh K.↗

Unsupervised texture image segmentation by improved neural network ART2

We here propose a segmentation algorithm of texture image for a computer vision system on a space robot. An improved adaptive resonance theory (ART2) for analog input patterns is adapted to classify the image based on a set of texture image features extracted by a fast spatial gray level dependence method (SGLDM). The nonlinear thresholding functions in input layer of the neural network have been constructed by two parts: firstly, to reduce the effects of image noises on the features, a set of sigmoid functions is chosen depending on the types of the feature; secondly, to enhance the contrast of the features, we adopt fuzzy mapping functions. The cluster number in output layer can be increased by an autogrowing mechanism constantly when a new pattern happens. Experimental results and original or segmented pictures are shown, including the comparison between this approach and K-means algorithm. The system written in C language is performed on a SUN-4/330 sparc-station with an image board IT-150 and a CCD camera.

Wang, Zhiling↗

Ferroelectric/Optoelectronic Memory/Processor

Proposed hybrid optoelectronic nonvolatile analog memory and data processor comprises planar array of microscopic photosensitive ferroelectric capacitors performing massively parallel analog computations. Processors overcome electronic crosstalk and limitations on number of input/output contacts inherent in electronic implementations of large interconnection arrays. Used in general optical computing, recognition of patterns, and artificial neural networks.

Thakoor, Sarita↗

Investigation of air transportation technology at Princeton University, 1991-1992

The Air Transportation Research Program at Princeton University proceeded along six avenues during the past year: (1) intelligent flight control; (2) computer-aided control system design; (3) neural networks for flight control; (4) stochastic robustness of flight control systems; (5) microburst hazards to aircraft; and (6) fundamental dynamics of atmospheric flight. This research has resulted in a number of publications, including archival papers and conference papers. An annotated bibliography of publications that appeared between June 1991 and June 1992 appears at the end of this report. The research that these papers describe was supported in whole or in part by the Joint University Program, including work that was completed prior to the reporting period.

Stengel, Robert F.↗