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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.

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At least 1,117 records · Page 62

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NASA NTRS1987

Media independent interface. Interface control document

A Media Independent Interface (MII) is specified, using current standards in the industry. The MII is described in hierarchical fashion. At the base are IEEE/International Standards Organization (ISO) documents (standards) which describe the functionality of the software modules or layers and their interconnection. These documents describe primitives which are to transcent the MII. The intent of the MII is to provide a universal interface to one or more Media Access Contols (MACs) for the Logical Link Controller and Station Manager. This interface includes both a standardized electrical and mechanical interface and a standardized functional specification which defines the services expected from the MAC.

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NASA NTRS1988

Introduction to a system for implementing neural net connections on SIMD architectures

Neural networks have attracted much interest recently, and using parallel architectures to simulate neural networks is a natural and necessary application. The SIMD model of parallel computation is chosen, because systems of this type can be built with large numbers of processing elements. However, such systems are not naturally suited to generalized communication. A method is proposed that allows an implementation of neural network connections on massively parallel SIMD architectures. The key to this system is an algorithm permitting the formation of arbitrary connections between the neurons. A feature is the ability to add new connections quickly. It also has error recovery ability and is robust over a variety of network topologies. Simulations of the general connection system, and its implementation on the Connection Machine, indicate that the time and space requirements are proportional to the product of the average number of connections per neuron and the diameter of the interconnection network.

Tomboulian, Sherryl↗

NASA NTRS1988

Efficient parallel architecture for highly coupled real-time linear system applications

A systematic procedure is developed for exploiting the parallel constructs of computation in a highly coupled, linear system application. An overall top-down design approach is adopted. Differential equations governing the application under consideration are partitioned into subtasks on the basis of a data flow analysis. The interconnected task units constitute a task graph which has to be computed in every update interval. Multiprocessing concepts utilizing parallel integration algorithms are then applied for efficient task graph execution. A simple scheduling routine is developed to handle task allocation while in the multiprocessor mode. Results of simulation and scheduling are compared on the basis of standard performance indices. Processor timing diagrams are developed on the basis of program output accruing to an optimal set of processors. Basic architectural attributes for implementing the system are discussed together with suggestions for processing element design. Emphasis is placed on flexible architectures capable of accommodating widely varying application specifics.

Carroll, Chester C.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Advanced sensible heat solar receiver for space power

NASA Lewis, through in-house efforts, has begun a study to generate a conceptual design of a sensible heat solar receiver and to determine the feasibility of such a system for space power applications. The sensible heat solar receiver generated in this study uses pure lithium as the thermal storage medium and was designed for a 7 kWe Brayton (PCS) operating at 1100 K. The receiver consists of two stages interconnected via temperature sensing variable conductance sodium heat pipes. The lithium is contained within a niobium vessel and the outer shell of the receiver is constructed of third generation rigid, fibrous ceramic insulation material. Reradiation losses are controlled with niobium and aluminum shields. By nature of design, the sensible heat receiver generated in this study is comparable in both size and mass to a latent heat system of similar thermal capacitance. The heat receiver design and thermal analysis was conducted through the combined use of PATRAN, SINDA, TRASYS, and NASTRAN software packages.

Bennett, Timothy J.↗

NASA NTRS1988

DATAC bus monitor

The Digital Autonomous Terminal Access Communications (DATAC) bus is a multiple transmitter data bus developed to interconnect various aircraft systems. A typical DATAC bus installation for the NASA B-737 aircraft is shown. A bus monitor unit was developed for the DATAC data bus. The bus monitor unit consists of two systems: A Zilog Z8002 based S100 bus microcomputer system that connects to a DATAC terminal and receives data appearing on the bus, and an IMB PC-compatible computer used to display and interpret that data. Test results of the existing bus monitor have indicated areas for improvement. The most obvious improvement is to increase the speed of the data transfers between the S100 and the MS-DOS systems.

Novacki, Stanley M., III↗

NASA NTRS1988

An improved simulated annealing algorithm for standard cell placement

Simulated annealing is a general purpose Monte Carlo optimization technique that was applied to the problem of placing standard logic cells in a VLSI ship so that the total interconnection wire length is minimized. An improved standard cell placement algorithm that takes advantage of the performance enhancements that appear to come from parallelizing the uniprocessor simulated annealing algorithm is presented. An outline of this algorithm is given.

Jones, Mark↗

NASA NTRS1988

Development of the network architecture of the Canadian MSAT system

A description is given of the present concept for the Canadian Mobile Satellite (MSAT) System and the development of the network architecture which will accommodate the planned family of three categories of service: a mobile radio service (MRS), a mobile telephone service (MTS), and a mobile data service (MDS). The MSAT satellite will have cross-strapped L-band and Ku-band transponders to provide communications services between L-band mobile terminals and fixed base stations supporting dispatcher-type MRS, gateway stations supporting MTS interconnections to the public telephone network, data hub stations supporting the MDS, and the network control center. The currently perceived centralized architecture with demand assignment multiple access for the circuit switched MRS, MTS and permanently assigned channels for the packet switched MDS is discussed.

Davies, N. George↗

NASA NTRS1988

Simple, low-profile, circularly polarized arrays

A low-profile, circularly polarized antenna can be made using an annular sector of strip conductor parallel to a closely spaced ground plane. This antenna has a very wide impedance bandwidth and is particularly well suited for use in series-fed arrays. Control of the excitation coefficients can be accomplished by a simple variation in the geometry of each element. Interconnection of the elements has been realized both in coaxial cable and in microstrip. Axial ratios less than 1 dB in the broadside direction are easily obtainable.

Mayes, Paul↗

NASA NTRS1988

Design consideration in constructing high performance embedded Knowledge-Based Systems (KBS)

As the hardware trends for artificial intelligence (AI) involve more and more complexity, the process of optimizing the computer system design for a particular problem will also increase in complexity. Space applications of knowledge based systems (KBS) will often require an ability to perform both numerically intensive vector computations and real time symbolic computations. Although parallel machines can theoretically achieve the speeds necessary for most of these problems, if the application itself is not highly parallel, the machine's power cannot be utilized. A scheme is presented which will provide the computer systems engineer with a tool for analyzing machines with various configurations of array, symbolic, scaler, and multiprocessors. High speed networks and interconnections make customized, distributed, intelligent systems feasible for the application of AI in space. The method presented can be used to optimize such AI system configurations and to make comparisons between existing computer systems. It is an open question whether or not, for a given mission requirement, a suitable computer system design can be constructed for any amount of money.

Dalton, Shelly D.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Networking and AI systems: Requirements and benefits

The price performance benefits of network systems is well documented. The ability to share expensive resources sold timesharing for mainframes, department clusters of minicomputers, and now local area networks of workstations and servers. In the process, other fundamental system requirements emerged. These have now been generalized with open system requirements for hardware, software, applications and tools. The ability to interconnect a variety of vendor products has led to a specification of interfaces that allow new techniques to extend existing systems for new and exciting applications. As an example of the message passing system, local area networks provide a testbed for many of the issues addressed by future concurrent architectures: synchronization, load balancing, fault tolerance and scalability. Gold Hill has been working with a number of vendors on distributed architectures that range from a network of workstations to a hypercube of microprocessors with distributed memory. Results from early applications are promising both for performance and scalability.

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NASA NTRS1988

High frequency GaAlAs modulator and photodetector for phased array antenna applications

A waveguide Mach-Zehnder electro-optic modulator and an interdigitated photoconductive detector designed to operate at 820 nm, fabricated on different GaAlAs/GaAs heterostructure materials, are being investigated for use in optical interconnects in phased array antenna systems. Measured optical attenuation effects in the modulator are discussed and the observed modulation performance up to 1 GHz is presented. Measurements of detector frequency response are described and results presented.

Claspy, P. C.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Nested neural networks

Nested neural networks, consisting of small interconnected subnetworks, allow for the storage and retrieval of neural state patterns of different sizes. The subnetworks are naturally categorized by layers of corresponding to spatial frequencies in the pattern field. The storage capacity and the error correction capability of the subnetworks generally increase with the degree of connectivity between layers (the nesting degree). Storage of only few subpatterns in each subnetworks results in a vast storage capacity of patterns and subpatterns in the nested network, maintaining high stability and error correction capability.

Baram, Yoram↗

NASA NTRS1987

Simulation of dc spacecraft power systems using state variable techniques

The modeling and simulation of large dc spacecraft power systems necessitates considering the spacecraft power system as an interconnection of modular components. This paper presents a state-variable-based approach for dc spacecraft power system modeling and simulation. Each modular component is treated as a two-port network, and a state model is written with the port voltages as the inputs. The state model of a component is solved independently of the other components using its state transition matrix. The state variables of each component are updated assuming that the inputs are constant. Network analysis principles are then utilized to calculate the component inputs.

Nelms, R. M.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Large area space qualified thermoelectrically (TE) cooled HgCdTe MW photovoltaic detectors for the Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE)

Large-area, HgCdTe MW photovoltaic detectors have been developed for the NASA-HALOE instrument scheduled for operation on the Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite. The photodiodes will be TE-cooled and were designed to operate in the 5.1-5.4 micron band at 185 K to measure nitric oxide concentrations in the atmosphere. The active area required 15 micron thick devices and a full backside common contact. Reflections from the backside contact doubled the effective thickness of the detectors. Optical interference from reflections was eliminated with a dual layer front surface A/R coating. Bakeout reliability was optimized by having Au metallization for both n and p interconnects. Detailed performance data and a model for the optical stack are presented.

Norton, P. W.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Disturbance and vibration isolation in space stations by means of mechanical decoupling

A decoupling approach to disturbance and vibration isolation in large space stations composed of modules interconnected by flexible members is proposed. A simplified mathematical model for the motion of the space station core and a laboratory module with both torsional vibration and translational motion decouplers is used in this study. The dynamic behavior of the model in the presence of decoupler friction is analyzed. Estimates for the maximum excursions of the laboratory module induced by various types of external disturbance are derived. The paper concludes with a simulation study involving the hard-docking of a space shuttle with a space station.

Wang, P. K. C.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Structure-borne noise transmission in stiffened structures

The structure-borne noise transmission of stiffened and interconnected structures under random loads is presented. The method is based on the transfer matrix for the structural response and on the modal decomposition for the interior acoustic field. The acoustic enclosure is taken to be rectangular in shape of which portion of the boundaries are elastic while the remaining surface is acoustically rigid. Numerical results are presented for several acousto-structural problems.

Vaicaitis, Rimas↗

NASA NTRS1987

Structure-borne noise generation and transmission

The structure-borne noise generation and transmission of stiffened and interconnected structures under random loads is presented. The method is based on the transfer matrix for the structural response and on the modal decomposition for the interior acoustic field. The acoustic enclosure is taken to be rectangular in shape of which portion of the boundaries are elastic while the remaining surface is acoustically rigid. Numerical results are presented for a variety of acousto-structural problems.

Lyrintzis, Constantinos S.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Reliability of photovoltaic modules

In order to assess the reliability of photovoltaic modules, four categories of known array failure and degradation mechanisms are discussed, and target reliability allocations have been developed within each category based on the available technology and the life-cycle-cost requirements of future large-scale terrestrial applications. Cell-level failure mechanisms associated with open-circuiting or short-circuiting of individual solar cells generally arise from cell cracking or the fatigue of cell-to-cell interconnects. Power degradation mechanisms considered include gradual power loss in cells, light-induced effects, and module optical degradation. Module-level failure mechanisms and life-limiting wear-out mechanisms are also explored.

Ross, R. G., Jr.↗