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Air Force Institute of Technology

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Realistic Orbits About The Martian Moons, Samuel R. Bryant Dec 1990

Realistic Orbits About The Martian Moons, Samuel R. Bryant

Theses and Dissertations

Orbits about the Martian moons, Phobos and Deimos, previously found to be stable by the Poincare surface of section technique in a restricted three- body system, were investigated with non-zero eccentricity of the moons added to the dynamics of the planar four-body system (Mars, moon sun, artificial satellite). Although not strictly applicable to this case, the surface of section technique was used to verify whether or not the previously found stable orbits were realistic when a real world perturbation was added to the system dynamics. The surface of section technique involves the numerical integration of several orbits with the same …

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Investigation Of Direct And Indirect Optimization Algorithms For Aerospace Structures, Harry Hopkins Iii Dec 1990

Investigation Of Direct And Indirect Optimization Algorithms For Aerospace Structures, Harry Hopkins Iii

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigated the performance of two direct and two indirect methods of structural optimization. A gradient calculator and overall design system was created with the finite element code FRAME. Three of the methods were employed using this system with the fourth being a commercial available code. The algorithms were applied to two different sized trusses using static constraints and were measured for accuracy, reliability, and efficiency. Results for the problems tested showed the Direct methods were sensitive to starting designs and their performance depended on the proper selection of internal parameters. They were also shown to have a high …

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A Low-Cost Part-Task Flight Training System: An Application Of A Head Mounted Display, David A. Dahn Dec 1990

A Low-Cost Part-Task Flight Training System: An Application Of A Head Mounted Display, David A. Dahn

Theses and Dissertations

To investigate the feasibility of using head-mounted display(HMD) and Computer Image Generators(CIG) in a low cost part-task trainer, we created a prototype system. Our approach was to build a virtual world interface using a HMD to an existing flight simulator application. This allowed a CIG with only one graphics channel to drive the display. To investigate which class of computing platform was suitable for use as the CIG, a cooperative thesis effort was launched to host the simulator on a mini-computer and micro-computer platform. The appropriate CIG could then be determined through demonstration and comparison between the systems. A software …

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Determining Concurrency In Object-Oriented Design Of Real-Time Embedded Systems Using Ada, Kenneth D. Baum Dec 1990

Determining Concurrency In Object-Oriented Design Of Real-Time Embedded Systems Using Ada, Kenneth D. Baum

Theses and Dissertations

One of the characteristics of real-time systems is concurrency. Designers of real-time systems have traditionally determined system concurrency at implementation time using the facilities of a cyclic executive. With the advent of programming language constructs for specifying concurrency, determining concurrency at design time has become a possibility. Several design methods, all of which are extensions of either Structured Design or Jackson System Development, provide heuristics to help the designer make concurrency decisions. The object-oriented approach, however, has no corresponding heuristics to aid designers of real-time systems. The purpose of this thesis was to develop heuristics to help designers make concurrency …

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An Empirical Evaluation Of Analytical Models For Parallel Relational Database Queries, Mark C. Denham Dec 1990

An Empirical Evaluation Of Analytical Models For Parallel Relational Database Queries, Mark C. Denham

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis documents the design and implementation of three parallel join algorithms to be used in the verification of analytical models developed by Kearns. Kearns developed a set of analytical models for a variety of relational database queries. These models serve as tools for the design of parallel relational database system. Each of Kearns' models is classified as either single step or multiple step. The single step models reflect queries that require only one operation while the multiple step models reflect queries that require multiple operations. Three parallel join algorithms were implemented based upon Kearns' models. Two are based upon …

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Access And Operator Methods For The Triton Nested Relational Database System, Tina M. Harvey Dec 1990

Access And Operator Methods For The Triton Nested Relational Database System, Tina M. Harvey

Theses and Dissertations

Unique database requirements in the realm of non-standard applications (such as computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided software engineering(CASE), and office information systems (OIS) have driven the development of new data models and database systems based on these new models. In particular, the goal of these new database systems is to exploit the advantages of complex data models that are more efficient (in terms of time and space) than their relationship counterparts. This research effort describes the relational design and implementation of the Triton nested relational database system, a prototype system based on the nested relational data model. Triton is intended to …

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An Object Oriented Design And Implementation Of The Idef0 Essential Data Model Using Ada And An Ada Based Expert System, Terry L. Kitchen Dec 1990

An Object Oriented Design And Implementation Of The Idef0 Essential Data Model Using Ada And An Ada Based Expert System, Terry L. Kitchen

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis develops and implements an Ada based object oriented design (OOD) of the IDEF0 Essential Data Model called the Essential Subsystem, which includes an Ada based expert system for IDEF0 model syntax checking. IDEF0 is a graphic approach to system description development by SofTech, Inc. for the U.S. Air Force Program for Integrated Computer Aided Manufacturing (ICAM) and is a subset of the Structured Analysis (SA) language (30, 36). The IDEF0 Essential Data Model is an entity-relationship (E-R) model of the IDEF0 language and represents the fundamental (essential) information of an IDEF0 model. …

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The Development Of A Graphical Notation For The Formal Specification Of Software, Gene A. Place Dec 1990

The Development Of A Graphical Notation For The Formal Specification Of Software, Gene A. Place

Theses and Dissertations

The program tranformations lifecycle model, proposed by Balzer in 1984, may hold the key to dramatic leap in software engineer productivity necessitated by the tremendous growth in the world's demand for software. This leap in productivity is made possible by the program transformation lifecycle's reliance on formal specifications rather than programs as the primary vehicle for the creation and maintenance of software systems. Because formal specifications are concerned only with system behaviors and not implementation details, formal specifications tend to present critical system characteristics much more concisely than programs. The major disadvantage of using formal specifications in a software development …

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An Object-Oriented Military Simulation Baseline For Parallel Simulation Research, Robert J. Rizza Dec 1990

An Object-Oriented Military Simulation Baseline For Parallel Simulation Research, Robert J. Rizza

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis documents the design and implementation of a discrete event military simulation using a modular object-oriented design and the C programming language. The basis simulation is one of interacting objects. The objects move along a predetermined path until they encounter another object. Objects react to the encounter object according to the implemented algorithm. Object reaction options are fight, evade, or do nothing. In the code's current form it is generic enough to allow a user the flexibility of creating an infinite number of scenarios bounded in size by the hardware's memory capacity. The modularity of design will allow for …

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Mapping An Object-Oriented Requirements Analysis To A Design Architecture That Supports Design And Component Reuse, Kelly L. Spicer Dec 1990

Mapping An Object-Oriented Requirements Analysis To A Design Architecture That Supports Design And Component Reuse, Kelly L. Spicer

Theses and Dissertations

Design reuse has more potential for increasing the productivity of software development and maintenance than do traditional approaches to software reuse that emphasize reuse of smaller components. Current software development methods do not promote design reuse. The literature contains limited documented research on the subject, but enough that some design reuse principles can be gleaned. Among these principles are that reusable designs should be applicable within some domain of application, have a consistent structure, provide a method for instantiating the design, avoid object nesting, and promote reuse of smaller components as well. A design mapping method from an object-oriented requirements …

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An Ada-Based Framework For An Idef0 Case Tool Using The X Window System, Jay-Evan J. Tevis Ii Dec 1990

An Ada-Based Framework For An Idef0 Case Tool Using The X Window System, Jay-Evan J. Tevis Ii

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis documents the design strategy, implementation methodology, testing, and evaluation used in developing an Ada-based framework for SAtool II using the X Window System. SAtool II is an IDEF0 graphical project editor and data dictionary editor. An Ada-Based Framework for an IDEF0 Case Tool Using the X Window System is the ICAM Definition Method Zero graphical notation language adopted by the U.S. Air Force to produce a function model of a manufacturing system or environment (23:1-1). The Air Force Institute of Technology is conducting on-going research in the use of IDEF0 in the requirements analysis phase …

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A Hypermedia Implementation For Reusable Software Component Representation, Gary G. Worrall Dec 1990

A Hypermedia Implementation For Reusable Software Component Representation, Gary G. Worrall

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated software component representation methods. Hypermedia was chosen as the implementation method to represent a collection of reusable software components. The hypermedia implementation organizes knowledge about the component collection into a web of small information chunks called frames. The set of software components was represented using a hybrid classification scheme composed of enumerated and faceted parts. The enumerated part enables the user to progress along a path in a taxonomic tree, narrowing the scope of eligible components. Each leaf node in this tree denotes a class of components, members of which are distinguished by their time and space …

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A Remote Visual Interface Tool For Simulation Control And Display, William J. Derouchey Dec 1990

A Remote Visual Interface Tool For Simulation Control And Display, William J. Derouchey

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses the design and development of the Visual Interactive Simulation Interface Tool (VISIT). VISIT was designed to provide the graphical representation and user interface for a simulation that is running on another processor utilizing internet communications. The system provides support for various input devices to control the simulation display and environment. Simulation objects are displayed using either a three-dimensional wireframe representation or a Gouraud shaded representation. Viewer interaction to the simulation is provided by a collection of commands that allow the viewer to initialize, start, stop, abort, and restart the simulations. The viewer also has the ability to …

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Fractal Geometry Segmentation Of High Resolution Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar Data, Joseph L. Brickey Dec 1990

Fractal Geometry Segmentation Of High Resolution Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar Data, Joseph L. Brickey

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigated the potential of fractal dimension estimation for segmenting high resolution polarimetric synthetic aperture radar. The data used during this research were collected with the Advanced Detection Technology Sensor (ADTS) developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory with Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency funding. ADTS is a fully polarimetric calibrated 35 GHz SAR with one foot impulse response. A method of applying the correlation dimension algorithm developed by Grassberger and Procaccia for estimating the dimension of time series data was implemented to estimate the correlation dimension of polarimetric SAR data. A threshold sensitivity study was performed to …

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Interference Cancellation In Rf Signals Using Adaptive Array Techniques, Mark E. Brown Dec 1990

Interference Cancellation In Rf Signals Using Adaptive Array Techniques, Mark E. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effectiveness of the Least Means Squared (LMS) algorithm against various types of common jammers. The LMS algorithm was implemented using the Block Oriented Systems Simulator (BOSS). The LMS algorithm was inserted at the output of a two element antenna array. The array was configured so as to have one-half wavelength spacing. A quadrature hybrid signal structure was used. The array was then tested against a barrage and sweep jammer. The barrage jammer testing consisted of varying each of the three available jammer parameters; power, frequency and angle of arrival individually. The sweep jammer testing consisted of …

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Predicting The Performance Of Airborne Antennas In The Microwave Regime, David P. Carroll Dec 1990

Predicting The Performance Of Airborne Antennas In The Microwave Regime, David P. Carroll

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the application of a high-frequency model (Uniform Geometrical Theory of Diffraction) of electromagnetic sources mounted on a curved surface of a complex structure. In particular, the purpose of the study was to determine if the model could be used to predict the radiation patterns of cavity-backed spiral antennas mounted on aircraft fuselages so that the optimum locations for the antennas could be chosen during the aircraft design phase. A review of literature revealed a good deal of work in modeling communications, navigation, identification antennas (blade monopoles and aperture slots) mounted on a wide variety of aircraft fuselages …

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Numerical Approximations Of The Green's Functions For A Theoretical Model Of An Aperture Fed Stacked-Patch Microstrip Antenna, Ronald E. Erwert Dec 1990

Numerical Approximations Of The Green's Functions For A Theoretical Model Of An Aperture Fed Stacked-Patch Microstrip Antenna, Ronald E. Erwert

Theses and Dissertations

The numerical approximations of the Green's functions for a theoretical model of an aperture fed stacked patch microstrip antenna are presented. The Green's functions approximated are those developed by Nazar (AFIT Thesis GE-89D-37), Green's Functions for a Theoretical Model of an Aperture Fed Stacked-Patch Microstrip Antenna. Each complex valued Green's function was written as a function of the source-observer separation. The behavior of each Green's function was analyzed, and it was found that they could all be approximated by three separate functions. The approximating functions were either polynomials or rational functions composed of polynomials. One component could be approximated by …

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Kalman Filter Tracking Of A Reflective Target Using Forward Looking Infrared Measurements And Laser Illumination, Roger J. Evans Dec 1990

Kalman Filter Tracking Of A Reflective Target Using Forward Looking Infrared Measurements And Laser Illumination, Roger J. Evans

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates Kalman filter tracking of a missile hardbody, at a range of 2,000 kilometers, using forward looking infrared (FLIR) measurements and low-energy laser illumination of the missile hardbody. A missile reflectivity model provides realism in the simulation. The tracking scenario uses one filter, provided with FLIR measurements, to estimate the intensity centroid location of the missile's plume. A second, independent, filter estimates the center-of-mass of the missile hardbody. The center-of-mass measurements provided to this filter are computed from information gathered by scanning a low-energy laser along the first filter's estimate of the missile velocity vector. Single scans of …

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Silicon Hybrid Wafer Scale Integration (Wsi) Used To Fabricate A Hilbert Transform Integrated Circuit Module, Daniel J. Gaughan Dec 1990

Silicon Hybrid Wafer Scale Integration (Wsi) Used To Fabricate A Hilbert Transform Integrated Circuit Module, Daniel J. Gaughan

Theses and Dissertations

This research was performed in order to develop a superior processing schedule for fabricating Wafer-Scale Integration (WSI) circuit modules. This technology allows the design of circuitry that spans the entire surface of a silicon substrate wafer. The circuit element employed in this research was the Hilbert transform, a digital phase-shifting circuit. The transform was incorporated into a three Integrated Circuit (IC) die package that consisted of a mechanically supportive silicon wafer, three IC die, and a planarizing silicon wafer. The die were epoxied into this wafer using a Teflon block as a flat, and the combination was epoxied onto the …

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Network Reduction Using Error Prediction, Michael V. Gilsdorf Dec 1990

Network Reduction Using Error Prediction, Michael V. Gilsdorf

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates gradient descent learning algorithms for multi-layer feed forward neural networks. A technique is developed which uses error prediction to reduce the number of weights/nodes in a network. The research begins by studying the first and second order back-prop training algorithms along with their convergence properties. A network is reduced by making an estimate of the amount of error which would occur when a weight(s) is removed. This error estimate is then used to determine if a particular weight is essential to the operation of the network. If not, it is removed and the network retrained. The process …

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Gabor Filters And Neural Networks For Segmentation Of Synthetic Aperture Radar Imagery, Albert P. L'Homme Dec 1990

Gabor Filters And Neural Networks For Segmentation Of Synthetic Aperture Radar Imagery, Albert P. L'Homme

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates Gabor filters and artificial networks for autonomous segmentation of 1 foot by 1 foot) high resolution polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR). Processing involved frequency correlation between the SAR imagery and biologically motivated Gabor functions. Methods for selecting the Gabor tuning parameters from the endless choices of frequency, rotation, standard deviation and bandwidth are discussed. Using these parameters, resulting Gabor correlation images were reduced in speckle, and more detailed. This research used cosine Gabor functions and operated on single polarization HH magnitude data. Following selection of the appropriate Gabor features, multiple Gabor representations were generated and converted for …

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Design And Fabrication Of An Implantable Cortical Semiconductor Integrated Circuit Electrode Array, Pierre K. Lefevre Dec 1990

Design And Fabrication Of An Implantable Cortical Semiconductor Integrated Circuit Electrode Array, Pierre K. Lefevre

Theses and Dissertations

This research furthered the processing steps of the AFIT 16 by 16 implantable cortical semiconductor integrated circuit electrode array, or brain chip. The areas of interest include the brain chip electron ics, metallization, ionic permeation, and implantation. The electronics and metallization are heavily covered. A high speed, single clock divide-by-two circuit was modified with a reset transistor and cascaded to form a ripple counter. This device had stable operation at specific source voltage and clock voltage and frequency. A 7-stage inverter with 10 unmodified divide-by-two circuits cascaded operated between 1.7 and 8 volts, and between 39 Khz and 1 Mhz, …

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Multi-Input Multi-Output Flight Control System Design For The Yf-16 Using Nonlinear Qft And Pilot Compensation, Russell B. Miller Dec 1990

Multi-Input Multi-Output Flight Control System Design For The Yf-16 Using Nonlinear Qft And Pilot Compensation, Russell B. Miller

Theses and Dissertations

Nonlinear Quantitative Feedback Theory (QFT) and pilot compensation techniques are used to design a 2x2 flight control system for the YF-16 aircraft over a large range of plant uncertainty. The design is based on numerical input- output time histories generated with a FORTRAN implemented nonlinear simulation of the YF-16. The first step of the design process is the generation of a set of equivalent linear time-invariant (LTI) plant models to represent the actual nonlinear plant. It has been proven that the solution to the equivalent plant problem is guaranteed to solve the original nonlinear problem. Standard QFT techniques are then …

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Analysis Of Visual Illusions Using Gabor Filters, Richard A. Oberndorf Dec 1990

Analysis Of Visual Illusions Using Gabor Filters, Richard A. Oberndorf

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis has demonstrated the correctness of using spatial filters in the analysis of various visual illusions; the specific form of filter has been derived from a Gabor equation model of simple cell response on the visual cortex. The Gabor Low Pass Filter (GLPF) applied to these anomalies was derived from proposals made that simple cell response on the visual cortex may be modeled by a set of equations originally proposed by Gabor in the 1940's. Based upon the extension of these equations into two dimensions, a GLPF process was applied to computer-generated black and white illusions (the Kanizsa Triangle, …

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Pulsed Compression For Aerosol Ranging With Coherent Pulse-Doppler Lidar Systems, Jerry L. Rogers Dec 1990

Pulsed Compression For Aerosol Ranging With Coherent Pulse-Doppler Lidar Systems, Jerry L. Rogers

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides a thorough review of conventional matched filter radar theory as it applies to aerosol sensing lidar. Basic matched-filter radar theory and the complex, dense aerosol target model eventually lead to a general derivation of the matched-filter radar receiver response to a dense aerosol target environment. The matched-filter response is obtained in terms of a two dimensional convolution of the target scattering function and the radar ambiguity function. The range and radial velocity resolution of various radar signals were compared using the matched-filter radar receiver and scattering function models. Pulse compression radar signals were compared to the simple …

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The Radar Range Equation For The Detection Of Steady Targets In Weibull Clutter, Leon C. Rountree Dec 1990

The Radar Range Equation For The Detection Of Steady Targets In Weibull Clutter, Leon C. Rountree

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, the detection characteristics of a steady target immersed in radar clutter characterized by returns statistically modeled according to a Weibull probability density function are developed. A detector model is developed by modifying an envelope detection scheme used to detect deterministic signals in Gaussian noise. By examining the statistics of the detector output under alternate hypotheses, an expression for the probability of detection (P sub d) is developed in terms of the probability of false alarm (P sub fa), the signal-to-clutter ratio (SCR), and the Weibull skewness parameter (b), which is a function of the type of terrain …

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Characterization Of An Air-To-Air Optical Heterodyne Communication System, Rebecca N. Seeger Dec 1990

Characterization Of An Air-To-Air Optical Heterodyne Communication System, Rebecca N. Seeger

Theses and Dissertations

The primary goal of this research was to determine the feasibility of air-to-air optical communications systems using coherent detection in a turbulent environment. Secondary goals were to determine (1) the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) degradation due to turbulence and (2) the effect of varying the wavelength (1.5, 830, 904 nm), altitude (5000-12500 m), path length (40-160 km) and aperture side length (1-15 cm) on the turbulence affected SNR. The research was conducted under the following assumptions: (1) ideal transmitter and receiver, (2) equally sized, uniformly weighted, square transmitter and receiver apertures, (3) ideal tracking by the receiver, and (4) zero losses …

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Design Of A Linear Gaussian Control Law For An Adaptive Optics System, Mark Alan Von Bokern Dec 1990

Design Of A Linear Gaussian Control Law For An Adaptive Optics System, Mark Alan Von Bokern

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis considers the design of a linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) controller for a ground-based adaptive-optics telescopes. The incoming aberrated image is reflected from a 97-element piezoelectric mirror, then measured with a Hartmann-type wavefront sensor. A Kalman filter processes the outputs of the wavefront sensor and obtains estimates of system states. A linear quadratic regulator processes these state estimates and determines an appropriate set of commands for the deformable mirror. Atmospheric distortion is modeled as a set of fourteen Zernike coefficients whose dynamic behavior is produced by excitation of a set of shaping filters by zero-mean Gaussian white noise. The …

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An Evaluation Of An Ada Implementation Of The Rete Algorithm For Embedded Flight Processors, F. Jesse Fanning Dec 1990

An Evaluation Of An Ada Implementation Of The Rete Algorithm For Embedded Flight Processors, F. Jesse Fanning

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to design and develop an expert system shell in Ada, and to evaluate the shell's execution and size performance to determine its suitability for real-time operation on the MIL-STD-1750A embedded flight processor. The expert system shell uses the CLIPS/Ada inference engine, a forward-chaining Ada implementation of Rete. The expert system shell design is presented along with an overview of the target environment--the MIL-STD-1750A VHSIC Avionic Modular Processor (VAMP) running under the Ada Avionics Real-Time Software (AARTS) Operating System. Theoretical and empirical complexity analyses of the inference engine are presented and discussed in view of …

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Characterization Of Radar Signals Using Neural Networks, Daniel R. Zahirniak Dec 1990

Characterization Of Radar Signals Using Neural Networks, Daniel R. Zahirniak

Theses and Dissertations

Recent work concerning artificial neural networks has focused on decreasing network training times. Kernel Classifier networks, using radial basis functions (RBFs) as the kernel function, can be trained quickly with little performance degradation. Short training times are critical for systems which must adapt to changing environments. The function of Kernel Classifier networks is based on the principle that multivariate functions can be approximated via linear combinations of RBFs. RBFs can also perform probability density estimations, making classifications approximating a Baye's optimal descriminant. Methods used to set the RBF centers included matching the training data, Kohonen Training, K-Means Clustering and placement …

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