Engineering Commons^™

The Detection And Correlation Modeling Of Rayleigh Distributed Radar Signals, Alan L. Buterbaugh

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides a method for determining the detection of partially correlated Rayleigh distributed radar returns by a pulsed search radar. The receiver consists of a quadrature demodulator receiver, followed by a square law envelope detector and a linear post-detection integrator. In addition, a technique for determining the pulse-to-pulse correlation of a complex target is given using inverse Fourier transforms of the target scattering centers. An AIM-9 missile is used to illustrate how the partially correlated detection techniques and the pulse-to-pulse correlation predictions can be used to determine the probability of detection. The Detection and Correlation Modeling of Rayleigh Distributed …

Design Of An Artificial Neural Network Based Tactile Sensor For The Utah/Mit Dexterous Hand, Jeffery D. Nering

Theses and Dissertations

The Neural Tactile Sensor (NTS) is a high resolution, easily manufactured tactile sensor consisting of electrodes, a thin resistive 'skin', and pattern recognition circuitry that is capable of resolving dynamic and static contact location, force, and slip throughout the continuum of the sensor's active region. The sensor operates by means of a resistive 'skin' harboring the electric field generated when a current is injected into it, and a plurality of electrodes for taking measurements of said electric field. When current flows through the resistive medium from the location of tactile contact, an electric field within the resistive medium is established, …

Speech Recognition Using Visible And Infrared Detectors, Patrick T. Marshall

Theses and Dissertations

A system has been developed that tracks lip motion using infrared (IR) or visible detectors. The purpose of this study was to determine if the additional information obtained from the IR or visible detectors can be used to increase the recognition rate of audio Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) systems. To accomplish this goal, several hardware analog prototypes had to be designed, built and tested. Different detectors (IR and visible) and modes of operation (active and passive) were tried before a reliable and useful signal was found. An analog-to-digital (A/D) board was then designed and built that digitized both the microphone …

Co-Channel Speaker Separation, Thomas S. Andrews

Theses and Dissertations

In the co-channel speaker separation problem, the goal is to recover two separate speech signals from a monaural channel which contains the sum of the two speech signals. A new methodology is developed that if given that a segment of co-channel speech is separated into a stronger and weaker segment, the correct assignment of these separated segments to the appropriate talker can be made using a Linear Predictive Coding (LPC) based minimum-prediction residual computation. The uniqueness of the developed technique is that no a priori information is required of the co-channel speech signal. The information needed to appropriately assign these …

Implementation Of Back-Propagation Neural Networks With Matlab, Jamshid Nazari, Okan K. Ersoy

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Technical Reports

The artificial neural network back propagation algorithm is implemented in Matlab language. This implementation is compared with several other software packages. The effect of reducing the number of iterations in the performance of the algorithm iai studied. The speed of the back propagation program, mkckpmp, written in Matlab language is compared with the speed of several other back propagation programs which are written in the C language. The speed of the Matlab program mbackpmp is, also compared with the C program quickpmp which is a variant of the back propagation algorithm. It is shown that the Matlab program mbackpmp is …

Autonomous Face Segmentation, Kevin P. Gay

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to implement an autonomous face segmentor as the front end to a face recognition system on a Sun SPARCStation2. Face recognition performance criteria, specifically, the capabilities to isolate and resize faces in an image to a consistent scale, were analyzed to determine current practical limitations. Face images were acquired using a S-VHS camcorder. Segmentation was accomplished using motion detection and predefined rules. Tests were run to determine the suitable of the autonomous segmentor as the front-end to a face recognition system. The segmentation system developed consistently located faces and rescaled those faces to a …

Output Frequency Changes In A Commercial Rubidium Clock Resulting From Magnetic Field And Microwave Power Variations, Edward B. Sarosy

Theses and Dissertations

This report shows the relationship between output frequency shifts and the absorption cell magnetic field during microwave power fluctuations on a commercial rubidium frequency clock. Changes in the clock output frequency relative to the 10 MHz reference were monitored as changes in the absorption cell magnetic field (0.01 to 1.0 Gauss) and changes in the cell's interrogation microwave power were varied from the nominal specification (PO) at four discrete values (+1.3. -1.1, -2.2, -4.OdB). The maximum normalized output frequency shift of 1.4x10^-10 occurred at--4dB. The maximum normalized frequency change for the +1.3 and -1.1 dB data is about 3 …

Minimum Separation For Single-Layer Channel Routing, Ronald I. Greenberg, F. Miller Maley

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

We present a linear-time algorithm for determining the minimum height of a single-layer routing channel. The algorithm handles single-sided connections and multiterminal nets. It yields a simple routability test for single-layer switchboxes, correcting an error in the literature.

Modification, Reimplementation And Studies Using The Meisner Model Of The Heart, Ari Zvi Zivotofsky

Theses

The study of left ventricular filling in both the normal and the pathological heart is of great importance. A computer model simulation of the heart with emphasis on mitral flow was designed by Meisner in 1986 and implemented in QuickBASIC. This paper discusses how the original program was altered to be able to perform "Parameter vs. Parameter" runs in which it can be observed how varying an input parameter affects output parameters. The output data is then formatted in such a way that it can be used by QUATTRO PRO, a standard spreadsheet package, to yield graphical outputs.

In addition, …

Practical Constraints Pertinent To The Design Of Neural Networks, Said Sadek Abdallah, Rufus H. Cofer

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

in designing a feedforward neural network for numerical computation using the backpropagation algorithm it is essential to know that the resulting network has a practical global minimum, meaning that convergence to a stationary solution can be achieved in reasonable time and using a network of reasonable size. This is in contrast to theoretical results indicating that any square-integrable (L2) function can be computed assuming that an unlimited number of neurons are available. A class of problems is discussed that does not fit into this category. Although these problems are conceptually simple, it is shown that in practice convergence to a …

Minimization Of Exclusive Sum Of Products Expressions For Multiple-Valued Input Incompletely Specified Functions, Ning Song

Dissertations and Theses

In recent years, there is an increased interest in the design of logic circuits which use EXOR gates. Particular interest is in the minimization of arbitrary Exclusive Sums Of Products (ESOPs). Functions realized by such circuits can have fewer gates, fewer connections, and take up less area in VLSI and especially, FPGA realizations. They are also easily testable. So far, the ESOPs are not as popular as their Sum of Products (SOP) counterparts. One of the main reasons it that the problem of the minimization of ESOP circuits was traditionally an extremely difficult one. Since exact solutions can be practically …

Remote Driving With Reduced Bandwidth Communication, Fred W. Depiero, Timothy E. Noell, Timothy F. Gee

Electrical Engineering

Oak Ridge National Laboratory has developed a real-time video transmission system for low-bandwidth remote operations. The system supports both continuous transmission of video for remote driving and progressive transmission of still images. Inherent in the system design is a spatiotemporal limitation to the effects of channel errors. The average data rate of the system is 64,000 bits/s, a compression of approximately 1000:1 for the black and white National Television Standard Code video. The image quality of the transmissions is maintained at a level that supports teleoperation of a high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle at speeds up to 15 mph on a …

Review: 'Theory Of Dielectric Optical Waveguides,' 2nd Edition, By Dietrich Marcuse, Bradley D. Duncan

Electro-Optics and Photonics Faculty Publications

I suppose I ought to say up front that while preparing this review I often found myself feeling very much like a student evaluating his teacher. After all, it was, in part, the first edition of Dietrich Marcuse's Theory of Dielectric Optical Waveguides (among a handful of other similar texts) from which I first studied the principles of optical waveguide theory under the demanding, yet patient and graceful guidance of Dr. Ahmad Safaai-Jazi. Thus with the utmost respect for a teacher whom I have never met, I shall try to faithfully share my thoughts and feelings regarding the second edition …

An Optical Technique For Measurement Of Semiconductor Surface Electric Fields, Harshad P. Sardesai, William C. Nunnally

P. F. (Paul Frazer) Williams Publications

We present an optical technique for the measurement of semiconductor surface electric fields. The measurement technique uses the Kerr electro-optic effect in nitrobenzene, a phase sensitive interferometer, and associated data acquisition units to measure the surface electric fields between the contacts of a planar semiconductor device. This technique was used to measure the surface fields on silicon devices used in pulsed power applications, but has the potential for use as an electric field probe for any device having high surface electric fields, both pulsed and dc. The measurement technique showed a temporal resolution of 100 ns, which can be easily …

Integrated Optical Transmitters And Receivers Using Multi-Segment Laser Processes, J. G. Wasserbauer, Dennis J. Derickson, K. Giboney, R. J. Helkey, J. R. Karin, A. Mar, J. E. Bowers

Electrical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Electroluminescence And Electrical Transport In Poly(3-Octylthiophene) Diodes, David Braun, G. Gustafsson, D. Mcbranch, A. J. Heeger

Electrical Engineering

We report visible light emission from diodes made from poly(3-octylthiophene). Use of a soluble derivative of polythiophene allows fabrication of the light emitting diodes by casting the polymer film from solution with no subsequent processing or heat treatment required. The devices emit dim red-orange light with relatively low external quantum efficiencies, below 2.5×10⁻⁵ photons per electron at room temperature. Electrical characterization reveals diode behavior with rectification ratios greater than 10². The temperature dependence indicates that tunneling phenomena dominate the charge injection.

Analysis Of Multifrequency Dispersive Optical Bistability And Switching In Nonlinear Ring Cavities With Large Medium-Response Times, Pawel Pliszka, Partha P. Banerjee

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Using a simple model of a ring cavity comprising a cubically nonlinear medium, we analyze dispersive optical bistability in the presence of more than one spectral component. We show the phenomenon of so-called competition for resonance. In addition to presenting cavity characteristics for the cases of two and three different frequencies, we also discuss the general method for finding steady-state solutions and checking their stability. A simple and efficient algorithm, based on a relaxation method, is devised to find steady-state solutions satisfying appropriate boundary conditions. The relaxation dynamics is physically related to a finite response time of the medium.

Mechanical Backup Systems For Electronic Environmental Controllers, Richard S. Gates, Douglas G. Overhults, Larry W. Turner

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

A series of mechanical backup systems for electronic environmental controllers is presented for a typical finishing swine barn and a typical tunnel ventilated broiler house. The systems consist of mechanical thermostats and timers used in parallel with the electronic controller, designed to ensure animal survival in the event of controller or related hardware failure. For swine housing, three distinct mechanical backup functions are identified; for broiler housing, four distinct mechanical backup functions are identified. Schematic diagrams of the mechanical backup functions are provided and their implementation is described.

Multi-Ion Ambipolar Diffusion, Thomas E. Gist

Theses and Dissertations

The continuity and momentum equations for electrons and multiple ion species are solved analytically and numerically using a new model for ambipolar diffusion. The general form of the model is valid for any quasi-neutral plasma for which the diffusion approximation is appropriate, including positive or negative ions, arbitrary geometries, and time dependence. The model provides criteria for determining when single ion diffusion theory is appropriate for describing multi-ion discharges, when a multi-ion proportional model is appropriate, and when a multi-ion nonproportional model is necessary. An expression is developed which provides a necessary condition for proportionality and provides the proportionality constant …

Graded Refractive Index Silicon Oxynitride Thin Film Characterized By Spectroscopic Ellipsometry, Paul G. Snyder, Yi-Ming Xiong, John A. Woollam

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

A graded refractive index silicon oxynitride (SiO_xN_y) thin film was prepared on a silicon substrate by ion assisted deposition. Spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) was used to optically analyze the film. The measured SE spectra (2500-8200 Å) were analyzed with several fitting models, whose construction was based on an Auger depth profile of the film. In each model, the optical response of SiO_xN_y was described using the Bruggeman effective medium approximation, by modeling it as a physical mixture of two distinct phases: silicon dioxide and silicon nitride. Grading was modeled by varying the silicon nitride …

Silicon Nitride/Silicon Oxynitrid/Silicon Dioxide Thin Film Multilayer Characterized By Variable Angle Spectroscopic Ellipsometry, Yi-Ming Xiong, Paul G. Snyder, John A. Woollam

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE) was used to nondestructively characterize a silicon nitride (Si₃N₄)/silicon oxynitride (SiO_xN_y)/silicon dioxide (SiO₂) thin film multilayer structure, in which Si₃N₃ and SiO_xN_y layers were deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition and low-pressure chemical vapor deposition, respectively. The measured VASE spectra (3500-8200 Å) were analyzed with an appropriate multilayer fitting model, in which the SiO_xN_y layer was modeled. in the Bruggeman effective medium approximation (EMA), to be a physical mixture of two distinct phases, SiO_{2 …}

Measurement Of Thermal-Energy Charge-Transfer Rate Coefficient Of Mo6+ And Argon, Victor H.S. Kwong, Z. Fang, Yingtao Jiang, T. T. Gibbons, L. D. Gardner

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Research

The charge-transfer rate coefficient of Mo6+ and argon has been measured at mean ion energies of 8.8 and 1.4 eV using a laser-ablation ion source and an ion trap. The rate coefficient deduced from these measurements is 1.02(0.10)×10-10 cm3 s-1 and appears to be independent of the mean ion energy at this energy range. However, the measured value is an order of magnitude smaller than the Langevin rate coefficient.

New Speckle Technique For Noncontact Measurement Of Small Creep Rates, Donald D. Duncan, F. Fausten Mark, Lawrence W. Hunter

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

A highly sensitive method for measuring thermal expansion, mechanical strain, and creep rates has been developed. This technique is based on Yamaguchi's speckle strain gauge concept, but uses a novel data-processing approach that provides estimates of the time rate of inplane strain. The approach is appropriate for assessing very small strain rates in hostile environments. It provides simultaneous global estimates of the strain at both small and large gauge sizes. This may be of importance in studying materials with different short- and long-range orders. General advantages of the technique are compact design, modest resolution requirements, insensitivity to surface microstructure changes …

Feature-Based Correlation Filters For Distortion Invariance, Samuel Peter Kozaitis, Robert Petrilak, Wesley E. Foor

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

In an optical correlator, binary phase-only filters (BPOFs) that recognize objects that vary in a nonrepeatable way are essential for recognizing objects from actual sensors. An approach is required that is as descriptive as a BPOF yet robust to object and background variations of an unknown or nonrepeatable type. We developed a BPOF that was more robust than a synthetic discriminant function (SDF) filter. This was done by creating a filter that retained the invariant features of a training set. By simulation, our feature-based filter offered a range of performance by setting a parameter to different values. As the value …

Optical Estimation Of Fractal Dimension For Image Assessment, Samuel Peter Kozaitis, Rufus H. Cofer

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

We modeled an optical system for estimation of the fractal dimension to provide a measure of surface roughness for an entire image and for image segmentation. Although the simulated optical result was similar to that calculated by digital techniques, both suffered from problems known to occur with estimating fractal dimension. Furthermore, the optical estimation did not have as good a resolution as that obtained with digital estimates due primarily to the limited dynamic range of the detector.

Multiresolution Template Matching Using An Optical Correlator, Samuel Peter Kozaitis, Zia Saquib, Rufus H. Cofer, Wesley E. Foor

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

Infrared imagery of 512 × 512 pixels was processed with 128 × 128 arrays by computer simulation of an optical correlator using various correlation filters. Pyramidal processing using binary phase-only filters (BPOFs), synthetic discriminant function (SDF) filters, and feature-based filters was used to process an entire image in parallel at different resolutions. Results showed that both SDF and feature-based filters were more robust to the effects of thresholding input imagery than BPOFs. The feature-based filters offered a range of performance by setting a parameter to different values. As the value of the parameter was changed, correlation peaks within the training …

Rotating-Wave Approximation In High-Gain Lasers, Lee W. Casperson

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Semiclassical models for lasers typically incorporate a fundamental simplification called the rotating-wave approximation. In this study the rotating-wave approximation is reexamined, and its implications for the simplest problem of a steady-state laser oscillator are considered in detail. It is found that for practical laser operating conditions the errors resulting from this approximation may not always be negligible.

A Novel Technique For Deep Level Characterization Of High-Resistivity Semiconductor Materials, Sridhar Panigrahi

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

An improved photo induced current transient spectroscopy (PICTS) technique is developed for studying deep level parameters in high-resistivity semiconductor materials. A new digital data acquisition approach and improvement in the cryogenics of the system have enabled us, for the first time in our laboratory, to detect CuA level in a copper doped silicon compensated gallium arsenide (GaAs:Si:Cu) sample. The digital approach improves both the signal to noise ratio (S/N) and the efficiency of the system. Also, multiple PICTS spectra in a single thermal cycle can be obtained. In the present work, various doped and undoped gallium arsenide ( GaAs) and …

Text-Independent Automatic Speaker Identification Using Partitioned Neural Networks, Laszlo Rudasi

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation introduces a binary partitioned approach to statistical pattern classification which is applied to talker identification using neural networks. In recent years artificial neural networks have been shown to work exceptionally well for small but difficult pattern classification tasks. However, their application to large tasks (i.e., having more than ten to 20 categories) is limited by a dramatic increase in required training time. The time required to train a single network to perform N-way classification is nearly proportional to the exponential of N. In contrast, the binary partitioned approach requires training times on the order of N². …

An Application Of Neural Networks In Data Communication Real-Time Resource Reallocation, Qing Fan

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This thesis presents an application of artificial neural networks in real-time resource reallocation, a methodology used in the implementation of an intelligent interface node in the Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) environment. In particular, the problem is formulated using a Hopfield neural network model. The real-time reallocation problem is mapped into a two-dimensional matrix of neurons similar to Hopfield and Tank's approach to the traveling salesman problem (TSP) . An energy function is formulated in terms of the hard constraints and the solution cost. The interconnection weights and the input biases are determined by the energy function. It is shown through …