The KSU Acoustic Simulator for Radar Studies

Equipment and instrumentation for acoustic simulation of electromagnetic wave propagation and radar systems design studie

A survey of new technology for cockpit application to 1990's transport aircraft simulators

Two problems were investigated: inter-equipment data transfer, both on board the aircraft and between air and ground; and crew equipment communication via the cockpit displays and controls. Inter-equipment data transfer is discussed in terms of data bus and data link requirements. Crew equipment communication is discussed regarding the availability of CRT display systems for use in research simulators to represent flat panel displays of the future, and of software controllable touch panels

Backscatter of Electromagnetic Waves from a Rough Layer

Backscatter of electromagnetic waves from rough surfac

Ergonomic problems regarding the interactive touch input via screens in onboard and ground-based flight control

A significant problem concerning the integration of display and switching functions is related to the fact that numerous informative data which have to be processed by man must be read from only a few display devices. A satisfactory ergonomic design of integrated display devices and keyboards is in many cases difficult, because not all functions which can be displayed and selected are simultaneously available. A technical solution which provides an integration of display and functional elements on the basis of the highest flexibility is obtained by using a cathode ray tube with a touch-sensitive screen. The employment of an integrated data input/output system is demonstrated for the cases of onboard and ground-based flight control. Ergonomic studies conducted to investigate the suitability of an employment of touch-sensitive screens are also discussed

Real-time programmable acoustooptic synthetic aperture radar processor

The acoustooptic time-and-space integrating approach to real-time synthetic aperture radar (SAR) processing is reviewed, and novel hybrid optical/electronic techniques, which generalize the basic architecture, are described. The generalized architecture is programmable and has the ability to compensate continuously for range migration changes in the parameters of the radar/target geometry and anomalous platform motion. The new architecture is applicable to the spotlight mode of SAR, particularly for applications in which real-time onboard processing is required

Broadening the interface bandwidth in simulation based training

Currently most computer based simulations rely exclusively on computer generated graphics to create the simulation. When training is involved, the method almost exclusively used to display information to the learner is text displayed on the cathode ray tube. MICROEXPERT Systems is concentrating on broadening the communications bandwidth between the computer and user by employing a novel approach to video image storage combined with sound and voice output. An expert system is used to combine and control the presentation of analog video, sound, and voice output with computer based graphics and text. Researchers are currently involved in the development of several graphics based user interfaces for NASA, the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Navy. Here, the focus is on the human factors considerations, software modules, and hardware components being used to develop these interfaces

Using Sound to Enhance Users’ Experiences of Mobile Applications

The latest smartphones with GPS, electronic compass, directional audio, touch screens etc. hold potentials for location based services that are easier to use compared to traditional tools. Rather than interpreting maps, users may focus on their activities and the environment around them. Interfaces may be designed that let users search for information by simply pointing in a direction. Database queries can be created from GPS location and compass direction data. Users can get guidance to locations through pointing gestures, spatial sound and simple graphics. This article describes two studies testing prototypic applications with multimodal user interfaces built on spatial audio, graphics and text. Tests show that users appreciated the applications for their ease of use, for being fun and effective to use and for allowing users to interact directly with the environment rather than with abstractions of the same. The multimodal user interfaces contributed significantly to the overall user experience

Técnicas de diagnóstico no destructives para edificios históricos: guías metodológicas y protocolos de operación

ABSTRACT: The aim of this End of Master Work is analysing the different methodologies and find out the most helpful norms to apply three specific non‐destructive techniques, namely: Active thermography, sonic pulse velocity test and ground penetrating radar for the detection and evaluation of decays in historic buildings, structures and elements. Nowadays, there is not a recognized source of knowledge to consult in order to apply these techniques for historical architecture. Some recommendations are given by specialized institutions as RILEM (International Union of Laboratories and Experts in Construction Materials, Systems and Structures) or DGZfP (German Society for Non‐Destructive Testing). Some initiatives tried to standardize the test procedures with no great success. The application procedures are currently applied on‐site most of the time with personalized methods and applying modifications according to the limitations of each test project. Official universal standards do not cover the special cares of a historical element requires. Therefore, a research about the most common procedures for active thermography, sonic pulse velocity test and ground penetration radar is compiled. The available knowledge is very dispersed. The amount of case studies articles and reports provide vital information to improve the test efficiency and many experts are glad to share their real experience with these technologies with other professionals. Diving into the literature and conversing with practitioners, it is noticeable the lack of standardization and the few standards that are applicable for building preservation, are usually not followed or even known. Why? Examining the available standards, it is clear the complexity of their structure. The limitations of their procedures invalid often their applicability on‐site, i.e. very complex calibration method which required specific equipment not offered out of the laboratory. Thus, the user finds other solutions to accomplish the test with relative success. For on‐site application, recommendation guidelines are usually more complete that the proper standards, but still not sufficient to increase the efficiency of the tests. Considering this report as an introduction to the three methodologies, there is still a lot of work to do in order to document and put together the isolated valuable information to improve the tests efficiency test on historical buildings.Máster en Investigación, Tecnología y Gestión de la Construcción en Europ

Hydroelectric power plant management relying on neural networks and expert system integration

The use of Neural Networks (NN) is a novel approach that can help in taking decisions when integrated in a more general system, in particular with expert systems. In this paper, an architecture for the management of hydroelectric power plants is introduced. This relies on monitoring a large number of signals, representing the technical parameters of the real plant. The general architecture is composed of an Expert System and two NN modules: Acoustic Prediction (NNAP) and Predictive Maintenance (NNPM). The NNAP is based on Kohonen Learning Vector Quantization (LVQ) Networks in order to distinguish the sounds emitted by electricity-generating machine groups. The NNPM uses an ART-MAP to identify different situations from the plant state variables, in order to prevent future malfunctions. In addition, a special process to generate a complete training set has been designed for the ART-MAP module. This process has been developed to deal with the absence of data about abnormal plant situations, and is based on neural nets trained with the backpropagation algorithm.Publicad

Space applications of Automation, Robotics and Machine Intelligence Systems (ARAMIS). Volume 3: ARAMIS overview

An overview of automation, robotics, and machine intelligence systems (ARAMIS) is provided. Man machine interfaces, classification, and capabilities are considered