Optimization of Modular Neural Networks for Pattern Recognition with Parallel Genetic Algorithms

Abstract

We describe in this paper the use of Modular Neural Networks (MNN) for pattern recognition with parallel processing using a cluster of computers with a master-slave topology. In this paper, we are proposing the use of MNN for face recognition with large databases to validate the efficiency of the proposed approach. Also, a parallel genetic algorithm for architecture optimization was used to achieve an optimal design of the MNN. The main idea of this paper is the use of parallel genetic algorithms to find the best architecture with large databases of faces, because when the database to be considered is large, the main problem is the processing time to train the MNN. Network parameters are adjusted by a combination of the training pattern set and the corresponding errors between the desired output and the actual network response. To control a learning process, a criterion is needed to decide the time for terminating the process.