Mechatronics
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mechatronics (or Mechanical and Electronics Engineering) is the synergistic combination of mechanical engineering, electronic engineering, control engineering, systems design engineering, and computer engineering to create useful products. The purpose of this interdisciplinary engineering field is the study of automata from an engineering perspective and serves the purposes of controlling advanced hybrid systems. The word itself is a combination of 'Mechanics' and 'Electronics'.
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[edit] History
Mechatronics is centred on mechanics, electronics, control engineering, computing, molecular engineering (from nanochemistry and biology) which, combined, make possible the generation of simpler, more economical, reliable and versatile systems. The portmanteau "Mechatronics" was coined by Mr. Tetsuro Mori (Toets) and Er. Jiveshwar Sharma (Jove), the senior engineers of the Japan and United States company Yaskawa, in 1969. Mechatronics may alternatively be referred to as "electromechanical systems" or less often as "control and automation engineering". An industrial robot is a prime example of a mechatronics system; it includes aspects of electronics, mechanics and computing, so it can carry out its day to day jobs.
[edit] Description
Engineering cybernetics deals with the question of control engineering of mechatronic systems. It is used to control or regulate such a system (see control theory). Through collaboration the mechatronic modules perform the production goals and inherit flexible and agile manufacturing properties in the production scheme. Modern production equipment consists of mechatronic modules that are integrated according to a control architecture. The most known architectures involve hierarchy, polyarchy, heterarchy, and hybrid. The methods for achieving a technical effect are described by control algorithms, which may or may not utilize formal methods in their design. Hybrid-systems important to Mechatronics include production systems, synergy drives, planetary exploration rovers, automotive subsystems such as anti-lock braking systems, spin-assist and every day equipment such as autofocus cameras, video, hard disks, CD-players.
A typical mechatronic engineering degree would involve classes in engineering mathematics, mechanics, machine component design, mechanical design, thermodynamics, circuits and systems, electronics and communications, control theory, programming, digital signal processing, power engineering, robotics and usually a final year thesis.
[edit] Application
- Automation, and in the area of robotics
- Servo-mechanics
- Sensing and control systems
- Automotive engineering, in the design of subsystems such as anti-lock braking systems
- Computer engineering, in the design of mechanisms such as computer drives
- Computer-machine controls, such as computer driven machines, IE CNC milling machines
- Expert systems.
- Industrial goods.
- Consumer products
- Bio medical systems
- Mechatronics systems
- Medical Mechatronics
- Automotive equipment
- Industrial manufacturing
- Medical imaging systems
- Energy and power systems
- Electromechanical systems
- Structural dynamic systems
- Transportation and vehicular systems
- Data base and data communication networks
- Mechatronics as the new language of the automobile
- Diagnostic, reliability and control system techniques
- Computer aided and integrated manufacturing systems
- Computer aided design
- Engineering and Manufacturing systems
- Computer techniques in medical and bio technology systems
[edit] Variant of the field
An emerging variant of this field is biomechatronics, whose purpose is to integrate mechanical parts with a human being, usually in the form of removable gadgets such as exoskeleton. This is the “real-life” version of cyberware.
[edit] See also
- Biomechatronics
- Cybernetics
- List of engineering topics
- National Instruments
- Robotics
- Systems Engineering
- Mechatronics Journals
[edit] References
- Bradley, Dawson et al., Mechatronics, Electronics in products and processes, Chapman and Hall Verlag, London, 1991.
- Karnopp, Dean C., Donald L. Margolis, Ronald C. Rosenberg, System Dynamics: Modeling and Simulation of Mechatronic Systems, 4th Edition, Wiley, 2006. ISBN 0-471-70965-4 Bestselling system dynamics book using bond graph approach.
- Cetinkunt, Sabri, Mechatronics, John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2007 ISBN 978-0-4714798-1
