Applied Mechatronics PDF

Preface

The ease and affordability of integrating and packaging microelectronics into practical products for sensing, conditioning, processing, and controlling signals and systems have driven the design and implementation of electromechanical systems to the multidisciplinary approach of mechatronics. It is essential that twenty-first-century engineers acquire strong skills in the technologies behind these products. The aim of this book is to bring together in one text the many components of mechatronics.

Applied Mechatronics is intended for junior-/senior-level engineering students in mechanical, electrical, computer, or civil engineering programs. In addition, this book can be a very useful all-in-one reference book for practicing engineers in the fields of instrumentation, industrial automation, and product development.

The authors assume that most of the students studying mechatronics have a basic background in electrical circuits, dynamic systems modeling, and introductory computer language. Icons in the Table of Contents highlight sections that cover prerequisite topics electrical engineers would have already seen († =EE Basic), or that mechanical engineers would have already seen (‡ ME Basic). Prerequisites from basic engineering sciences are marked (* =EE and ME Basic). Students can concentrate more attention on the basics that are new or unfamiliar to them. Instructors can omit these sections in lectures and focus on the core ideas of mechatronics integration. Thus, students from all engineering backgrounds can be equally prepared for the course according to their own needs.

Applied Mechatronics is the culmination of many years of teaching and lab development in the areas of electronics, instrumentation, microprocessors, and control systems. The strength of the text is derived from its comprehensive nature in realizing embedded engineering systems. Specifically, this book covers the required information to measure events with sensing devices, condition sensed signals through electronics interface circuits, process the conditioned data by a microprocessor with necessary memory and ports (specifically the Motorola 9S12C microcontroller), develop the adequate control command for the process, and realize the driving circuitry for the actuators to achieve the desired behavior. Embedding these skills is not a cascading task, rather a global design effort distributing functions among software and hardware agents.

The book's material is complemented with many practical examples using MATLAB, SIMULINK, and LabVIEW simulations and experimentation.

The authors believe that the most effective way to use the material in this book is through collaborative project-based learning. This format allows students to practice integrating technologies as interdisciplinary teams and to work on open-ended problems.