Page 47 - Modern Control Systems

Section 1.6 Mechatronic Systems 21

design, the design of a feedback control system is an iterative and nonlinear process. A
successful designer must consider the underlying physics of the plant under control,
the control design strategy, the controller design architecture (that is, what type of
controller will be employed), and effective controller tuning strategies. In addition,
once the design is completed, the controller is often implemented in hardware, and
hence issues of interfacing with hardware can appear. When taken together, these dif-
ferent phases of control system design make the task of designing and implementing
a control system quite challenging [73].

1.6 MECHATRONIC SYSTEMS

A natural stage in the evolutionary process of modern engineering design is en-
compassed in the area known as mechatronics [64]. The term mechatronics was
coined in Japan in the 1970s [65-67]. Mechatronics is the synergistic integration of
mechanical, electrical, and computer systems and has evolved over the past 30
years, leading to a new breed of intelligent products. Feedback control is an integral
aspect of modern mechatronic systems. One can understand the extent that mecha-
tronics reaches into various disciplines by considering the components that make
up mechatronics [68-71]. The key elements of mechatronics are (1) physical sys-
tems modeling, (2) sensors and actuators, (3) signals and systems, (4) computers
and logic systems, and (5) software and data acquisition. Feedback control encom-
passes aspects of all five key elements of mechatronics, but is associated primarily
with the element of signals and systems, as illustrated in Figure 1.18.
Advances in computer hardware and software technology coupled with the de-
sire to increase the performance-to-cost ratio has revolutionized engineering design.
New products are being developed at the intersection of traditional disciplines of