Page 78 - The Mechatronics Handbook

modern software environments. Through the mechatronic curriculum, important program objectives
and goals can be achieved. The integration of mechatronic courses into the engineering curriculum is
reported in this chapter. Our ultimate goal is to identify the role, examine the existing courses, refine
and enhance mechatronic curriculum in order to improve the structure and content of engineering
programs, recruit and motivate students, increase teaching effectiveness and improve material delivery, as
well as assess and evaluate the desired engineering program outcomes. The primary emphasis is placed
on enhancement and improvement in student knowledge, learning, critical thinking, depth, breadth,
results interpretation, integration and application of knowledge, motivation, commitment, creativity,
enthusiasm, and confidence. These can be achieved through the mechatronic curriculum development
and implementation. This chapter reports the development of a mechatronic curriculum. The role of
mechatronics in modern engineering is discussed and documented.

6.2 Nano-, Micro-, and Mini-Scale Electromechanical
Systems and Mechatronic Curriculum

Conventional, mini- and micro-scale electromechanical systems are studied from a unified perspective
because operating features, basic phenomena, and dominant effects are based upon classical electromag-
netics and mechanics (electromechanics). Electromechanical systems integrate subsystems and compo-
nents. No matter how well an individual subsystem or component (electric motor, sensor, power amplifier,
or DSP) performs, the overall performance can be degraded if the designer fails to integrate and optimize
the electromechanical system. While electric machines, sensors, power electronics, microcontrollers, and
DSPs should be emphasized, analyzed, designed, and optimized, the main focus is centered on integrated
issues. The designer sometimes fails to grasp and understand the global picture because this requires
extensive experience, background, knowledge, and capabilities to attain detailed assessment analysis with
outcome prediction and overall performance evaluation. While the component-based divide-and-solve
approach is valuable and applicable in the preliminary design phase, it is very important that the design
and analysis of integrated electromechanical systems be accomplished in the context of global optimiza-
tion with proper objectives, specifications, requirements, and bounds imposed. Novel electromechanical
and VLSI technologies, computer-aided-design software, software-hardware co-design tools, high-per-
formance software environments, and robust computational algorithms must be applied to design elec-
tromechanical systems. The main objective of the mechatronic curriculum development is to satisfy
academia–industry–government demands as well as to help students develop in-depth fundamental,
analytic, and experimental skills in analysis, design, optimization, control, and implementation of
advanced integrated electromechanical systems. It is not possible to cover the full spectrum of mecha-
tronics issues in a single course. Therefore, the mechatronic curriculum must be developed assuming
that students already have sufficient fundamentals in calculus, physics, circuits, electromechanical devices,
sensors, and controls.
The engineering curriculum usually integrates general education, science, and engineering courses.
The incorporation of multidisciplinary engineering science and engineering design courses represents
a major departure from the conventional curriculum. Usually, even electrical engineering students
have some deficiencies in advanced electromagnetics, electric machinery, power electronics, ICs, micro-
controllers, and DSPs because several of these courses are elective. Mechanical engineering students,
while advancing electrical engineering students in mechanics and thermodynamics, have limited access
to electromagnetics, electric machines, power electronics, microelectronics, and DSP courses. In addi-
tion, there are deficiencies in computer science and engineering mathematics for both electrical and
mechanical engineering students because these courses are usually required only for computer engi-
neering students. The need for engineering mathematics, electromagnetics, power electronics, and
electromechanical motion devices (electric machines, actuators, and sensors) has not diminished,
rather strengthened. In addition, radically new advanced hardware has been developed using enabling

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