Page 79 - The Mechatronics Handbook

fabrication technologies to fabricate nano- and micro-scale sensors, actuators, ICs, and antennas. Efficient
software has emerged. To overcome the difficulties encountered, the mechatronic courses which cover
the multidisciplinary areas must be introduced to the engineering curriculum. Mechatronics has been
enthusiastically explored and supported by undergraduate and graduate, educational and research-
oriented universities, high-technology industry, and government laboratories. However, there is a need
to develop the long-term strategy in mechatronic research and education, define the role, as well as
implement, commercialize, and market the mechatronic and electromechanics programs.

6.3 Mechatronics and Modern Engineering

Many engineering problems can be formulated, attacked, and solved using the mechatronic paradigm.
Mechatronics deals with benchmarking and emerging problems in integrated electrical–mechanical–
computer engineering, science, and technologies. Many of these problems have not been attacked and
solved; and sometimes, the existing solutions cannot be treated as the optimal one. This reflects obvious
trends in fundamental, applied, and experimental research as well as curriculum changes in response to
long-standing unsolved problems, engineering and technological enterprise, and entreaties of steady
evolutionary demands.
Mechatronics is the integrated design, analysis, optimization, and virtual prototyping of intelligent
and high-performance electromechanical systems, system intelligence, learning, adaptation, decision
making, and control through the use of advanced hardware (actuators, sensors, microprocessors, DSPs,
power electronics, and ICs) and leading-edge software.
Integrated multidisciplinary features approach quickly, as documented in Fig. 6.2. The mechatronic
paradigm, which integrates electrical, mechanical, and computer engineering, takes place.
The structural complexity of mechatronic systems has increased drastically due to hardware and
software advancements, as well as stringent achievable performance requirements. Answering the
demands of rising electromechanical system complexity, performance specifications, and intelligence,
the mechatronic paradigm was introduced. In addition to the proper choice of electromechanical
system components and subsystems, there are other issues which must be addressed in view of the
constantly evolving nature of the electromechanical systems theory (e.g., analysis, design, modeling,
optimization, complexity, intelligence, decision making, diagnostics, packaging). Competitive opti-
mum-performance electromechanical systems must be designed within the advanced hardware and
software concepts.

CAD
Electromechanics
Electrical Actuators/Sensors Mechanical
Engineering Engineering
Mechatronics
Analysis
Electromagnetics
Electronics and ICs Modeling
Control and DSPs Optimization
Computer
Engineering

FIGURE 6.2 Mechatronics integrates electrical, mechanical, and computer engineering.

©2002 CRC Press LLC