Page 82 - The Mechatronics Handbook

6.6 Systems Synthesis, Mechatronics Software,
and Simulation

Modeling, simulation, and synthesis are complementary activities performed in the design of mechatronic
systems. Simulation starts with the model developments, while synthesis starts with the specifications
imposed on the behavior and analysis of the system performance through analysis using modeling,
simulation, and experimental results. The designer mimics, studies, analyzes, and evaluates the mecha-
tronic system’s behavior using state, performance, control, events, disturbance, and other variables. The
synthesis process was described in section 6.4. Modeling, simulation, analysis, virtual prototyping, and
visualization are critical and urgently important aspects for developing and prototyping of advanced
electromechanical systems. As a flexible high-performance modeling and design environment, MATLAB
has become a standard, cost-effective tool. Competition has prompted cost and product cycle reductions.
To speed up analysis and design with assessment analysis, facilitate enormous gains in productivity and
creativity, integrate control and signal processing using advanced microprocessors and DSPs, accelerate
prototyping features, generate real-time C code and visualize the results, perform data acquisition and
R
data intensive analysis, the MATLAB environment is used. In MATLAB, the following commonly used
R
toolboxes can be applied: SIMULINK , Real-Time Workshop™, Control System, Nonlinear Control Design,
Optimization, Robust Control, Signal Processing, Symbolic Math, System Identification, Partial Differ-
ential Equations, Neural Networks, as well as other application-specific toolboxes (see the MATLAB demo
typing demo in the Command Window). MATLAB capabilities should be demonstrated by attacking
important practical examples in order to increase students’ productivity and creativity by demonstrating
how to use the advanced software in electromechanical system applications. The MATLAB environment
offers a rich set of capabilities to efficiently solve a variety of complex analysis, modeling, simulation,
control, and optimization problems encountered in undergraduate and graduate mechatronic courses.
A wide array of mechatronic systems can be modeled, simulated, analyzed, and optimized. The electro-
mechanical systems examples, integrated within mechatronic courses, will provide the practice and
educate students with the highest degree of comprehensiveness and coverage.

6.7 Mechatronic Curriculum

The ultimate objective of the mechatronic curriculum is to educate a new generation of students and
engineers, as well as to assist industry and government in the development of high-performance electro-
mechanical systems augmenting conventional engineering curriculum with an ever-expanding electro-
mechanics core. The emphasis should be focused on advancing the overall mission of the engineering
curriculum, because through mechatronics it is possible to further define, refine, and expand the objec-
tives into three fundamental areas, which are research, education, and service. Using the mechatronic
paradigm, academia will perform world-class fundamental and applied research by
• integrating electromagnetics, electromechanics, power electronics, ICs, and control;
• devising advanced design, analysis, and optimization simulation and analytic tools and capabilities
through development of specialized computer-aided-design software;
• developing actuation-sensing-control hardware;
• devising advanced paradigms, concepts, and technologies;
• supporting research, internship, and cooperative multidisciplinary education programs for under-
graduate and graduate students;
• supporting, sustaining, and assisting faculty in emerging new areas.
Mechatronic curriculum design includes development of goals and objectives, programs of study and
curriculum guides, courses, laboratories, textbooks, instructional materials, manuals, experiments,

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