Q. Explain the term Mechatronics. OR Explain the constituents of Mechatronics.

Mechatronics and Constituents

Mechatronics is a methodology used for the optimal design of electromechanical products.

A methodology is a collection of practices, procedures, and rules used by those who work in a particular
branch of knowledge or discipline. Familiar technological disciplines include thermodynamics, electrical
engineering, computer science, and mechanical engineering, to name several. Instead of one, the mechatronic
system is ultidisciplinary, embodying four fundamental disciplines: electrical, mechanical, computer
science, and information technology. Multidisciplinary systems are not new. They have been successfully
designed and used for many years. One of the most common is the electromechanical system, which often
uses a computer algorithm to modify the behavior of a mechanical system. Electronics are used to transducer
information between the computer science and mechanical disciplines. The difference between a
mechatronic system and a multidisciplinary system is not the constituents, but rather the order in which they
are designed.
The mechatronics is an extension of the system engineering approach, but it is supplemented with
information systems to guide the design and is applied at all stages of design—not just the preliminary
design step—making it more comprehensive. There is a synergy in the integration of mechanical, electrical,
and computer systems with information systems for the design and manufacture of products and processes.
The synergy is generated by the right combination of parameters; the final product can be better than just the
sum of its parts. Mechatronic products exhibit performance characteristics that were previously difficult to
achieve without the synergistic combination. The key elements of the mechatronics approach are presented
in Figure 1.

Explain the key elements of Mechatronics system design

The key elements of the Mechatronics

Mechatronics is the result of applying information systems to physical systems. The physical system (the rightmost
dotted block of Figure 2) consists of mechanical, electrical, and computer systems as well as actuators, sensors, and
real-time interfacing. In some of the literature, this block is called an electromechanical system.
Mechatronics is really nothing but good design practice. The basic idea is to apply new controls to extract new levels of
performance from a mechanical device. Sensors and actuators are used to transduce energy from high power (usually
the mechanical side) to low power (the electrical and computer side).
The key elements of the mechatronics in complex approach are presented in Figure 2.

The block labeled “Mechanical systems” frequently consists of more than just mechanical components and may include
fluid, pneumatic, thermal, acoustic, chemical, and other disciplines as well. New developments in sensing technologies
have emerged in response to the ever-increasing demand for solutions of specific monitoring applications. Microsensors
are developed to sense the presence of physical, chemical, or biological quantities (such as temperature, pressure,
sound, nuclear radiations, and chemical compositions). They are implemented in solid-state form so that several sensors
can be integrated and their functions combined.
The term “Automatic control” describes the situation in which a machine is controlled by another machine.
Irrespective of the application (such as industrial control, manufacturing, testing, or military), new developments in
sensing technology are constantly emerging.

Explain the integrated design issues in Mechatronics.

Integrated Design issues in Mechatronics

Mechatronics approach relies heavily on the use of system modeling and simulation throughout the design and
prototyping stages. Because the model will be used and altered by engineers from multiple disciplines, it is especially
important that it be programmed in a visually intuitive environment. Such environments include block diagrams, flow
charts, state transition diagrams, and bond graphs. In contrast to the more conventional programming languages such as
Fortran, Visual Basic, C++, and Pascal, the visual modeling environment requires little training due to its inherent
intuitiveness.
Mechatronics is a design philosophy: an integrating approach to engineering design. The primary factor in mechatronics
is the involvement of these areas throughout the design process. Through a mechanism of simulating interdisciplinary
ideas and techniques, mechatronics provides ideal conditions to raise the synergy, thereby providing a catalytic effect
for the new solutions to technically complex situations
An important characteristic of mechatronic devices and systems is their built-in intelligence that results through a
combination of precision in mechanical and electrical engineering, and real-time programming integrated into the
design process. Mechatronics makes the combination of actuators, sensors, control systems, and computers in the
design process possible.
Explain the block diagram of general scheme of hardware and software integration.
General Scheme of Hardware and Software Integration

Figure3 illustrates how the hardware and software integration takes place. The first step in development of mechatronic
systems is to analyze the customer needs and the technical environment in which the system is integrated. Mechatronic
systems gather data from their technical environment using sensors. The next step is to use elaborate modeling and
description methods to cover all subtasks of this system in an integrated manner. This includes an effective description
of the necessary interfaces between subsystems at an early stage. The data is processed and interpreted, thus leading to
actions carried out by actuators. The advantages of mechatronic systems are shorter developmental cycles, lower costs,
and higher quality. Mechatronic design supports the concepts of concurrent engineering.In the designing of a
mechatronic product, it is necessary that the knowledge and necessary information be coordinated amongst different
expert groups. Concurrent engineering is a design approach in which the design and manufacture of a product are
merged in a special way.

Explain the three phases of Mechatronics system design. OR

Explain the block diagram of Mechatronic design process.

The Mechatronics Design Process

The mechatronic design process consists of three phases: modeling and simulation, prototyping, and deployment. All
modeling, whether based on first principles (basic equations) or the more detailed physics, should be modular in
structure. A first principle model is a simple model which captures some of the fundamental behavior of a subsystem. A
detailed model is an extension of the first principle model providing more function and accuracy than the first level
model. Connecting the modules (or blocks) together may create complex models. Each block represents a subsystem,
which corresponds to some physically or functionally realizable operations, and can be encapsulated into a block with
input/output limited to input signals, parameters, and output signals. Of course, this limitation may not always be
possible or desirable; however, its use will produce modular subsystem blocks which easily can be maintained,
exercised independently, substituted for one another (first principle blocks substituted for detailed blocks and vice
versa), and reused in other applications.
Because of their modularity, mechatronic systems are well suited for applications that require reconfiguration. Such
products can be reconfigured either during the design stage by substituting various subsystem modules or during the life
span of the product. Since many of the steps in the mechatronic design process rely on computer-based tasks (such as
information fusion, management, and design testing), an efficient computer-aided prototyping environment is essential.
Important Features
• Modeling: Block diagram or visual interface for creating intuitively understandable behavioral models of physical or
abstract phenomenon. The ability to encapsulate complexity and maintain several levels of subsystem complexity is
useful.
• Simulation: Numerical methods for solving models containing differential, discrete, hybrid, partial, and implicit
nonlinear (as well as linear) equations. Must have a lock for real-time operation and be capable of executing faster than
real time.
• Project Management: Database for maintaining project information and subsystem models for eventual reuse.
• Design: Numerical methods for constrained optimization of performance functions based on model parameters and
signals. Monte Carlo type of computation is also desirable.
• Analysis: Numerical methods for frequency-domain, time-domain, and complex-domain design.
• Real-Time Interface: A plug-in card is used to replace part of the model with actual hardware by interfacing to it with
actuators and sensors. This is called hardware in the loop simulation or rapid prototyping and must be executed in real
time.
• Code Generator: Produces efficient high-level source code from the block diagram or visual modeling interface. The
control code will be compiled and used on the embedded processor. The language is usually C.
• Embedded Processor Interface: The embedded processor resides in the final product. This feature provides
communication between the process and the computer-aided prototyping environment. This is called a full system
prototype.

Explain the Mechatronics key elements.

Mechatronics Key Elements

Information system
Information systems include all aspects of information transmission—from signal processing to
control systems to analysis techniques. An information system is a combination of four disciplines:
communication systems, signal processing, control systems, and numerical methods.
Modeling and Simulation
Modeling is the process of representing the behavior of a real system by a collection of mathematical
equations and logic. Models are collections of mathematical and logic expressions. Models can be either
static or dynamic. Models are represented in block diagram. Models accept external information and
process it with their logic and equations to produce outputs. Externally produced information supplied to
the model either can be fixed in value or changing. An external information is called an input signal.
Model output information is assumed to be changing and is therefore referred to as output signals.
Block diagram consist of two fundamental objects: signal wires and blocks. Signal wire transmits a signal or
a value from its point of origination to its point of termination. An arrowhead on the signal wire defines the
direction in which the signal flows. Direction of flow is defined for a given signal wire. Signals may flow in
forward or backward direction. A block gets input and produces output.
Basic Blocks

Simulation is the process of solving the model and is performed on a computer.

•Simulation process can be divided into three sections: initialization, iteration, and termination.
•Initialization sort equations for each blocks according to the pattern in which the blocks are connected.
•The iteration section solves any DE present in the model using NT and/or differentiation.
•Display section of a simulation is used to present the output.
•Reading, chart or animation.
Optimization
•Optimization solves the problem of distributing limited resources throughout a system so that pre-
specified aspects of its behavior are satisfied.
•In mechatronics, optimization is primarily used to establish the optimal system configuration.

Automatic controls
Automatic control is a situation in which a machine is controlled by another machine. In electromechanical
control application, the mechanical system is designed and build first followed by the electrical control
system.
Mechanical Systems
Mechanical systems are concerned with the behavior of matter under the action of forces. They are categorized as rigid,
deformable, or fluid in nature. Rigid-body system assumes all bodies and connections in the system to be perfectly
rigid. Fluid mechanics consists of compressible and incompressible fluids. Most mechanical systems and consists of
three independent and absolute concepts: space, time, and mass. A fourth concept, force, is also present but is not
independent of the other three. Most mechatronic applications involve rigid-body systems, and relies on the following
six fundamental laws.
1. Newton’s First Law
2. Newton’s Second Law.
3. Newton’s Third Law
4. Newton’s Law of Gravitation
5. Parallelogram Law for the Addition of Forces
6. Principle of Transmissibility:
There are three different systems of units commonly found in engineering applications: the meter kilogram- second
(mks) or System International (SI) system, the centimeter-gram-second (cgs) or Gaussian system, and the foot-pound-
second (fps) or British engineering system. In the SI and Gaussian systems, the kilogram and gram are mass units. In
the British system, the pound is a force unit.
Electrical Systems
Electrical systems are concerned with the behavior of three fundamental quantities: charge, current, and voltage. When
a current exists, electrical energy usually is being transmitted from one point to another. Electrical systems consist of
two categories: power systems and communication systems. Communication systems are designed to transmit
information as low-energy electrical signals between points. Functions such as information storage, processing, and
transmission are common parts of a communication system. Electrical systems are an integral part of a Mechatronics
application. The following electrical components are frequently found in such applications.
• Motors and generators
• Sensors and actuators (transducers)
• Solid state devices including computers
• Circuits (signal conditioning and impedance matching, including amplifiers)
• Contact devices (relays, circuit breakers, switches, slip rings, mercury contacts, and fuses)
Electrical applications in mechatronic systems require an understanding of DC and AC circuit analysis, impedance,
power, electromagnetic and semiconductor devices.
Sensors and Actuators
Sensors are required to monitor the performance of machines and processes. Sensing systems also can be used to
evaluate operations, machine health, inspect the work in progress, and identify part and tools. They measures the
surface quality, temperature, vibrations, and flow rate of cutting fluid. Sensors are needed to provide real time
information that can assist controllers in identifying potential bottlenecks, breakdowns, and other problems with
individual machines and within a total manufacturing environment.
Accuracy and repeatability are critical capabilities; without which sensors cannot provide the reliability needed to
perform in advanced manufacturing environments. Some of the more common measurement variables in mechatronic
systems are temperature, speed, position, force, torque, and acceleration. When measuring these variables, several
characteristics become important: the dynamics of the sensor, stability, resolution, precision, robustness, size, and
signal processing.
Microsensors could be used to measure the flow, pressure, or concentration of various chemical species in
environmental and mechanical applications.

Actuators are another important component of a mechatronic system. Actuation involves a physical action on the
process, such as the ejection of a work piece from a conveyor system initiated by a sensor. Actuators are usually
electrical, mechanical, fluid power or pneumatic based. They transform electrical inputs into mechanical outputs such
as force, angle, and position. Actuators can be classified into three general groups.
1. Electromagnetic actuators, (e.g., AC and DC electrical motors, stepper motors, electromagnets)
2. Fluid power actuators, (e.g., hydraulics, pneumatics)
3. Unconventional actuators (e.g., piezoelectric, magnetostrictive, memory metal)
Real-Time Interfacing
The real-time interface process really falls into the electrical and information system categories but is treated
independently as was computer system hardware because of its specialized functions. In mechatronics, the main
purpose of the real-time interface system is to provide data acquisition and control functions for the computer. The
purpose of the acquisition function is to reconstruct a sensor waveform as a digital sequence and make it available to
the computer software for processing. The control function produces an analog approximation as a series of small steps.
The inherent step discontinuities produce new undesirable frequencies not present in the original signal and are often
attenuated using an analog smoothing filter. Thus, for mechatronic applications, real-time interfacing includes analog to
digital (A/D) and digital to analog (D/A) conversion, analog signal conditioning circuits, and sampling theory.

Explain the Model based monitoring system with block diagram.

Model-Based Manufacturing
Model based monitoring using intelligent sensors as an important technology holding much promise for improving
manufacturing productivity and quality. In model based monitoring the model is used to represent behavior of the
structure, it is driven with the same input given for the process. The difference between the output and actual process
output signals provide a concise ( current ) mechanism for incorporating diagnostics. Monitoring system can also be
used to maintain machine and process performance during the manufacturing process
Model-based monitoring systems generally use a set of modeling equations and an estimation algorithm to estimate the
signal important to the machine performance. In model-based monitoring, the purpose of the model is to represent the
behavior of the structure— also sensed externally and recorded. Local sensors provide an output signal related to the
measurement. The difference between the model output and the actual process output signals provides a concise
mechanism for incorporating diagnostics, which is an attractive alternative to empirical rule-based decision systems.
Figure 1-12 presents a generic diagram of an intelligent model-based manufacturing system.

The diagram in Figure 1-12 also shows how the controller applies commands to the process such that various sensed
values (related to the machine and/or the process performance) are maintained (or regulated) at desired values. Remote
sensors may sense some of the diagnostic signals in difficult-to-access locations. In some cases, estimation algorithms
are used based on the system structure and the signal of interest. Modeling procedures (some based on the previous
knowledge) are used to produce simple, accurate models to improve estimation accuracy.

Explain the block diagram of open- architecture system.

Mechatronics Systems with Open Architecture
Process and machine-tool condition monitoring are the keys to an increasing degree of automation and, increasing
productivity in manufacturing.
The developments of modular, open architecture machine controllers, as shown in Figure have provided improvements
to the existing systems to overcome these limitations.
Sensor equipped intelligent control systems can be used to evaluate, to control the manufacturing process, and to
provide a link to basic design. The multivariate environment of a manufacturing process generally does not produce a
good analytical model of the process. However, additional information generally gets generated as a result of the
introduction of manufacturing automation in a typical plant floor, and that data becomes available for modeling.
Carefully collecting the data and using the knowledge base in a visual simulation environment makes it possible to
integrate design, control, and inspection, as well as planning activities. Figure shows a framework for integrating
heterogeneous systems, which involves the position and velocity control of a machine tool, local inspection of a
process, global inspection of the overall process, and finally, classification.