Electrical and mechanical industry, engineering industry
Specialty
Mechanical engineering, electrical/electronics engineering, computer engineering, software programming, system engineering, control system, smart and intelligent system, automation and robotics
Description
Competencies
Multidisciplinary technical knowledge, electro-mechanical system design, system integration and maintenance
Image showing the interdisciplinary diversity of Mechatronics
Astechnology advances over time, various subfields ofengineering have succeeded in both adapting and multiplying. The intention of mechatronics is to produce a design solution that unifies each of these various subfields. Originally, the field of mechatronics was intended to be nothing more than a combination of mechanics, electrical and electronics, hence the name being aportmanteau of the words "mechanics" and "electronics"; however, as the complexity of technical systems continued to evolve, the definition had been broadened to include more technical areas.
No later than in 1951, the wordmechatronics was used in an advertisement of the company Servomechanisms, Inc., as can be seen in the journalNucleonics, vol. 9, issue 3 on page 99.[4]
The wordmechatronics originated inJapanese-English and was created by Tetsuro Mori, an engineer ofYaskawa Electric Corporation. The wordmechatronics was registered astrademark by the company in Japan with the registration number of "46-32714" in 1971. The company later released the right to use the word to the public, and the word began being used globally. Currently the word is translated into many languages and is considered an essential term for advanced automated industry.[5]
French standard NF E 01-010 gives the following definition: "approach aiming at the synergistic integration of mechanics, electronics, control theory, and computer science within product design and manufacturing, in order to improve and/or optimize its functionality".[7]
The wordmechatronics was registered astrademark by the company in Japan with the registration number of "46-32714" in 1971. The company later released the right to use the word to the public, and the word began being used globally.
With the advent ofinformation technology in the 1980s,microprocessors were introduced into mechanical systems, improving performance significantly. By the 1990s, advances in computational intelligence were applied to mechatronics in ways that revolutionized the field.
AerialEuler diagram fromRPI's website describes the fields that make up mechatronics.
A mechatronics engineer unites the principles of mechanics, electrical, electronics, and computing to generate a simpler, more economical and reliable system.[8]
Engineering cybernetics deals with the question of control engineering of mechatronic systems. It is used to control or regulate such a system (seecontrol theory). Through collaboration, the mechatronic modules perform the production goals and inherit flexible andagile manufacturing properties in the production scheme. Modern production equipment consists of mechatronic modules that are integrated according to a control architecture. The most known architectures involvehierarchy,polyarchy,heterarchy, and hybrid. The methods for achieving a technical effect are described by controlalgorithms, which might or might not utilizeformal methods in their design. Hybrid systems important to mechatronics includeproduction systems, synergy drives,exploration rovers, automotive subsystems such asanti-lock braking systems and spin-assist, and everyday equipment such as autofocus cameras, video,hard disks, CD players and phones.
Mechanical engineering is an important part of mechatronics engineering. It includes the study of mechanical nature of how an object works. Mechanical elements refer to mechanical structure, mechanism, thermo-fluid, and hydraulic aspects of a mechatronics system. The study ofthermodynamics,dynamics,fluid mechanics,pneumatics andhydraulics. Mechatronics engineer who works a mechanical engineer can specialize inhydraulics andpneumatics systems, where they can be found working in automobile industries. A mechatronics engineer can also design a vehicle since they have strong mechanical and electronical background. Knowledge of software applications such ascomputer-aided design andcomputer aided manufacturing is essential for designing products. Mechatronics covers a part of mechanical syllabus which is widely applied in automobile industry.
Mechatronic systems represent a large part of the functions of an automobile. The control loop formed by sensor—information processing—actuator—mechanical (physical) change is found in many systems. The system size can be very different. Theanti-lock braking system (ABS) is a mechatronic system. The brake itself is also one. And the control loop formed by driving control (for example cruise control), engine, vehicle driving speed in the real world and speed measurement is a mechatronic system, too.[9] The great importance of mechatronics for automotive engineering is also evident from the fact that vehicle manufacturers often have development departments with "Mechatronics" in their names.
Electronics and telecommunication engineering specializes in electronics devices and telecom devices of a mechatronics system. A mechatronics engineer specialized in electronics and telecommunications have knowledge of computer hardware devices. The transmission of signal is the main application of this subfield of mechatronics. Where digital and analog systems also forms an important part of mechatronics systems. Telecommunications engineering deals with thetransmission ofinformation across a medium.
Electronics engineering is related tocomputer engineering andelectrical engineering. Control engineering has a wide range of electronic applications from the flight and propulsion systems ofcommercial airplanes to thecruise control present in many modern cars (automobiles).VLSI designing is important for creating integrated circuits. Mechatronics engineers have deep knowledge of microprocessors, microcontrollers, microchips and semiconductors. The application of mechatronics in electronics manufacturing industry can conduct research and development on consumer electronic devices such as mobile phones, computers, cameras etc. For mechatronics engineers it is necessary to learn operating computer applications such asMATLAB andSimulink for designing and developing electronic products.
Another variant is motion control for advanced mechatronics, presently recognized as a key technology in mechatronics. The robustness of motion control will be represented as a function of stiffness and a basis for practical realization. Target of motion is parameterized by control stiffness which could be variable according to the task reference. The system robustness of motion always requires very high stiffness in the controller.[10]
The branch of industrial engineer includes the design of machinery, assembly and process lines of various manufacturing industries. This branch can be said somewhat similar to automation and robotics. Mechatronics engineers who works as industrial engineers design and develop infrastructure of a manufacturing plant. Also it can be said that they are architect of machines. One can work as an industrial designer to design the industrial layout and plan for setting up of a manufacturing industry or as an industrial technician to lookover the technical requirements and repairing of the particular factory.
Robotics is one of the newest emerging subfield of mechatronics. It is the study of robots and how they are manufactured and operated. Since 2000, this branch of mechatronics is attracting a number of aspirants. Robotics is interrelated with automation because here also not much human intervention is required. In a large number of factories, especially in automobile factories, robots are found in assembly lines, where they perform the job of drilling, installation and fitting. Programming skills are necessary for specialization in robotics. Knowledge of programming language—ROBOTC—is important for functioning robots. Anindustrial robot is a prime example of a mechatronics system; it includes aspects of electronics, mechanics and computing to do its day-to-day jobs.
Telescope automatic control system and a space object observation system
TheInternet of things (IoT) is theinter-networking of physical devices,embedded withelectronics,software,sensors,actuators, andnetwork connectivity which enable these objects to collect and exchangedata. IoT and mechatronics are complementary. Many of the smart components associated with the Internet of Things will be essentially mechatronic. The development of the IoT is forcing mechatronics engineers, designers, practitioners and educators to research the ways in which mechatronic systems and components are perceived, designed and manufactured. This allows them to face up to new issues such as data security,machine ethics and the human-machine interface.[11]
According to theU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the occupational outlook for mechatronics between 2016 to 2026 was 4% growth then declined to -4% for 2021 to 2031 then recovered to a -1% decline for 2023 to 2033.[12][13][14]
^Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering (9 August 2012)."Mechatronics Engineering".Future undergraduate students. University of Waterloo. Retrieved21 November 2019.
^"Mechatronics advertisement".Nucleonics. Vol. 9, no. 3. The McGraw-Hill Companies. September 1951. p. 99 – via Internet Archive.
^Msc. Mechatronics and Automation Engineering, University of Strathclyde Glasgow, Institution of Engineering and Technology, United Kingdom. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
^Lawrence J. Kamm (1996). Understanding Electro-Mechanical Engineering: An Introduction to Mechatronics. John Wiley & Sons.ISBN978-0-7803-1031-5
Bradley, Dawson et al.,Mechatronics, Electronics in products and processes, Chapman and Hall Verlag,London, 1991.
Karnopp, Dean C., Donald L. Margolis, Ronald C. Rosenberg,System Dynamics: Modeling and Simulation of Mechatronic Systems, 4th Edition, Wiley, 2006.ISBN0-471-70965-4 Bestselling system dynamics book using bond graph approach.
James J. Nutaro (2010).Building software for simulation: theory and algorithms, with applications in C++. Wiley.
Zhang, Jianhua .Mechatronics and Automation Engineering. Proceedings of the International Conference on Mechatronics and Automation Engineering (ICMAE2016). Xiamen, China, 2016.
