Mechatronics is a core subject for engineers, combining elements of mechanical and electronic engineering into the development of computer-controlled mechanical devices such as DVD players or anti-lock braking systems. This book is the most comprehensive text available for both mechanical and electrical engineering students and will enable them to engage fully with all stages of mechatronic system design. It offers broader and more integrated coverage than other books in the field with practical examples, case studies and exercises throughout and an Instructor's Manual. A further key feature of the book is its integrated coverage of programming the PIC microcontroller, and the use of MATLAB and Simulink programming and modelling, along with code files for downloading from the accompanying website.*Integrated coverage of PIC microcontroller programming, MATLAB and Simulink modelling*Fully developed student exercises, detailed practical examples*Accompanying website with Instructor's Manual, downloadable code and image bank

The term “mechatronics” was coined in 1969, merging “mecha” from mechanism and “tronics” from electronics, to reflect the original idea at the basis of this discipline, that is, the integration of electrical and mechanical systems into a single device. The spread of this term, and of mechatronics itself, has been growing in the years, including new aspects and disciplines, like control engineering, computer engineering and communication/information engineering. Nowadays mechatronics has a well-defined and fundamental role, in strict relation with robotics. Drawing a sharp border between mechatronics and robotics is impossible, as they share many technologies and objectives. Advanced robots could be defined as mechatronic devices equipped with a “smart brain”, but there are also up-to-date mechatronic devices, used in tight interaction with humans, that are governed by smart architectures (for example, for safety purposes). Aim of this book is to offer a wide overview of new research trends and challenges for both mechatronics and robotics, through the contribution of researchers from different institutions, providing their view on specific subjects they consider as “hot topics” in both fields, with attention to new fields of application, new challenges to the research communities and new technologies available. The reader of this book will enjoy the various contributions, as they have been prepared with actual applications in mind, along a journey from advanced actuators and sensors to human-robot interaction, through robot control, navigation, planning and programming issues. The book presents several state-of-the-art solutions, like multiple-stage actuation to cope with conflicting specification of large motion-spans, ultra-high accuracy, model-based control for high-tech mechatronic systems, modern approaches of software systems engineering to robotics, aand humanoids for human assistance. The reader can also find new techniques in approaching the design of mechatronic systems in some possible industrial and service robotics scenarios, with a particular attention for the interaction between humans and mechanisms.

Electrical Engineering/ECE

Mechatronics is a multidisciplinary branch of engineering combining mechanical, electrical and electronics, control and automation, and computer engineering fields. The main research task of mechatronics is design, control, and optimization of advanced devices, products, and hybrid systems utilizing the concepts found in all these fields. The purpose of this special issue is to help better understand how mechatronics will impact on the practice and research of developing advanced techniques to model, control, and optimize complex systems. The special issue presents recent advances in mechatronics and related technologies. The selected topics give an overview of the state of the art and present new research results and prospects for the future development of the interdisciplinary field of mechatronic systems.

While most books on the subject present material only on sensors and actuators, hardware and simulation, or modeling and control, Mechatronics: An Integrated Approach presents all of these topics in a single, unified volume from which users with a variety of engineering backgrounds can benefit. The integrated approach emphasizes the design and inst

Learn how to study, analyze, select, and design a successful mechatronic product This innovative, cutting-edge publication presents the essential nature of mechatronics, a field at the crossroads of information technology and mechanical and electrical engineering. Readers learn how to blend mechanisms, electronics, sensors, control strategies, and software into a functional design. Given the breadth that the field of mechatronics draws upon, this publication provides a critical service to readers by paring down the topics to the most essential ones. A common thread throughout the publication is tailoring performance to the actual needs of the user, rather than designing "by the book." Practical methods clarify engineering trade-offs needed to design and manufacture competitive state-of-the-art products and systems. Key features include: * Easy-to-construct set of laboratory experiments to give readers practice in controlling difficult systems using discrete-time algorithms * Essentials of control theory, concentrating on state-space and easily constructed simulations in JavaScript, including typical mechatronic systems with gross nonlinearities where linear methods give the "wrong answer" * Hot topics that include advances in the automotive, multimedia, robotics, defense, medical, and consumer industries * Author-provided Web site at www.EssMech.com offers additional resources, including videos, dynamic simulation examples, software tools, and downloads There are hundreds of choices involved in all but the simplest of mechatronic design tasks. Using this publication as a reference, electrical, mechanical, and computer designers and engineers can find the most efficient, cost-effective methods to transform their goals into successful commercial products. With its use of laboratory experiments, this publication is also recommended as a graduate-level textbook. Author Web site located at www.EssMech.com provides in-depth support material that includes links to simulations for modeling dynamic systems with real-time interactions, image processing examples, and 3D robot modeling software, enabling readers to "construct" and manipulate their own mechanism as well as other useful links.

Mechatronics has evolved into a way of life in engineering practice, and it pervades virtually every aspect of the modern world. In chapters drawn from the bestselling and now standard engineering reference, The Mechatronics Handbook, this book introduces the vibrant field of mechatronics and its key elements: physical system modeling; sensors and actuators; signals and systems; computers and logic systems; and software and data acquisition. These chapters, written by leading academics and practitioners, were carefully selected and organized to provide an accessible, general outline of the subject ideal for non-specialists. Mechatronics: An Introduction first defines and organizes the key elements of mechatronics, exploring design approach, system interfacing, instrumentation, control systems, and microprocessor-based controllers and microelectronics. It then surveys physical system modeling, introducing MEMS along with modeling and simulation. Coverage then moves to essential elements of sensors and actuators, including characteristics and fundamentals of time and frequency, followed by control systems and subsystems, computer hardware, logic, system interfaces, communication and computer networking, data acquisition, and computer-based instrumentation systems. Clear explanations and nearly 200 illustrations help bring the subject to life. Providing a broad overview of the fundamental aspects of the field, Mechatronics: An Introduction is an ideal primer for those new to the field, a handy review for those already familiar with the technology, and a friendly introduction for anyone who is curious about mechatronics.