Mechatronics education at CDHAW of Tongji University: Laboratory guidelines,framework, implementations and improvements

Engineering education is facing unprecedented challenges and exciting opportunities, particularly in the mechatronics engineering education area. Due to the highly applied nature of mechatronics engineering, mechatronics students need a focused laboratory environment which is as close as possible to the real-world situation to apply and absorb mechatronics concepts, and to assist them in the development of “hands-on” skills. The Chinese–German School of Applied Sciences (Chinesisch-Deutsche Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften, CDHAW) is an educational project of the Chinese Ministry of Education and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, implemented by the Tongji University and a consortium of German Universities of Applied Sciences. In a previous paper – mechatronics education at CDHAW of Tongji University: structure, orientation and curriculum, which was published in Journal Mechatronics 2008;18:172–7, the authors presented the orientation and curriculum design of mechatronics education at CDHAW. In this paper, we will discuss systematically the guidelines, framework, implementations and improvements of our mechatronics laboratory corresponding to our orientation and curriculum design.     

Mechatronics-an industrial perspective

The term "mechatronics" is defined to provide a framework for technical and practical considerations. Within this framework, the importance of "intimate and organic" integration in mechatronics product designs is raised. Several issues pertaining to attaining this ideal integration of mechanical, electronic controls, and system engineering in mechatronics product designs are cited. To further advance the current mechatronics products, areas of improvement are also presented.     

A mechatronics educational laboratory – Programmable logic controllers and material handling experiments

The integration of robotics, conveyors, sensors, and programmable logic controllers into manufacturing and material handling processes requires engineers with technical skills and expertise in these systems. The coordination of assembly operations and supervisory control demands familiarity with mechanical and electrical design, instrumentation, actuators, and computer programming for successful system development. This paper presents an educational mechatronics laboratory that encourages multi-disciplinary hands-on engineering discovery within team settings. Three focused progressive experiments are reviewed that allow students to program and operate a programmable logic controller, a traditional conveyor system, and a distributed servo-motor based conveyor. The students also program and implement two robotic arms for material handling applications. The equipment, learning objectives, and experimental methodology for each laboratory are discussed to offer insight. A collaborative design project case study is presented in which student teams create a smart material handling system. Overall, engineering graduates have generally been required to learn material handling and other multi-disciplinary concepts in the field, and therefore, a well-rounded engineering curriculum should incorporate mechatronics in both the classroom and laboratory.     

Mechatronics in the Netherlands

This article assesses the present situation of mechatronics in the Netherlands. After a short historical survey, it describes the postgraduate "mechatronic designer course", introduced in 1991. It deals with the principles of this course and how these principles have been implemented. Also, the activities of the Dutch government in cooperation with the industrial mechatronics community to enhance the awareness of mechatronics, especially directed toward small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is described.     

Curriculum,equipment and student project outcomes for mechatronics education in the core mechanical engineering program at Kettering University

Following an NSF grant in 1997 to develop undergraduate mechatronics laboratories and courses, two senior-level elective courses were introduced in the mechanical engineering curriculum at Kettering University. The student popularity of the subject, and relevance to graduating mechanical engineers soon made it clear that mechatronics education belonged to the core curriculum at Kettering. To integrate mechatronics into the mechanical engineering core, two existing sophomore-level courses were redesigned to include significant educational experiences in mechatronics design and prototype fabrication. Introduction to Design (ME-203) previously featured a 6-week student project in which teams of students would design and build an electromechanical device to accomplish functionality defined in design constraints provided by the professor. However, these devices were not mechatronic in nature. In the revised course, the objective is to evolve these designs to utilize embedded microcontrollers, sensors and actuators and achieve much more sophisticated functionality. To accommodate the anticipated increase in time required to complete such projects, the existing sophomore course Instrumentation (ME-204) was revised to incorporate learning objectives from the senior-level mechatronics elective courses. Further, 6 weeks of laboratory time from Instrumentation could then be dedicated to the aforementioned mechatronic projects. As such, both ME-203 and ME-204 have been integrated to form an eight-credit “Introduction to Mechatronics Design” course. This paper details the scope of this course, the specialized equipment developed for it and student project outcomes.     

Engineering education for mechatronics

This paper defines mechatronics, explains mechatronics philosophy, and describes characteristics of mechatronics products and systems. It reviews aspects of education and training for mechatronics and compares the two different approaches to engineering education: generalist engineering versus specialist engineering. It also examines the Japanese approach to product development strategies and mechatronics education and training. It also gives an overview of mechatronics education in higher education institutions across the world with a specific reference to a typical mechatronics engineering degree program. Finally it concludes that there will be an increasing need in the future for discipline-based mechatronics engineers     

机电一体化设备的故障维修特点及可靠性分析

在我国科学技术的迅速发展背景下,机电一体化设备被广泛应用到各个行业领域,对提高我国社会生产力起到了较好的积极影响作用.但是在机电一体化设备的使用过程中,很容易出现各种各样的故障问题,进而影响到机电一体化设备的正常运行,对我国人民的生产活动造成较大影响.面对这种情况,必须要做好机电一体化设备的故障维修工作,不断提高机电一...     

Mechatronics education in Turkey

In this study, the present situation of mechatronics education in Turkey and its development process are investigated. Although the term “mechatronics” was introduced into Turkish agenda in 1993, the developments in this field were very slow. It was not until late 1990s that mechatronics education in Turkey entered into expansion phase. Today in Turkey, although it is a little bit late, there is mechatronics education from high school level to graduate level. Limited number of students due to lack of technical personnel and infrastructure, theoretically dominated curricula, insufficient coordination among state, industry and university in mechatronics education can all be stated amongst the main obstacles of mechatronics education in Turkey. Nevertheless, the demand for skilled personnel in mechatronics field is increasing in Turkish Industry, which is entering into globalization process in recent years. Thus, it can be expected that a new perspective and acceleration will take place in Turkish vocational and technical education system with the advance of mechatronics education classes in all high school, vocational training schools, graduate and postgraduate schools levels.     

Mechatronics – More questions than answers

Since the introduction of mechatronics as an integrated and integrating approach to the design, development and operation of complex systems, there have been significant developments in technology, and in particular in processing power, which have changed the nature of a wide range of products and systems from domestic appliances and consumer goods to manufacturing systems and vehicles. In addition, the development and implementation of strategies such as those associated with concurrent engineering and the introduction of intelligent tools to support the design of complex products and systems has also changed the way in which such systems are conceived, implemented and manufactured.The aim of the paper is not however to attempt to address or answer specific questions as to the nature of mechatronics and its current and future standing as an approach to engineering design and development, but to initiate, provoke and stimulate debate and discussion on a range of mechatronics related issues, without necessarily attempting to provide answers or suggest new methods or approaches, relating to the future potential of and directions for mechatronics. In this respect therefore, while containing an element of review, the paper is intended as a discussion document structured around the author’s personal experience and perspective of mechatronics issues.Inherent to this questioning of the ways in which mechatronics may develop are the various attempts that have taken place over the years to provide a definition of mechatronics, either in the form of text or logo and whether these efforts have of themselves been a source of confusion as to both content and direction within mechatronics? In which case, might it be preferable for mechatronics practitioners to operate within their own particular context than to attempt to conform to a specific and overarching definition?Finally, it must also be made clear that in writing this paper that complete agreement with the reader as to the particular questions raised and comments made is neither sought nor intended.     

传感器与检测技术在机电一体化系统中的应用

通过对传感器及检测技术在机电一体化系统中应用状况的描述,指出传感器及检测技术作为机电一体化系统不可缺少的关键技术之一,在机电一体化系统中起着举足轻重的地位和作用,也是机电一体化系统完成自动控制和自动调节的关键环节。同时还对机电一体化系统中常用传感器的种类、功能、以及将来的研究、应用和发展方向做了简要介绍。     

Micro mechatronics and micro actuators

Micro mechatronics is the synergetic integration of both mechanical and electronic systems based on scaling effects in the micro world. A micro mechatronics system is expected to be the key component of the mechanical system, such as in electronic automotive technologies. Micro mechatronics requires the organic combination of micro devices such as micro processor, micro sensor, and micro actuator. Among the micro devices, the micro processor and micro sensor have been widely employed in advanced mechatronics products, but not the micro actuator. This paper surveys the state of the art of micro mechatronics and deals with micro actuators as new devices for micro mechatronics and advanced mechatronics, which play an important role in today's integrated mechanical products. Since micro actuators are still under development, the authors focus on micro actuators for further research and development in this paper.     

Mechatronics curriculum development at Philadelphia University in Jordan

Mechatronics system engineering has gained global interest in the past decade from the educational and industrial sectors. Several universities in the middle east have introduced mechatronics engineering for undergraduate studies. One of those pioneers is Philadelphia University (PU) in Jordan. This paper presents the mechatronics curriculum developed at Philadelphia University with emphasis on regional needs. The paper also includes comparisons among local and global curricula. It is concluded that there is a rising demand of mechatronics engineering studies in the middle east. Local mechatronics programs must establish strong ties to the local industry and cooperate with global partner universities in order to overcome obstacles such as lack of funded research and design centers.     

Using mechatronics in early design

This paper presents the results of integrating mechatronics into a large second year design course. Issues related to course objectives, implementation, costs and results from a curriculum perspective are presented. The systems developed for this course are the result of three years of system design and modification. The results of this paper demonstrate that for realistic costs and efforts, mechatronics can be integrated into a sophomore level design class that services approximately 300 students per year. Furthermore, results from the senior level capstone design course indicate that the use of mechatronics permeates throughout the students' career.     

Can agile methods enhance mechatronics design education?

This paper presents a study of the integration of agile methods into mechatronics design education, as performed at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. The chosen method, Scrum, and the context of the studied capstone course are presented.With the integration of Scrum into the capstone projects, an educational favorable alternative is identified, to previously used design methodologies such as more traditional stage-gate methods as the Waterfall or method or the V-model. This is due to the emphasis on early prototyping, quick feedback and incremental development. It still might not be the favorable method for use in large scale industrial development projects where formal procedures might still be preferred, but the pedagogical advantages in mechatronics education are valuable. Incremental development and rapid prototyping for example gives many opportunities for students to reflect and improve. The Scrum focus on self-organizing teams also provides a platform to practice project organization, by empowering students to take responsibility for the product development process.Among the results of this study, it is shown that it is possible and favorable to integrate Scrum in a mechatronics capstone course and that this can enhance student preparation for a future career as mechatronics designers or product developers. It is also shown that this prepares the students with a larger flexibility to handle the increased complexity in mechatronics product development and thereby enabling the project teams to deliver results faster, more reliable and with higher quality.     

A proposed approach to mechatronics design education: Integrating design methodology,simulation with projects

Mechatronics engineering graduates are expected to design mechatronics products with higher performance and lower costs. The success of a mechatronics engineering program is directly related to the structural design methodology, modeling and simulation, and the practical implementation of fully integrated physical systems. In this paper a mechatronics design education-oriented V-model was proposed to fulfill these requirements. The main idea behind our proposed approach aims to integrate various stages such as design, simulation and physical implementations in development of mechatronics product or system. Students are asked to first follow the structural design methodology to do the conceptual and further detail design for an open-ended problem, then to do appropriate simulation to verify the feasibility of the design, and at last to integrate all components and subsystems into a complete physical product or system. The V-model-related courses and structures were explained in detail, and project implementation experiences were described and discussed with the help of example student projects.     

A mechatronics control engineering class at Beihang University,China: Practicing and exploring

Due to the synergistic nature of mechanical engineering, electronic control and systematical thinking [1], the mechatronics education is regarded as a complicated and more demanding course characterized by the need of highly integrated ability with theoretical knowledge and hands-on experiment to solve proposed problems, and thus has drawn great attention worldwide. As one of the typical and innovative teaching modes in mechatronics in China, mechatronics teaching in Beihang University has formed a “One main line, Two links, Three practical points” mode and methodology, which emphasizes on the links and mapping relationships between theoretical teaching and practical teaching. After 6-year practicing and exploring, the course has made fundamental and systematic innovation achievements in the field with respect to class materials, teaching mode, teaching system. Several typical mechatronics projects proposed and achieved by students have verified the effect and innovation of the project based teaching mode and methodology.     

基于计算机技术的机电一体化数控系统设计

基于计算机技术开展机电一体化数控设计研究,可高效推动行业发展,提高行业效率,保证其综合性、完善性、科学性等。借助计算机技术的高处理性能,传统的机电一体化方案将实现创新发展。计算机技术不仅能重新整合机电一体化的架构,还能实现多技术集成,具有重要的研究价值。     

Mechatronics for the design of human-oriented machines

One of the topics of mechatronics is the design of "intelligent" machines, thus making them different from previous ones and allowing more sophisticated cooperation between humans and machines. Such machines are expected to emulate human skills and to communicate and interact with their human users on an appropriate level. The requirements for such human-oriented machines and the implications on their design will be discussed here. A number of examples from actual Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) research, ranging from nanomanipulation tasks and medical devices to a mobile service robot, demonstrate the application of the concept.