A model-based design methodology for the development of mechatronic systems

The development of mechatronic systems involves the use of multiple disciplines, from mechanical engineering to electronics engineering and computer science.Traditionally, every discipline was developed independently and then integrated to generate the final system. However, high-quality designs cannot be achieved without simultaneously considering all the engineering disciplines. This integrated approach carries an intrinsic complexity into system design process and numerous researches are on-going in order to find out optimal methods. This article illustrates a methodology based on Model-Based System Engineering to support the integrated development of complex mechatronic devices. The main contribution is the introduction of a design methodology based on the W model and the identification of SysML as the tool to support the whole process.This method will also address the problem of “devices interchangeability”, that means the possibility to develop the functionality of a system with different operation principles, at a very early stage of the development process (i.e. during the conceptual development). To achieve this goal, the methodology treats the problem of linking the conceptual with executable models to enable the validation by simulation.Main advantages of this methodology are in providing, to the mechatronic systems designers, a fixed schedule which does not limit their intuition and reduces complexity through a hierarchical approach. The process has been tested through the rationalization of the choices that have brought to the current solution of the filling system of an automatic filling machine for liquid foodstuff.     

A mixed-signal demodulator for a low-complexity IR-UWB receiver: Methodology, simulation and design

This works presents an integrated CMOS 2-PPM demodulator based on a switched capacitor network for an energy detection impulse-radio UWB receiver. The circuit has been designed using a top-down methodology that allows to discover the impact of low-level non-idealities on system-level performance. Through the use of a mixed-signal simulation environment, performance figures have been obtained which helped evaluate the influence at system level of the non-idealities of the most critical block. Results show that the circuit allows the replacement of the ADC typically employed in energy detection receivers and provides about infinite equivalent quantization resolution. The demodulator achieves 190 pJ/bit at 1.8 V.     

A quad-rotor system for driving and flying missions by tilting mechanism of rotors: From design to control

This article presents the hybrid design and control of a quad-rotor system called Flymobile. Flymobile is a combined system of a mobile robot and a quad-rotor system aimed to perform both flying and driving tasks. Flymobile performs flying tasks in the same way as conventional quad-rotor systems while the tilting mechanism of each rotor allows Flymobile to navigate in its terrain for a driving task. The body frame with rotors is implemented by a calibration process through a test-bed equipped with a force sensor. The triangular wheel frame is designed to mimic motions of a mobile robot with three passive wheels. Sensor data of a gyro and an accelerometer are filtered and used for controlling the attitude of the system. Focusing on a practical approach of implementing a hybrid system, a non model-based approach is applied to control Flymobile. Experimental studies are demonstrated to show the feasibility of performing both driving and flying missions.