THE DEPT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AND AEROSPACE ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO
Spring 2003
MAE476/576 Mechatronics
http://www.eng.buffalo.edu/Courses/MAE576
PROFESSOR: Dr. Venkat Krovi
OFFICE: 1011 Furnas Hall, North Campus
CONTACT INFO:
Phone:
716-645-2593, x2264
E-mail: vkrovi(at)eng.buffalo.edu
WWW: http://www.eng.buffalo.edu/~vkrovi
Lab
WWW: http://mechatronics.eng.buffalo.edu
COURSE LOCATION:
LECTURES : Time: M W F 08:00 - 08:50 Place: 340C Bell
[view map]
LABS : Time:
R 12:30 - 2:00
Place: 810 Furnas [view map]
OFFICE HOURS: Mon & Wed 12 pm - 1 pm
I am available to answer questions via emails (usually in a few hours time).
TA: Mr. Chin-Pei Tang (chintang(at)eng.buffalo.edu)
Office: Furnas 1022 (ARM Lab)
Office Hours: Tue & Thu 2 pm - 3 pm
Mini-robot construction:
This book is highly recommended for its encyclopedic
treatment of the subject of mobile robots.
Electronics:
The only source for electrical and electronic circuitry that
you will probably ever need.
Mechatronic Interfacing:
Microchip PIC:
Mechatronics
has been defined as the synergistic integration of precision mechanical
engineering, electronic control, and systems thinking in the design of products
and processes. Competitiveness requires devices or processes that are
increasingly reliable, versatile, accurate, feature-rich, and at the same time
inexpensive. These objectives can be achieved by introducing electronic
controls and computer technology as integrated parts of machines and their
components.
Mechatronic
design results both in improvements of existing products (e.g. microprocessor
controlled coffee machines) as well as new products and systems, unachievable
by any of its elements alone (e.g. camcorders). In addition, advanced controls
can sometimes compensate for mechanical deficiencies, and/or permit the use of
less accurate and cheaper components. Examples of mechatronic systems include
robotic manipulators, aircraft simulators, electronic traction control systems,
adaptive suspensions, landing gears, air-conditioners under fuzzy logic
control, automated diagnostic systems, MEMS (Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems),
many consumer products from bread baking machines to VCRs, electric and
hybrid-electric vehicles, and motion control systems. These example systems all
depend on integration of mechanical systems, controls, and computers in order
to meet demanding specifications, introduce ‘intelligence’ in mechanical
hardware, add versatility and maintainability, and reduce cost.
A
key prerequisite in building successful mechatronic systems is the fundamental
understanding of the three basic elements (mechanics, controls, and computers),
and the synergistic application of these in designing innovative products and
processes. In this sense, mechatronics is to be contrasted with mechanical
design (where the ‘open-loop’ plant is designed without consideration of its
control), control (where feedback loops are closed based on ‘available’ models
of the plant), and computers (where controls are implemented in software and
hardware, as a mere result of the two previous elements). Although all three
building blocks are very important, mechatronics focuses explicitly on their
interaction, integration, and synergy that can lead to improved and cost-effective
systems.
The need for training of engineers versed in mechatronics and be capable of facing these new challenges is being recognized worldwide. This course responds to industry’s increasing demand for engineers who are able to work across the boundaries of narrow disciplines to identify and use the proper combination of technologies for optimum solutions to today’s increasingly challenging engineering problems. Understanding the synergy between disciplines makes the students better communicators and able to work in and lead design teams which may consist of specialist engineers as well as generalists.
MAE476/576 Mechatronic Design will emphasize the theory and
practice of hardware and software interfacing of microprocessors with analog
and digital sensor/actuators. The objective is to build a working familiarity
with microprocessor and electronic technologies needed in the design and
control of mechatronic systems. This course will cover the following broad
topics:
·
Analog
and Digital Signals conversion.
·
Digital
Logic, Circuits and Implementation.
·
CPU
Architectures.
·
Structured-language
and assembly level programming.
·
Digital
(parallel/serial) and analog input/output (I/O).
·
Interfacing
to external devices, sensors, and actuators and
·
Real
time Operating System Issues and Operator Interfaces.
The
goal of this course is to enable the students to:
·
gain a
more complete understanding of the theory and use of basic electronic devices
and electrical circuits.
·
learn
the basics of theory, operation, design and application of sensor and
actuators.
·
learn
the basics of architecture, programming and application of microcontrollers and
microprocessors.
·
learn
the theoretical and practical aspects of hardware and software interfacing of
microprocessors with external devices (circuits/actuators/sensors/other
microprocessors) to realize mechatronic systems.
·
explore
various alternative realizations of common tasks using a combination of
analog/digital hardware and software.
·
gain
experience and proficiency in designing and assembling simple mechatronic
sub-systems and systems.
See tentative schedule for a detailed list of topics
covered.
At an academic level, the prerequisites for the course
include familiarity with programming in at least one structured language
(BASIC, PASCAL, C or JAVA) and familiarity with the use of common electrical
circuits (e.g. RC circuits) and common electronic components (e.g.
transistors).
At a personal
level, the students are also expected to possess a readiness to learn, an
enthusiasm for getting their hands dirty and most of all perseverance. This
course has a strong design flavor emphasizing hands-on practical
implementations and open-ended/unstructured problems. Every effort will be made
by the instructors to structure the course to eliminate
ambiguities/uncertainties in the statement of the problem/requirements.
However, it is important for the students to realize that in many real-world
problems, there is no single "correct" answer. Additionally, hardware
implementation often requires a significant commitment of time and energy.
Hardware projects are notorious for being the most easily susceptible to
"bugs" and "defects".
One of the course objectives
is to help the students develop a range of solutions to a problem and exercise
their "engineering judgment" in order to select the "most
suitable" solution. The other course objective is to build up the
confidence and core competency of the students in both theory and practice of
microprocessor interfacing. These are skills that will be invaluable to every
student not only in later courses like "Design Project" but also in
real-life after graduation.
Students
who are unfamiliar or unsure about these requirements should discuss these
issues with the instructor prior to registering for the class.
The class consists of lectures on major topics
in electronics, instrumentation, actuation and sensing complemented by a lab
section in which small teams of students will configure, design, and
implement mechatronic subsystems. Lecture coverage includes microprocessor architectures, programming, digital and analog
circuits, sensors, actuators, communication protocols, real-time and operator
interface issues. Lectures will emphasize operational
principles, integrated design issues, and brainstorming associated with the
spectrum of mechanism, electronics, and control components. These lectures are supplemented by
labs aimed at building basic professional competence in the use of the material
discussed in the lectures by promoting hands-on practical implementation. The
lab section will consist of four more-or-less preplanned exercises in the first
10 weeks of the course leading up to a more open-ended final project. A
structured framework is provided to aid in success of the team during the first
portion of the course with a more open-ended final project building upon the
theoretical and practical aspects from the early portion of the course.
A short summary of the expectations from the teams, lab exercises and final project requirements is provided below:
Teamwork
The intent of this course is also to provide
the student with a cooperative working experience within a team. Students
obtain practical experience with the design process, and learn specific
technical topics covered in lecture and used in the project. During the first
week of class, each student will be asked to complete a questionnaire about
their technical background based on which the class will be divided into teams
of three students. Tangible intermediate deliverables for subsystems will be
due approximately every two/three weeks based on material learned in lecture as
well as implemented in the hands-on lab section.
Lab
Exercises
In the first part of the course there are four lab exercises
emphasizing different aspects of microprocessor interfacing which will be
performed by all the two-person teams. These are intended to foster basic
competencies among the students in the use of small microcontrollers like Basic
Stamps, PIC Microcontrollers and Handy Boards to perform tasks such as:
o
Interface
hardware devices like keypads/LCDs
o
Measure
analog inputs (using A/D) and digital inputs (using counters/decoders)
o
Control
the position and velocity of a D.C motor.
o
Implement
an Infrared Serial Link
Final
Project
The final class project will be the implementation of a
small mobile-robot with an extensive sensor suite. This project will be divided
up into a set of sub-projects of a size that can be accomplished by the
two-person teams as their final projects. Each team will be required to
implement one of these sub-projects using a PIC 16C71 microprocessor. These
final projects are more open-ended in nature and will require the students to
synthesize the knowledge gained from the earlier part of the semester. Special
emphasis will also be placed on modularity and the role of integration in
building the mobile robot.
Each student is required to send a weekly brief (5-10 sentence)
status report of their implementation efforts by email to the instructors while
cc'ing their teammates. This e-mail report will focus on the individual and
team's progress with respect to (w.r.t) the lab exercises (in the first half of
the semester) and w.r.t the final project (in the latter half of the semester).
On weeks when the report of a lab exercise is due, submission of the soft copy
(Word document) will be adequate.
A single report per group will be due roughly two weeks after
the lab exercise has been assigned. The lab exercises will be announced in
class during the lab section as well as on the web along with an exact
submission due date and time. Detailed instructions
regarding the format of the reports to be submitted are posted here. An example
Report for Lab 1 (written by one of last year’s groups with the “Documented
Source Code” sections deleted) can be found here – SampleReport.pdf
A single comprehensive final project report per team will be
due at the end of the semester. The exact due date for the submission will be
announced at least a month in advance, in class and on the Web, after
finalization of individual teams and their projects. Detailed
instructions regarding the format of the reports to be submitted are posted
here.
Each lab
exercise report and final project report should be submitted in two forms: a)
as a printed paper report and b) as a software copy. The software copy of the
document should also be e-mailed as an attachment directly to Professor Krovi (vkrovi@eng.buffalo.edu) in order to
facilitate posting on the Web site. (Microsoft Word is the preferred
word-processing software -- alternative arrangements may be made upon request).
No credit
will be given for late assignments (demonstrations or reports). Under special
circumstances, exceptions may be made, but only if prior arrangements at
least 3 days in advance of the due date are made with the instructor.
Late weekly emails will be given no credit.
There will
be no mid-term exam and one final examination. Each two-student team will be
required to submit a detailed report for each of the five lab exercises in
addition to a demonstration of completion of the exercise. For the final
project, an oral presentation will also be required in addition to the
submitting a comprehensive project report. Note that in addition to the
evaluation by instructors, a certain portion of the grade will depend on
"peer evaluation" of the oral presentation and demonstrations by members
of other teams. The tentative grading policy is as follows:
|
Lab Exercises (Submissions +
Demonstrations) |
40% |
|
Final Project (Oral + Report +
Demonstration) |
30% |
|
Final Examination |
30% |
Details of the actual grading of each Lab Exercise Report, the Final Project Report and the Oral Presentation will be provided when each task is announced. See the section on Lab Exercises for more details. Detailed instructions for formatting the reports to be submitted are posted here.