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Mechatronic system design: The ideal capstone course?

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 Proceeding of the 7th International Symposium on Mechatronics and its Applications (ISMA10), Sharjah, UAE, April 20-22, 2010

MECHATRONIC SYSTEM DESIGN: THE IDEAL CAPSTONE COURSE?

Lutfi Al-Sharif*, Ashraf Saleem**, Tarek A. Tutunji**

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

*Department of Mechatronics Engineering, University of Jordan, Jordan
**Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Philadelphia University, Jordan

ABSTRACT design course is a capstone course in which the student combines

A major focus of mechatronic engineering education is on the all the knowledge and skills that he/she has acquired and learnt in
design and analysis of integrated engineering systems. Therefore, the early years into one course. The new material taught in the
it is importance to develop a well-structured mechatronic system course heavily relies on all the previous material studied by the
design course for undergraduate engineering students. This student in earlier courses.
course can be considered as a capstone course that integrates vast
amount of knowledge and skills acquired by students throughout This paper outlines the approach taken within such a capstone in
their education. This paper presents an overview of a mechatronic delivering the material and ensuring the objectives are achieved.
design course contents. It also provides the appropriate method of The main difference between this capstone course and the
delivering the needed material through case studies and conventional capstone courses is the fact this course contains
examples.. theoretical supporting material that is delivered at the start of the
course to fill the gaps in the student’s knowledge, prior to
embarking on the project.
1. INTRODUCTION
Capstone courses find applications in many areas of engineering,
Most engineering universities offer engineering design courses such as engineering applications in biology and medicine [6,] and
within their curricula. Technology advancement and human needs electrical and computer engineering [7] as well as
have led to the integration among many engineering disciplines electromagnetic. Ideally, the capstone project should relate to
[1]. Therefore, preparing engineering students for an integrated real life as much as possible. In this paper, special emphasis is
design system approach is a critical goal. placed on the use of real life components and systems through the
use of datasheet. Some authors propose the use of real customers
Mechatronics engineering offers the perfect platform for such a [8], while others are using exciting futuristic applications, such as
design approach since it is an integrated discipline itself. Many the design of a lunar base as the subject of the project [9]. Some
researchers have published their experiences in teaching have studied the effect of prior industry experience on the success
mechatronics courses. of capstone projects [10].

In [2], a graduate design course was described. The course was 2. SYSTEM OVERVIEW
worked in a design lab experiments that led to a product. Details
for an undergraduate course was provided in [3] where authors
presented, evaluated, and discussed the guidelines for a successful At the start of the course, it is important to familiarize the student
mechatronics project class. In [4], authors showed that the with a general overview of a mechatronic system as a motion
inclusion of design competition within mechatronics education control system. A general overview of the components of a
provides motivation and creativity. motion control system is given to the student. For each
component of the system the student would either have gained
In [5], researchers described an undergraduate program that offers prerequisite knowledge in the prerequisite material or is expected
two core classes: Mechatronics and Mechatronic System Design. to complete the gaps in the theoretical material that he/she studies
The authors argue that an essential characteristic of a in this course prior to embarking on the project. This has a
mechatronics engineer is the balance between the beneficial effect of making the student appreciate the prerequisite
modeling/analysis skills and the hardware implementation skills. courses that he/she has studied and how they fit into the grand
scheme of things.
One of the most important courses invariably taught in
undergraduate mechatronics engineering programs is the
mechatronic system design course. The mechatronic system Components of a motion control system:

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 Proceeding of the 7th International Symposium on Mechatronics and its Applications (ISMA10), Sharjah, UAE, April 20-22, 2010

1. Power supply. of rotational inertia, torque and rotational acceleration and the use
2. Drive (variable speed drive). of flywheels in drive systems.
3. Actuator.
4. Mechanical interface to the load (e.g., gearing, screw, Simulation and Modeling: The student should have the skill
sheave, sprocket, belt, chain, rope.). necessary to write the differential equations for a physical system
5. Logic controller. and then arrive at the transfer function for it. The system should
6. Speed controller. at least cover the first three types of the following five systems:
7. Measurement systems and transducers.
8. Load: This is important part of the system that is a. Mechanical translational.
usually neglected within traditional courses. b. Mechanical rotational.
c. Electrical.
A general overview of a typical motion control system is d. Fluidic (hydraulic/pneumatic).
shown in Figure 1. e. Thermal.

Instrumentation, Measurement and Transducers: The student

should be familiar with the basic principles of measuring a
variable, the types of errors encountered in the process, how to
overcome errors and quantify them, the measurements of the most
common electrical variables and the measurement of physical
variables (level, temperature, flow, pressure, stress, strain, force,
torque, rotary and linear displacement and position.

Control Systems Engineering: The student should be familiar

with the basics of control theory, system stability and control
system design.

Actuators: The student should be familiar with the principles of

rotary actuators, such as the induction motor, the dc motor and the
stepper motor. It is unlikely that students have had any exposure
to linear actuators, and this will have to be covered within this
MSD course.

Embedded Systems: The students should be versatile and

confident with the use and programming of microcontrollers in
controlling real life systems.
Figure 1 Components of a typical motion control system.

3. PREREQUISITES 4. MATERIAL WITHIN THE COURSE

The course content and assessment is mainly based on two parts:

As this course is a capstone course, its real benefit is derived from
theoretical part that fills in important gaps that the student has not
the fact the students combine all the skills and knowledge that covered in the prerequisites and a project that allows the student to
they have acquired in earlier into one course and internal project. apply the knowledge and skills acquired.
The students are usually expected to have covered the following
items prior to embarking on this course: The specific area of control system design for real life
mechatronic systems has been the subject of another study of
capstone courses [10]. In contrast, this paper looks at the design
Electrical Circuits and Electronics: A good grounding in
of the complete system.
electrical circuits and electronics. Of special importance are the
skill of using op-amps for signal processing, and the use of
transistors for switching.

Mechanics (kinematics and dynamics): The student is expected to 4.1 Theoretical content
be familiar with the basics of translational and rotational
kinematics. The student should also be familiar with the concepts

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 Proceeding of the 7th International Symposium on Mechatronics and its Applications (ISMA10), Sharjah, UAE, April 20-22, 2010

The theoretical content should be selected in order to fill in any to allow the student to gain experience in selecting motors
gaps that are present in the student knowledge and skills. Their for three mechatronic systems.
ultimate aim is to prepare the student to undertake the main
project. This theoretical knowledge falls into the following nine 6. Controller physical implementation selection: The
areas: design of mechatronic systems involves the choice of the
controller. This is arguably the most critical decision in the
1. Engineering principles and the system approach: This design process. A vast variety of controllers are available in
is probably the first instance that the student is introduced the market. The four main controller groups that are
to the systems approach in engineering design. He/she also explained to students are: (1) programmable logic
learns the importance of system integration: understanding controllers (PLC), (2) microcontrollers, (3) digital signal
the interaction between all the subsystems with the large processors (DSP); and (4) computers.
systems and ensuring their compatibility. The student is
also introduced to a general set of engineering principles 7. Controller algorithm selection: Another critical decision
that help him/her through his/her engineering career. that the designer must make is the type of control algorithm
to use. Therefore, students are introduced to different
2. Review of mechanics and basics principles of drive control algorithms and how to select the appropriate one for
systems: The student reviews the basic kinematic and certain application.
dynamic basics and their relevance to mechatronic systems.
He/she should become familiar with the concept of stability 8. Mechatronic system design procedure: Knowledge of
as applied to drives and loads. sensors, actuators, controllers, and interfacing prepares
students for the design of mechatronic systems. Therefore,
3. Interfacing and switching: An important skill that student students should comprehend the procedure of mechatronic
should master within the area of mechatronic system design system design starting from analysis of customer
is the skill of interfacing the controller to the real life requirements and ending with simulation of the anticipated
system (e.g., the load). Students usually take the function of system. The following is a summary of the mechatronic
interfacing for granted without understanding its criticality system design procedure and stages that are covered in this
and importance. Within this course, students learn the course.
importance of the concept of switching (whether
electromechanical or electronic) and the importance of a. Stage 1: User and System Requirements Analysis:
paying attention to voltage ratings and current ratings in Typically, the Mechatronic system design lifecycle
switches starts with the user requirement analysis stage in order
to acquire the system’s specifications and
4. Transducer selection: This aspect is not usually covered requirements.
in a classical measurement and instrumentation course.
Students are given a brief review of the usage of sensors to b. Stage 2: Conceptual Design: A conceptual design
measure physical variables such as temperature, pressure, embodies the structure of the system, as perceived by
force, speed, and flow. Moreover, students should the user. This structure is a formulation of the
understand the differences among sensors within the same conceptual ideas to meet the requirement
category in order to appreciate relative strengths and specifications which are the results from the previous
weaknesses for each sensor type. Students should also phase. The input and goals of the conceptual design
comprehend the sensor characteristics such as sensor range, process form the requirement specifications to be met.
sensitivity, accuracy, precision, linearity, resolution, and It is always more expensive to improve a bad
frequency response. After reviewing these topics, students conceptual design than a bad detailed design,
should have gained enough understanding in the selection therefore this process is crucial and essential.
of the appropriate sensors to be used.
c. Stage 3: Mechanical, software, electronics, and
5. Actuator selection: This aspect is also not normally interface design: The mechanical design is crucial
covered in a typical electrical machines course. So the since it forms the skeleton of mechatronic systems.
students are reminded of the large range of actuators that The design can be supported by Computer Aided
are used in practice, whether rotary or linear and whether Design (CAD) tools which are widely available in
electrical, electromagnetic, pneumatic or hydraulic. This industry. During the mechanical design process,
course however, only covers the rotary electric actuators in control system should be evaluated and designed
detail, leaving the linear electric actuators to exercises and synergistically with the mechanical design. If optimal
case studies. The student must also understand the concept mechanical design is achieved, the designer should
of the speed torque curve for both the load and the move to select the actuators and sensors that can meet
drive/motor assembly. The two curves have to be matched the demand specifications. This should then followed
and the stable operating point is the intersection of the two by selecting the drive and conditioning circuits in
curves. He/she also must understand the condition for the order to interface the system components.
stability of the intersection point. Three examples are given

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 Proceeding of the 7th International Symposium on Mechatronics and its Applications (ISMA10), Sharjah, UAE, April 20-22, 2010

d. Stage 4: System Modeling and Simulation: In addition to applying the system design procedure studied in the
Mechanical, electrical and electronic components theoretical part, the students are required to select real
should be included in a mixed system model of the components from actual manufacturers’ datasheets.
plant. Initially, such a model should be fairly simple.
A linear time-invariant model with one input and one
5. CONCLUSIONS
output is often adequate at the initial modeling stage,
even for relatively complex mechatronic systems.
Once a plant model is available, simulation is used to The mechatronic system design course is one of the most
decide on the design specifications of the mechatronic important courses studied by mechatronics undergraduate
system based on the specification of requirements. students. It acts as a capstone course that integrates all the
knowledge and skills that the student has acquired in the early
years, and in many cases prepares him/her for the final year
e. Stage 5: Prototyping and testing: Once the model is
graduation project.
verified by simulation, the physical system prototype
should be assembled and tested in the lab. If the
prototype does not satisfy the design specifications, at This paper has presented an overview of the contents of such a
this stage the designer should check to see whether course and the appropriate method of delivery by the use of case
some modifications to the plant could yield the studies and examples. It is argued that such a design course
required results. requires a high level of integration between the various topics and
skills and thus requires a special approach in its content and
9. Case study: a detailed case study is covered with the delivery. It should also encourage the student to use real life
student on the design of a system, in which the design examples in to allow him/her to address and solve real life
procedure studied above is applied. An example from a problems.
robot or an elevator can be used.ch shows that the
controller was able to follow the desired profile. Prior to discussing the design process itself, selection criteria and
methodology for the main components are reviewed. The correct
selection procedures of the transducers, actuators, controllers, and
4.2 Capstone Project control algorithms for a mechatronic system are reviewed.
Moreover, a systemic approach to the design of a mechatronic
system is identified. The steps to be followed in such a design
As part of this course, students are given the task of designing process are detailed.
mechatronic systems. They are expected to work on a project in
groups of three to four students. A number of suggested projects
are offered to the students to select from. Each group writes REFERENCES
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