Mechatronics

An Introduction
P.Thamilarasi
Associate Professor,
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Sona College of Technology, Salem
Mechatronics
A mechatronics engineer unites the principles of
mechanics, electronics, and computing to
generate a simpler, more economical and reliable
system.

Mechatronics is centered on mechanics,
electronics, computing, control engineering,
molecular engineering (from nanochemistry and
biology), and optical engineering, which,
combined, make possible the generation of simpler,
more economical, reliable and versatile systems.


The portmanteau "mechatronics" was coined by
Tetsuro Mori, the senior engineer of the Japanese
company Yaskawa Electronics corporation in
1969 and got trade mark in 1971.

An industrial robot is a prime example of a
mechatronics system; it includes aspects of
electronics, mechanics, and computing to do its
day-to-day jobs.
Levels of Mechatronics System
1. First Level
Introduction of Electrical Signal in mechanical elements
E.g. (Electrically operated) solenoid controlled DCV
2. Second Level
Introduction of micro electronics in mechanical products
E.g. Cassette players
3. Third Level
Introduction of embedded memory units, Application of
VLSI
Application Specific Instruction circuits ( ASIC )
4. Fourth Level
Intelligence and Fault Detection and Isolation ( FDI)

Machine vision
Automation and robotics
Servo-mechanics
Sensing and control systems
Automotive engineering, automotive equipment in
the design of subsystems such as anti-lock braking
systems
Computer-machine controls, such as computer
driven machines like IE CNC milling machines
Expert systems
Industrial goods
Consumer products
Mechatronics systems


Applications
Medical mechatronics, medical imaging systems
Structural dynamic systems
Transportation and vehicular systems
Mechatronics as the new language of the
automobile
Diagnostic, reliability, and control system
techniques
Computer aided and integrated manufacturing
systems
Computer-aided design
Engineering and manufacturing systems
Packaging
Microcontrollers / PLC's
Mobile apps
MECHATRONICS SYSTEM
The involvement of Mechatronics is called system. It has taken input and
output.

Measurement System
It is used to measure the quantity.


Control System
It has a definite control on the output. The output depends the control factor
Sensor
Quantity to be
measured
Quantity
Value
Signal
conditioner
Display
Unit
MECHATRONICS SYSTEM
CONTROL SYSTEM MEASUREMENT SYSTEM
MOTOR
Power i/p Rotation (o/p)
Control System


Simple Control System
Feedback Control System
a. Regulatory Feedback Control System
b. Following Feedback Control System
c. Servo mechanism
d. Continues data Feedback Control System
e. Sample or discrete data Feedback Control System
Open loop & Closed loop Control System
Sequential control system
Micro processor based control system
Automatic Control System

Elements of Control System Closed Loop
Comparison Element
It is used to compare the required value to the measured value
Control Element
It is used to decide the action to be taken when the error occurs in
signal
Correction Element
It is used to correct the controlled condition
Process Element
It is used to control the process
Measurement Element
It produces a signal related to the variable conditions of the process
that is being controlled.
Control
Element
Correction
Element
Process
Element
Measurement Element
Comparison Element
O/P
I/P
Constituent Elements of Control System
More complex, More cost and greater
chances of breakdown
Low Cost, reliable and simple in
construction
It has full control on the output. Dont have any control on the output
Closed Loop Open Loop
i/p
O/p








Switch
Electric
heater
Decision to switch on/off
Electric Power
A change in temperature
Switch
Electric
Heater
Measuring
Device
Rotation
of Shaft
O/p
Constant Shaft Speed
i/p
Comparison Element
Signal
Power
Control Element
Correction Element
Process Element
Measurement Element
Servo Mechanism
A servo mechanism is feedback control system used to control position or its
derivative.
It has the following essential features
1. It is a closed loop system
2. It is used to control position, velocity or acceleration
3. Its characteristics include
Automatic control
Remote Operation
High Accuracy
4. It has high power amplifying stages to operate the system from very
small error to signal
Sequential Controller
Block Diagram
-diagrammatic representation of a physical
system.
1. A functional block diagram is drawn to represent the
functions of the system
2. Then it is converted into a mathematical block
diagram by expressing the transfer function for each
block
3. Finally it is reduced to an equivalent simpler block
diagram for system analysis.

Mathematical Block Diagram
H(S)
G(S) R(S)
B(S)
+
_
E(S)
C(S)
Closed Loop System
R(S) Laplace transform of the reference input
C(S) Laplace transform of the output
H(S) Transfer function of the feedback
B(S) Laplace transform of the feedback signal = C(S)H(S)
E(S) Laplace transform of the actuating signal = R(S) B(S)
= R(S) C(S)H(S)
G(S) Laplace transform of the formed path
C(S) = G(S)E(S)
= G(S) R(S) G(S) H(S) C(S)
C(S)+ G(S) H(S) C(S) = G(S) R(S)
C(S) [1+ G(S) H(S) ] = G(S) R(S)





Hence the transfer function of the system

) ( ) ( 1
) (
) (
) (
S H S G
S G
S R
S C
+
=
) ( ) ( 1
) (
) (
) (
'
S H S G
S G
S R
S C
M
s
+
= =
Industrial Controllers
1. Two position or On- OFF controller
2. Proportional Controller
3. Integral Controller
4. Proportional plus integral controller
5. Proportional Plus derivative controller
6. Proportional plus derivative plus integral controller

Most industrial controllers use pressurized fuel such as oil
or air or electrical as power sources.

Consequently, controllers may also be classified according
to the kind of power employed in the operation, such as
1. Hydraulic controller
2. Pneumatic controller
3. Electronic controller.

However, the kind of controller to be used must be decided
based on the nature of the plant and operating conditions
including such considerations as
Safety, Cost, Availability,
Reliability, Accuracy, Weight and Size.
Basic Operations of a Feedback Control
Think of what goes on in domestic hot water thermostat:
The temperature of the water is measured.
Comparison of the measured and the required values
provides an error, e.g. too hot or too cold.
On the basis of error, a control algorithm decides what
to do.
Such an algorithm might be:
If the temperature is too high then turn the
heater off.
If it is too low then turn the heater on
The adjustment chosen by the control algorithm is
applied to some adjustable variable, such as the power
input to the water heater.
Feedback Control Properties
A feedback control system seeks to bring the
measured quantity to its required value or set-point.

The control system does not need to know why the
measured value is not currently what is required, only
that is so.

There are two possible causes of such a disparity:
The system has been disturbed.
The set point has changed. In the absence of
external disturbance, a change in set point will
introduce an error. The control system will act
until the measured quantity reach its new set
point.
The PID Algorithm
The PID algorithm is the most popular feedback
controller algorithm used. It is a robust easily
understood algorithm that can provide excellent
control performance despite the varied dynamic
characteristics of processes.

As the name suggests, the PID algorithm consists of
three basic modes:
the Proportional mode,
the Integral mode
& the Derivative mode.
P, PI or PID Controller
When utilizing the PID algorithm, it is necessary to
decide which modes are to be used (P, I or D) and
then specify the parameters (or settings) for each
mode used.

Generally, three basic algorithms are used: P, PI or
PID.

Controllers are designed to eliminate the need for
continuous operator attention.
Cruise control in a car and a house thermostat
are common examples of how controllers are used to
automatically adjust some variable to hold a
measurement
(or process variable) to a desired variable (or set-
point)
Controller Output
The variable being controlled is the output of
the controller (and the input of the plant):






The output of the controller will change in
response to a change in measurement or set-
point (that said a change in the tracking error)
provides excitation to the plant system to be controlled
Proportional Controller
Pure gain (or attenuation) since:
the controller input is error
the controller output is a proportional gain
) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( t e K t u s U K s E
p p
= =
Derivative Controller
Differentiation of error with a constant gain
detect rapid change in output
reduce overshoot and oscillation
do not affect the steady-state response
dt
t de
K t u s U s K s E
d d
) (
) ( ) ( ) ( = =
Integral Controller
Integral of error with a constant gain
increase the system type by 1
eliminate steady-state error for a unit step
input
amplify overshoot and oscillations
dt t e K t u s U
s
K
s E
t
i
i
}
= =
0
) ( ) ( ) ( ) (
PID Controller


In the s-domain, the PID controller may be represented
as:
In the time domain:
) ( ) ( s E s K
s
K
K s U
d
i
p
|
.
|

\
|
+ + =
dt
t de
K dt t e K t e K t u
d
t
i p
) (
) ( ) ( ) (
0
+ + =
}
proportional gain integral gain derivative gain
PID Controller
In the time domain:


The signal u(t) will be sent to the plant, and a new
output y(t) will be obtained. This new output y(t) will be
sent back to the sensor again to find the new error
signal e(t). The controllers takes this new error signal
and computes its derivative and its integral gain. This
process goes on and on.
dt
t de
K dt t e K t e K t u
d
t
i p
) (
) ( ) ( ) (
0
+ + =
}
Definitions
In the time domain:

|
|
.
|

\
|
+ + =
+ + =
}
}
dt
t de
T dt t e
T
t e K
dt
t de
K dt t e K t e K t u
d
t
i
p
d
t
i p
) (
) (
1
) (
) (
) ( ) ( ) (
0
0
i
d
d
i
p
i
K
K
T
K
K
T where = = ,
proportional gain integral gain
derivative gain
derivative time constant integral time constant
Controller Effects
A proportional controller (P) reduces error
responses to disturbances, but still allows a steady-
state error.

When the controller includes a term proportional to the
integral of the error (I), then the steady state error to
a constant input is eliminated, although typically at
the cost of deterioration in the dynamic response.

A derivative control typically makes the system
better damped and more stable.
Closed-loop Response
Rise time Maximum
overshoot
Settling time Steady-state
error
P Decrease Increase Small
change
Decrease
I Decrease Increase Increase Eliminate
D Small
change
Decrease Decrease Small
change
Note that these correlations may not be exactly
accurate, because P, I and D gains are dependent of
each other.
Proportional control
Let

The above plot shows that
the proportional
controller reduced both
the rise time and the
steady-state error,
increased the overshoot,
and decreased the settling
time by small amount.
300 =
p
K
PD control
Let

This plot shows that the
proportional
derivative controller
reduced both the
overshoot and the
settling time, and had
small effect on the rise
time and the steady-
state error.

10 , 300 = =
d p
K K
PI Controller
Let


We have reduced the
proportional gain because the
integral controller also reduces
the rise time and increases
the overshoot as the
proportional controller does
(double effect).

The above response shows
that the integral controller
eliminated the steady-state
error.
70 , 30 = =
i p
K K
PID Controller
Let




Now, we have obtained
the system with no
overshoot, fast rise
time, and no steady-
state error.
5500
, 300 , 350
=
= =
d
i p
K
K K
Summary
PD
P
PI
PID
PID Controller Functions
Output feedback
from Proportional action
compare output with set-point

Eliminate steady-state offset (=error)
from Integral action
apply constant control even when error is zero

Anticipation
From Derivative action
react to rapid rate of change before errors grows
too big
Effect of Proportional,
Integral & Derivative Gains on the
Dynamic Response
Change in gain in P controller
Increase in gain:

Upgrade both steady-
state and transient
responses
Reduce steady-state
error

Reduce stability!

Change in gain for PI controller
Increase in gain:

Do not upgrade
steady-state responses
Increase slightly
settling time

Increase oscillations
and overshoot!

Effect of change for gain PD
controller
Increase in gain:

Upgrade transient
response
Decrease the peak
and
rise time

Increase overshoot
and settling time!

Changes in gains for PID Controller
Conclusions
Increasing the proportional feedback gain reduces
steady-state errors, but high gains almost always
destabilize the system.

Integral control provides robust reduction in steady-
state errors, but often makes the system less stable.

Derivative control usually increases damping and
improves stability, but has almost no effect on the
steady state error

These 3 kinds of control combined from the
classical PID controller
Application of PID Control
PID regulators provide reasonable control of most industrial
processes, provided that the performance demands is not too
high.

PI control are generally adequate when plant/process dynamics
are essentially of 1
st
-order.

PID control are generally ok if dominant plant dynamics are of
2
nd
-order.

More elaborate control strategies needed if process has long
time delays, or lightly-damped vibration modes
Further reading
1. Bishop, Robert H., Mechatronics: an introduction. CRC Press, 2006.
2. De Silva, Clarence W., Mechatronics: an integrated approach. CRC Press,
2005
3. Onwubolu, Godfrey C., Mechatronics: principles and applications.
Butterworth-Heinemann, 2005.
References
Books
1. Bradley, Dawson et al., Mechatronics, Electronics in products and
processes, Chapman and Hall Verlag, London, 1991.
2. Karnopp, Dean C., Donald L. Margolis, Ronald C. Rosenberg, System
Dynamics: Modeling and Simulation of Mechatronic Systems, 4th Edition,
Wiley, 2006. ISBN 0-471-70965-4 Bestselling system dynamics book using
bond graph approach.
3. Cetinkunt, Sabri, Mechatronics, John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2007 ISBN
978047147981
4. James J. Nutaro (2010). Building software for simulation: theory and
algorithms, with applications in C++. Wiley.
Journals
1. IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics.
2. Mechatronics Journal - Elsevier