ABSTRACT
Summary
Mechatronics is a multidisciplinary engineering field which involves a synergistic integration of several areas such as mechanical engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, control engineering, and computer engineering. In this chapter the field of mechatronics is introduced, the technology needs for such systems are indicated, and some important issues in the design and development of a mechatronic product or system are highlighted. Technologies of sensing, actuation, signal conditioning, interfacing, communication, and control are particularly important for mechatronic systems. Intelligent mechatronic systems require further technologies for representation and processing of knowledge and intelligence, and particularly those technologies that impart intelligent characteristics to the system. The design and development of a mechatronic system will require an integrated and concurrent approach to deal with the subsystems and subprocesses of a multidomain (mixed) system. The subsystems of a mechatronic system should not be designed or developed independently without addressing the system integration, subsystem interactions and matching, and the intended operation of the overall system. Such an integrated and concurrent approach will make a mechatronic design more optimal than a conventional design. In this chapter, some important issues in the design and development of a mechatronic product or system are highlighted.
