ABSTRACT

In recent years, products of every type, from the humble toaster to motor vehi­ cles, have become increasingly more complex. Indeed, it can be argued that modern engineering products are typified by their complexity. There are many reasons for this change, but the two key factors are the competitive nature of the global market and the advent of small and inexpensive microprocessors and microcontrollers. By embedding microprocessors, microcontrollers and other related devices such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and digital signal processors (DSPs), it has been possible to dramatically increase the performance of a wide range of engineering systems and has led to the concept of the mechatronic product. Indeed, it is now commonplace to see what were once purely mechanical or electro-mechanical products incor­ porating microprocessors and the associated software. In many cases, this change has been evolutionary, with software based control and monitoring enhancing functions one by one while in others it has led to the development of entirely new products. However, the penalty is often an extremely complex system that is difficult for any single individual to fully comprehend.