 |
 Mechatronics and more
Welcome to the new Mechatronic Design e-newsletter, an information
source for engineers involved in interdisciplinary design. This is the
second of four introductory mailings, during which time you must sign up
to continue receiving the newsletter.
This also happens to be September 11th, a day that our perception of
the world forever changed. To honor those lives lost in the war on
terror and to thank those defending our freedom and safety, we offer a
silent tribute. The graphic (which ran in Motion System Design a
month after the attack on America) says it all. We did not ask for this
responsibility, but for future generations, we must complete it.
-- Larry Berardinis
 Hollow
actuator precision
Many precision applications are moving away from actuators with
multistage gearsets and belts, toward integrated motor mechanisms. One
option is hollow rotary actuators; these make things easier on controls,
because they closely follow commanded triangular velocity-versus-time
waveforms ... here, think reduced vibration and minimized position
overshoot.
 Simulating
for Mechatronics
Modern simulation software lets engineers spot electromechanical
problems long before they get to the stage of real hardware.
Though the term mechatronics was coined back in 1969, it is
still tough to find easy-to-use electromechanical design tools that
enable design optimization across engineering disciplines.
Smart
Motion Makes For A Smarter Design
If it moves, jumps, rotates, or vibrates, it usually contains a
motor. Electric motors come in all types of devices, from tiny hard-disk
drives to hybrid vehicles to locomotives. Intelligent motor control can
be employed over this wide range of devices, delivering improved
efficiency, longer life, and better fault control compared to simply
applying power to a motor. Key to greater use of intelligent
motor-control systems are low-cost microcontrollers and
digital-signal-processing chips that target this market.
 Virtually
perfected
Simulating moving designs is easier and more useful than ever.
Picture a classic four-bar mechanism. With a basic spreadsheet, some
knowledge of complex numbers, and input information, you might plot
output acceleration and speed in a couple hours. But what if geometry
changes, or the full three-dimensional situation needs analysis? Here,
kinematics software makes building models infinitely easier. Increased
connectivity is even allowing the placement of specific component
profiles into models, and VRML and OpenHSF web viewing. And if our
supposed one-degree-of-freedom system might actually be deforming under
load, finite element analysis (FEA) can make our model highly realistic.
 A/d converter offers 16-bit
output
The ADS-939 a/d converter is a data acquisition system that converts
0 to −5.5V signals (±2.75 bipolar) to 16-bit equivalents at
10 MHz (sampling rate) over the entire operating range. It also
maintains a signal-to-noise ratio of 82 dB and total harmonic distortion
of −86 dB at the Nyquist input frequency. On-chip functions
include a sample-hold amplifier, sub-ranging a/d converter, internal
reference, timing/control logic, error-correction circuitry, and TTL
I/Os. The device operates from ±5V, ±12V, and ±15V
supplies dissipating 1.5 W and is rated from −55 to 125°C.
 Announcing
NI LabVIEW 8.5 - Build Machines Faster, Build Faster Machines
Benefit from the higher performance and reliability of technologies
such as FPGAs with National Instruments LabVIEW 8.5 software. Build
machines faster and at a lower cost with graphical programming and
reconfigurable I/O. Develop next-generation production machines with
control and throughput requirements beyond the capabilities of PLCs.
 Brushing
up on inertia
One thing mechatronics does is concurently match the control
math-models of a system's inertia to the physical component inertias.
Here we review the basics of that essential property of physical matter.
|
|
|
