MECHATRONICS: AN OVERVIEW

Mechatronics, the term coined in Japan in the 1970s, has evolved over the past 25 years and has led to a special breed of intelligent products.

Mechatronics is a natural stage in the evolutionary process of modern engineering design. It is the synergetic integration of mechanical engineering with electronics and intelligent computer control in the design and manufacturing of industrial products and processes.

Mechatronics is an interdisciplinary field, in which the following disciplines act together (see Figure (A) below): Mechanical Systems (Mechanical Elements, Machines, and Precision Mechanics); Electronic Systems (Microelectronics, Power Electronics, Sensor and Actuator Technology); and Information Technology (Systems Theory, Automation, Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence).

Prepared by Onipede Bamidele O. and Omole, Femi O. Prototype Engineering Development Infrastructure (PEDI), Ilesa, Osun State National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI)

Figure (A): Mechatronics: Synergetic integration of different disciplines

WHY MECHATRONICS? We have to ask ourselves, why is it so important for the Industry to keep the know-how of their employees and staff permanently up-to-date. Why should the Industry send participants for a short-term training program to a Centre of Excellence, with Trainers who are certified according to international and professional standard? The reasons are not far-fetched. I. i. Continuous learning. This is essential because: Product Lifecycle

Innovations and trends reduce the lifecycle of a product dramatically. Production systems have to be flexible to be able to react as fast as possible.

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ii.

Productivity

New trends and technological developments can increase the productivity and your standing in the global market. II. i. Automation technology. This is required because of Globalization

The global market requests for availability, quality, reasonable prices and services. ii. Productivity

Increase the Productivity by producing on a higher level of Automation. The key factors of Productivity are: Quality Time Costs

Mechatronics Training is important to be able to handle automated and networked systems. To do so a new way of thinking and acting is required Mechatronics. The technological parts which have to be handled are Factory and Process Automation.
Prepared by Onipede Bamidele O. and Omole, Femi O. Prototype Engineering Development Infrastructure (PEDI), Ilesa, Osun State National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI)

TYPES OF AUTOMATION There are two parts of automation processes in industry. Factory Automation This is the handling of solid workpieces through-out the entire manufacturing process, by means of which, in each step of the process, the shape, dimension, orientation and material is known. Process Automation This is the handling of all flowing materials, fluids or powdery, in manual or automated processes i.e. the production, transportation, treatment and disposal. Mostly closed loop controllers are used within the Process Technology to control pressure, level, flow, temperature etc. Figure (B) shows both Factory and Process Automation Setup.

Prepared by Onipede Bamidele O. and Omole, Femi O. Prototype Engineering Development Infrastructure (PEDI), Ilesa, Osun State National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI)

Figure (B): Factory and Process Automation Setup

MECHATRONICS STRUCTURE The training conception of Mechatronics is divided into three levels with the focus on technology and competence.

Prepared by Onipede Bamidele O. and Omole, Femi O. Prototype Engineering Development Infrastructure (PEDI), Ilesa, Osun State National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI)

BASIC TECHNOLOGIES The basic training technologies are: Mechanics Electrics/Electronics Pneumatics Hydraulics Sensorics Controllers Robotics CAD/CAM/CNC

IT

Partly Automation This represents the production process steps of: Storage/Retrieval Quality Transportation Processing Handling
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Assembly

Fully Automation This represents the interaction of the single production steps to an entire production process. The focus here is on: Installation and Commissioning Programming and Communication Maintenance and Trouble Shooting

Figure (C): Full Automation Setup

PLANNING AND DESIGN This is the process involved in the arrangement of the laboratory. The following points should be noted as a rule:
Prepared by Onipede Bamidele O. and Omole, Femi O. Prototype Engineering Development Infrastructure (PEDI), Ilesa, Osun State National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI)

 The laboratory should be symmetrical. No cables should lie around the floor naked. Good colour separation The laboratory should be beautiful and neat

INSTALLATION AND COMMISIONING Installation involves the coupling of all station, components and parts. The bringing together of all the separate units of any production line is called Assembly. Commissioning is the process of ensuring that all component parts are in good working condition i.e. sensors, switches, and connections. There are three types of commissioning: Pneumatic commissioning: to ensure good regulation of air pressure, absence of all leaks. Mechanical commissioning: to ensure the right alignment of all mechanical parts.

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 Electrical commissioning: to ensure good electrical connections of the wires and cables to the appropriate terminals. The driving voltage of the setup is 24 Volts. PROGRAMMING AND COMMUNICATION DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY: LOGIC GATES Logic gates are the basic building blocks of logic circuits and a computer. Mechatronic systems have a central computational element as well as specific logic functions implemented in hardware. A logic circuit consists of several logic gates working together. Logic operations can be subdivided into two categories, namely, combinational and sequential. In combinational logic circuits, the logic gates are used to produce an output based on instantaneous values of the inputs, whereas in the sequential logic circuits, the change in output depends on the present state as well as the state before the changes in input values, thus exhibiting memory behavior. Furthermore, the sequential logic circuits can be synchronous or asynchronous. When the output changes synchronously with a clock input, it is said to be synchronous. When the inputs are read as soon as there is any change in it, it is called an asynchronous logic circuit.

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There are three fundamental logic operations, namely AND, OR, and NOT functions. Other logic operations are derived from these fundamental ones. The AND gate symbol and its truth table are shown in Figure (D). Input A Input B Output Q 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1

Figure (D): Truth table and symbol for two input AND logic gate

The AND gate can have more than two inputs. Figure (E) shows an OR gate. Here the output is 1 when either of the inputs or both inputs are 1. Input A Input B Output Q 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1

Figure (E): Truth table and symbol for two input OR logic gate

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The OR gate can also have more than two inputs. Figure (F) shows an inverter, also known as a NOT gate. This gate takes one input and simply inverts the logic, that is, a 1 input is returned as 0 output and vice versa. Input Output 1 0 0 1

Figure (F): Truth table and symbol for NOT logic gate

Other common logic gates that are derived from these fundamental ones are NAND, NOR, and Exclusive OR gates. NAND gate is a combination of AND and NOT gates; NOR is a combination of OR and NOT gates, and Exclusive OR can be generated with a combination of OR, NAND, and AND gates. The logic functions and their implementation into hardware using gates is the basic building block of a digital computer.

PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES Programming languages for PLCs are described in IEC-1131-3 nomenclature: LDLadder Diagram

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 ILInstruction List (An Assembler) SFCSequential Functions Chart STStructured Text (similar to a high level language) FBDFunction Block Diagram

BIT, BYTE WORD PROCESSING IN MECHATRONICS BIT: The simplest form of data is one bit, which can take one of the two values 0 or 1, and hence is called binary data. All information in modern digital computers is stored in binary form. BYTE: A fixed number of bits (usually 8), which can be treated by a computer as a unit. One byte One word Q (B, W) = = 8bits 2 bytes = 16 bits

Output (Byte, Word)

In the PLC, the first byte is for the station while the second is for the control panel. PROGRAMS IN A CPU A CPU will principally run two different programs: The operating system and
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 The user program. Operating System Every CPU comes with an integrated operating system that organizes all CPU functions and sequences not associated with a specific control task. The tasks of the operating system include the following: Update of the process image table of the inputs and output of the process image table of the outputs Calling the user program Acquisition of interrupt information and calling interrupt OBs Recognition of errors and error handling Management of the memory areas Communication with programming devices and other communication partners

CPU reactions can be influenced in certain areas by modifying the operating system parameters (operating system default settings).

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User Program The user program can be created and downloaded to the CPU. It contains all the functions required to process specific automation task. The tasks of the user program include: Processing process data (for example, generating logical links of binary signals, fetching and evaluating analog signals, specifying binary signals for output, output of analog values) Reaction to interrupts Handling disturbances in the normal program cycle. Blocks in the User Program The STEP 7 programming software allows the structuring of the user program, in other words to break down the program into individual, self-contained program sections. This has the following advantages: Extensive programs are easier to understand. Individual program sections can be standardized. Program organization is simplified. It is easier to make modifications to the program. Debugging is simplified since separate sections can be tested. Commissioning of the system is made much easier.
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The program sections of a structured user program correspond to these individual tasks and are known as the Blocks of a program. Block Types There are several different types of blocks you can use within an S7 user program:
Block Organization Blocks (OB) System Function Blocks (SFB) and System Functions (SFC) Function Blocks (FB) FBs are blocks with a "memory" which can be programmed by the user. Functions (FC) Instance Data Blocks (Instance DB) Data Blocks (DB) FCs contain program routines for frequently used functions. Instance DBs are associated with the block when an FB/SFB is called. They are created automatically during compilation. DBs are data areas for storing user data. In addition to the data that are assigned to a function block, shared data can also be defined and used by any blocks. Brief Description of Function OBs determine the structure of the user program. SFBs and SFCs are integrated in the S7 CPU and allow the access to some important system functions.

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OBs, FBs, SFBs, FCs, and SFCs contain sections of the program and are therefore also known as Logic Blocks. The permitted number of blocks per block type and the permitted length of the blocks is CPU-specific. Organization Blocks (OBs) represent the interface between the operating system and the user program. They are called by the operating system; and control cyclic and interrupt-driven program execution, startup behavior of the PLC and error handling. Organization Blocks can be programmed to determine CPU behaviour. STRUCTURAL PROGRAMMING The entire user program can be written in OB1 (linear programming). This is only advisable with simple programs written for the S7-300 CPU and requiring little memory. Complex automation tasks can be controlled more easily by dividing them into smaller tasks reflecting the technological functions of the process. These tasks are represented by corresponding program sections, known as the Blocks (Structured Programming).

Let the programming begin!

Prepared by Onipede Bamidele O. and Omole, Femi O. Prototype Engineering Development Infrastructure (PEDI), Ilesa, Osun State National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI)

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