MAE 3780 - Mechatronics

Fall. 4 credits. Letter grades only.

Prerequisite: CS 1110/CS 1112 or equivalent programming experience, MATH 2930 and PHYS 2213, or permission of instructor. Enrollment limited to: M.E. majors. Other majors enroll in MAE 3783. Co-meets with MAE 3783.

B. Finio.

At the intersection of mechanical and electrical engineering, Mechatronics involves technologies necessary to create automated systems. This course introduces students to the functional elements of modern controlled dynamic systems. Topics include analog circuits - both passive and active components, filter design, diodes, transistors, MOSFETs and power amplification, pulse width modulation, transduction - mechanical and electro-mechanical devices such as electromagnetic systems, gear trains, optical encoders, discretization, aliasing, and microprocessors and programming. Lab experiments culminate in the design, fabrication, and programming of a microprocessor-controlled robotic vehicle, which laboratory groups enter into a class-wide competition.

Outcome 1: Students are able to apply Kirchoff’s laws to modern circuits and electro-mechanical devices. Students solve for the dynamic response of first and second order systems.

Outcome 2: Students perform experiments with electrical circuits containing modern components and electro-mechanical systems; laboratory reports are delivered for some experiments and the final project.

Outcome 3: Students design and construct a robotic vehicle that uses sensors to determine information about its environment. Each robotic vehicle system utilizes unique sensor configurations and software. The software controls a small microprocessor that the vehicle carries, in addition to a sensor suite, motor drivers, actuators, and battery pack.