Stefan Williams March 2003

Mech 1540, Introduction to Mechatronics Assignment 1, Due 11th April (Tutorial on 10th April)
Note: This tutorial is worth 20% of the final course mark. You should spend approximately 2 hours preparing for the tutorial. The tutors will not assist you further unless there is real evidence you have attempted all questions prior to the tutorial. The tutorial is 2 hours. You should then need about 1 hour to complete the write-up (5 hours total for the assignment) for the tutorial. The completed tutorial should be placed in the appropriate assignment box on the 3 rd floor of the mechanical engineering building by the due date. Total marks: 20

1. For the systems listed in (a) to (f) below identify the: Time scales Degree of fle xibility Instruments used Actuators Market size (number of units sold) Operator interface Sample Systems: (a) Temperature regulation in a petrochemical plant. (b) Temperature regulation in a private home. (c) Motion axes in a machine tool. (d) Microwave oven for home use (e) Motion of the read-write head in a disk drive (f) Attitude control in a communications satellite Your answer should be in the form of a `Table of characteristics, with each row being a sample system, and characteristics listed across each row (please do not write an essay). [Marks: 7]

2. Consider the following two applications for two-axis XY tables: (i) the XY axes of a milling machine: 2m of motion in each direction, capable of being used to cut steel, 0.02mm precision. (ii) An XY table used for the inspection of integrated circuit wafers after manufacture: 10cm of motion in each direction, microscope/TV inspection, 0.3 m precision. a) Define specific numerical requirements for actuator power, speed and torque, for stability and vibration isolation and for position measurement repeatability and accuracy. b) Discuss and compare actuation options for these two applications and justify a choice of actuator and actuator configuration (how it is used) for each. Pay attention to issues such as cost, additional equipment (pumps, compressors, etc), maintenance requirements, smoothness of motion, available force, range of available speeds, and ease of doing closed loop control. [Possible options may include: Pneumatic cylinder, Hydraulic Cylinder, Ballscrew and rotary motor, Chain or belt drive and rotary motor, Rack and Pinion drive with rotary motor, Direct drive linear motor.] c) Discuss and compare position measurement options for each table and justify a choice of sensor. Pay particular attention to the location of the sensor, the required support and signal conditioning electronics, maintainability and cost. [Possible options may include, motor-shaft mounted encoder, table-mounted LVDT, non-contact laser position measurement.] Your answers should be as specific as possible (numerical values where appropriate) but also brief (bullets and key points, not an essay). You may refer to commercial products as examples, but please acknowledge any sources. [Marks: 6]

3. For each of the following applications: Continuous-cast hot-strip steel rolling mill http://www.steel.org/learning/howmade/concast.htm Robot for precision electronics insertion operations http://www.adept.com/main/products/ElectAssy/index.html Mining haul truck http://www.komatsumining.com/ Communications satellite attitude orbital control system (AOCS) http://uasat.arizona.edu/documents/presentations/WPR99/GNCWPR99.pdf )

a) Briefly identify the major components for these systems and the problem they are addressing. Specify design constraints for each system and generate a brief list of requirements. b) Discuss and then select possible actuators for each application (hydraulic, electric drive, stepper, etc). Pay particular attention to the appropriateness of the actuator for the environment, power, reliability, and accuracy. c) Discuss and select possible sensors for the primary control (position, force, etc) of each application. Pay particular attention to resolution, accuracy, environment and reliability d) Draw a simple block diagram showing the primary actuators and sensors you have selected, and show clearly their relation to the system of interest. Your answers should be in the following form: For each application, state what you think are the main requirements, in the form of a bulleted list. Then justify a choice of actuator by showing that your choice would best meet the requirements. Next explain what sensing needs to be performed (eg position measurement or temperature measurement, etc) and then justify a choice of sensor (eg an encoder, an LVDT, etc) to perform this measurement. Finally draw a simple diagram putting in elements such as the sensor signal conditioning, amplifier actuator, feed-back loops, etc. As always, please do not write an essay. [Marks: 7]