Mechatronics

Application Overview

Mechatronics is a system-level approach to designing electromechanical systems that merges mechanical, electrical, control, and embedded software design. It represents an industry-wide effort to improve the design process by integrating the best available development practices and technologies to streamline machine design, prototyping, and deployment. National Instruments hardware and software provide machine builders flexible tools to design a mechatronics machine. This mechatronics design approach based on graphical system design can lower the risk associated with machine design and can offer the following three key benefits:

• Faster design prototyping and deployment of machines at lower cost
• Improved communication with customer and within the design team
• Increased innovation

The seven layers of a mechatronics machine include the following:

Design Software - With National Instruments LabVIEW easy-to-use, open graphical system design software, domain experts can design machine controls. NI LabVIEW interconnects with mechanical design tools, which means mechanical, control, and electrical engineers can work together throughout the design phase, reducing cost and increasing innovation.

Local HMI and Enterprise - With human machine interfaces and enterprise connectivity tools, technicians can interface with the machine and plant managers can get performance reports.

Embedded Controller - Engineers can implement more advanced control and processing algorithms requiring floating-point calculations on an embedded controller. They also can use it to run a trajectory generator for motion control and for alarming, logging, report generation, and communication.

FPGA - Field-programmable gate array (FPGA) chips deliver reliable high-speed control and measurements. Engineers can use FPGA to run PID control loops at up to 200 kHz for precise motion and actuator control. They also can run signal processing algorithms to produce meaningful results from collected sensor data for machine condition monitoring and predictive maintenance. Additionally, engineers can use FPGA to run safety interlock systems and for data reduction.

I/O Hardware - I/O hardware includes the I/O channels with isolation, signal conditioning, and connectors required for direct connectivity to the sensors and actuators.

Sensors and Actuators - Sensors and actuators encompass the motors, power drives, temperature, pressure and vibration sensors, limit switches, flow meters, encoders, and cameras required for machine measurements and function.

Machine Mechanicals - Machine mechanicals include linear and rotary stages, conveyer belts, pulleys, hydraulics, pumps, fans, buttons, and lights required for machine operation.

Refer to the system schematic on the top right-hand corner of the page for more details.