Luh & Yang
#electro-mechanical systems
#dynamic systems
#instrumentation
#tuning
#control systems
#university
#design
#budget management
#hands-on learning
Description: The fundamental techniques for designing electro-mechanical systems are explored, with a focus on tuning and controlling dynamic systems. This course is specifically designed to engage the interests of various universities, as it requires students to construct the most costly components of instruments, ensuring that the instrumentation budget remains reasonable. The instruments covered include a basic PC-based spectrum analyzer, a motor driver, and speed/position controllers for motors. Experiments utilizing these instruments encompass the design of analog circuits, power electronic circuits, motor drives, dynamic system identification, and servo motor speed/position control. These experiments are tailored for mechanical engineering students to acquire essential electrical engineering skills, control experience, and instincts regarding dynamic systems. Feedback from students who participated in this course has been overwhelmingly positive, and many industrial companies find value in hiring graduates who have completed it. Modern mechanical engineers require a broader knowledge base that includes electrical engineering and computer science. Their work increasingly involves electronics, programming, electric machinery, and signal processing. Thus, a course that integrates these disciplines is vital for mechanical engineering students. A laboratory covering these areas should be established, with experiments designed to construct the necessary instruments. As students build these instruments, they will learn the fundamentals of analog/digital circuits, power electronic circuits, and signal processing. A standard block diagram of a motor control system serves as a reference. The experiment necessitates teaching students how to design an analog circuit, motor driver, identify the mathematical model of a dynamic system, and control such systems. Required instruments for completing this experiment include a controller, driver, motor, sensor, sensor conditioner, power supply, function generator, spectrum analyzer, and various smaller instruments. Through the process of building controllers, drivers, sensor conditioners, and spectrum analyzers, students will gain hands-on experience in designing, tuning, and comprehending the behavior of both component-level and system-level dynamic systems. Lab 1 covers basic operational amplifier (OP) circuits, including adders, multipliers, differentiators, integrators, filters, and buffers. Students will build each component to test bandwidth, functionality, and the performance of various operational amplifiers, taking care to avoid saturation conditions and unbalanced circuits. After testing each component, students will build an analog circuit to simulate the behavior of a mass-spring-damper system, ensuring that op-amps do not saturate during normal operation. Upon completion of this lab, students should acquire basic circuit design and tuning techniques necessary for constructing analog servo controllers. Lab 2 delves into power electronics theory. Students will study circuits involving transistors, MOSFETs, and SCRs. A linear drive for DC servo motors will be constructed, with students required to build and test the driver in three segments: the differentiation portion, the common emitter and common base amplification portion, and the Darlington amplification portion. The bandwidth of each segment must be carefully designed and tested to ensure overall circuit stability across all frequencies.
In the context of designing electro-mechanical systems, students will engage in a series of practical experiments that facilitate a deep understanding of the interplay between mechanical and electronic components. The course incorporates a hands-on approach, allowing students to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world scenarios. The integration of advanced topics such as signal processing and control theory into the curriculum prepares future engineers to tackle complex challenges in modern engineering environments.
The course structure emphasizes the importance of building and testing components, which serves to reinforce learning outcomes related to circuit design principles. For example, during Lab 1, students will not only learn to construct operational amplifier circuits but also analyze their performance metrics, such as gain, bandwidth, and stability. This experiential learning is crucial for developing a robust understanding of how these components function within larger systems.
In Lab 2, the focus shifts to power electronics, where students will delve into the intricacies of semiconductor devices and their applications in motor control. By constructing a linear drive for DC servo motors, students will gain insights into the practical challenges of designing efficient and reliable motor control systems. The emphasis on segmenting the driver construction into distinct portions allows for a modular approach to learning, enabling students to isolate and address specific technical challenges.
Overall, this course is designed to bridge the gap between mechanical engineering and electrical engineering, equipping students with a comprehensive skill set that is highly valued in today's technology-driven industries. As the demand for engineers proficient in multiple disciplines continues to grow, this course stands as a vital component of a modern engineering education.The basic techniques of designing electro-mechanical systems and to gain the knowledge on tuning and controlling dynamic systems. The design of this course should attract special interests of many universities becauseit actually requires students to build the most expensive part of the instruments so that the instrumentation budget would fit in a reasonable amount of money.
These instruments include a simple PC based spectrum analyzer, a motor driver and motor speed/position controllers. Experiments use these instruments include design of analog circuits, design of power electronic circuits and motor drives, identification of dynamic systems, and speed/position control of servo motors. All experiments are specially designed for mechanical engineering students to gain basic electrical engineering techniques, control experiences, and dynamic system instincts.
The responses from the students who took this course are overwhelming. Also many industrial companies found very useful to employ students who has taken this course. Mechanical engineers these days are different from the past. They need more knowledge in the field of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. The work they need to do also covers electronics, programming, electric machinery, and signal processing. A course designed specifically on integrating these fields becomes very important to mechanical engineering students.
We strongly feel that a laboratory that covers these fields should be designed. Design experiments to build the course required instruments. Students in the process of building these instruments can learn the basics of analog/digital circuits, power electronic circuits, and signal processing. Consider a standard block diagram of motor control system in figure 1. In order to perform this experiment, we need to teach students how to design an analog circuit, how to design a motor driver, how to identify the mathematical model of a dynamic system, and how to control a dynamic system.
Instruments required to complete this experiment are controller, driver, motor, sensor, sensor conditioner, power supply, function generator, spectrum analyzer and other small instruments. Students in the process of building controllers, drivers, sensor conditioners, spectrum analyzers and using these instruments to construct a control system can gain the hands on experience on designing, tuning and understanding the behavior of both component level and system level of real dynamic systems.
The contents of Lab1covers the basic OP circuits [2] including adder, multiplier, differentiator, integrator, filter and buffer. Students are required to build each components to test the bandwidth and the functionality of each circuit and the performance of different operational amplifiers.
Students should be very careful about avoiding the saturation condition and unbalanced circuits. After the test of each component, students are required to build an analog circuit to simulate the behavior of a mass-spring-damper system. In the process of constructing the simulation circuits, they are required to avoid saturating op-amps during the normal operation.
After this lab, students should learn the basic circuit design and tuning techniques to build an analog servo controllers. Lab2 covers the basic theory of power electronics [3]. Students are required to understand transistor, MOSFET, and SCR circuits. A linear drive for d. c. servo motors is constructed as shown in figure 2. Students should build and test the driver in three portions - the differentiation portion, the common emitter plus common base amplification portion, and the Darlinton amplification portion.
The bandwidth of each portion should be very carefully designed and tested so that the entire circuit would be stable at all frequenci
In the context of designing electro-mechanical systems, students will engage in a series of practical experiments that facilitate a deep understanding of the interplay between mechanical and electronic components. The course incorporates a hands-on approach, allowing students to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world scenarios. The integration of advanced topics such as signal processing and control theory into the curriculum prepares future engineers to tackle complex challenges in modern engineering environments.
The course structure emphasizes the importance of building and testing components, which serves to reinforce learning outcomes related to circuit design principles. For example, during Lab 1, students will not only learn to construct operational amplifier circuits but also analyze their performance metrics, such as gain, bandwidth, and stability. This experiential learning is crucial for developing a robust understanding of how these components function within larger systems.
In Lab 2, the focus shifts to power electronics, where students will delve into the intricacies of semiconductor devices and their applications in motor control. By constructing a linear drive for DC servo motors, students will gain insights into the practical challenges of designing efficient and reliable motor control systems. The emphasis on segmenting the driver construction into distinct portions allows for a modular approach to learning, enabling students to isolate and address specific technical challenges.
Overall, this course is designed to bridge the gap between mechanical engineering and electrical engineering, equipping students with a comprehensive skill set that is highly valued in today's technology-driven industries. As the demand for engineers proficient in multiple disciplines continues to grow, this course stands as a vital component of a modern engineering education.The basic techniques of designing electro-mechanical systems and to gain the knowledge on tuning and controlling dynamic systems. The design of this course should attract special interests of many universities becauseit actually requires students to build the most expensive part of the instruments so that the instrumentation budget would fit in a reasonable amount of money.
These instruments include a simple PC based spectrum analyzer, a motor driver and motor speed/position controllers. Experiments use these instruments include design of analog circuits, design of power electronic circuits and motor drives, identification of dynamic systems, and speed/position control of servo motors. All experiments are specially designed for mechanical engineering students to gain basic electrical engineering techniques, control experiences, and dynamic system instincts.
The responses from the students who took this course are overwhelming. Also many industrial companies found very useful to employ students who has taken this course. Mechanical engineers these days are different from the past. They need more knowledge in the field of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. The work they need to do also covers electronics, programming, electric machinery, and signal processing. A course designed specifically on integrating these fields becomes very important to mechanical engineering students.
We strongly feel that a laboratory that covers these fields should be designed. Design experiments to build the course required instruments. Students in the process of building these instruments can learn the basics of analog/digital circuits, power electronic circuits, and signal processing. Consider a standard block diagram of motor control system in figure 1. In order to perform this experiment, we need to teach students how to design an analog circuit, how to design a motor driver, how to identify the mathematical model of a dynamic system, and how to control a dynamic system.
Instruments required to complete this experiment are controller, driver, motor, sensor, sensor conditioner, power supply, function generator, spectrum analyzer and other small instruments. Students in the process of building controllers, drivers, sensor conditioners, spectrum analyzers and using these instruments to construct a control system can gain the hands on experience on designing, tuning and understanding the behavior of both component level and system level of real dynamic systems.
The contents of Lab1covers the basic OP circuits [2] including adder, multiplier, differentiator, integrator, filter and buffer. Students are required to build each components to test the bandwidth and the functionality of each circuit and the performance of different operational amplifiers.
Students should be very careful about avoiding the saturation condition and unbalanced circuits. After the test of each component, students are required to build an analog circuit to simulate the behavior of a mass-spring-damper system. In the process of constructing the simulation circuits, they are required to avoid saturating op-amps during the normal operation.
After this lab, students should learn the basic circuit design and tuning techniques to build an analog servo controllers. Lab2 covers the basic theory of power electronics [3]. Students are required to understand transistor, MOSFET, and SCR circuits. A linear drive for d. c. servo motors is constructed as shown in figure 2. Students should build and test the driver in three portions - the differentiation portion, the common emitter plus common base amplification portion, and the Darlinton amplification portion.
The bandwidth of each portion should be very carefully designed and tested so that the entire circuit would be stable at all frequenci
Instrumentation circuit
The mechanical chassis prototype, as illustrated in the accompanying image, was constructed using two materials: foam and aluminum. Foam was selected for its ease of manipulation, while aluminum was chosen for its excellent strength-to-weight ratio. The prototype features a rotary...
tune coil
Tuning a system is typically a challenging task. The user must power the system, observe the spark length, shut it down, adjust the primary tap, restart, and repeat this process until the spark length is optimized. However, using a tuning...