7.机器人与机电一体化.doc

Mechatronics (机电一体化技术) 1 A blend of mechanics and electronics, mechatronics has come to mean the synergistic use of precision engineering, control theory, computer science, and sensor and actuator technology to design improved products and processes. 2 The standard clothes dryer is typically controlled by a mechanical timer. The user adjusts the timer according to the size and dampness of the load. If the timing device is not set properly, the drying cycle may be too short and the laundry may come out wet, or the machine could run long and waste energy. 3 A clothes dryer, however, might be fitted with a sensor-based feedback system that lets the machine measure the moisture content of the fabrics or the exhaust air, and turn itself off when the load is dry. Operating performance is enhanced and energy use is lowered as a result. The redesigned dryer might even be cheaper to buy, depending mainly on the cost of the components that comprise the electromechanical control system. 4 The computer disk drive, such as Cheetah from Seagate Technology, is one of the best examples of mechatronic design because it exhibits quick response, precision, and robustness. 5 Many U.S.-trained design engineers would say that the improved dryer is the result of up-to-date but conventional design practices. A reliable yet relatively inaccurate mechanical device was replaced by a smarter electronic control. In much of the rest of the world, however, design engineers would say that the dryer redesign followed the principles of mechatronics. 6 Mechatronics is nothing new; it is simply the application of the latest techniques in precision mechanical engineering, controls theory, computer science, and electronics to the design process to create more functional and adaptable products. This, of course, is something many forward-thinking designers and engineers have been doing for years. 7 The vaguely awkward word was first coined in Japan some 30 years ago. Since then,