Mechatronics 98

Mechatronics, a synergistic combination of mechanical, electronic and computing engineering technologies, is a truly multidisciplinary approach to engineering. New products based on mechatronic principles are demonstrating reduced mechanical complexity, increased performance and often previously impossible capabilities. This book contains the papers presented at the UK Mechatronics Forum's 6th International Conference, held in Skövde, Sweden, in September 1998. Many of these high-quality papers illustrate the tremendous influence of mechatronics on such areas as manufacturing machinery, automotive engineering, textiles manufacture, robotics, and real-time control and vision systems. There are also papers describing developments in sensors, actuators, control and data processing techniques, such as fuzzy logic and neural networks, all of which have practical application to mechatronic systems.

Selected chapter headings and selected papers: Control and its Applications 1. Control of flexible assembly systems with a fault recovery capability (W.H.R. Yeung, P.R. Moore). Mechatronics in Production 1. Smooth trajectory planning for planar laser cutting system (M. Rodic et al.). Robotics 1. A flexible end-effector for robotized assembly (J.A.N. Loureiro, M.P.F.S. Gomes). Mobile Robots and AGVs 1. New workhorse for lumberjacks (P. Vähä et al.). Walking Robots. An intelligent mechatronic architecture for hexapod control (M.J. Randall et al.). Novel Sensors and Actuators 1. Control of piezo actuated mechanisms (J. van Dijk). Design 1. Mechatronic development environment for precision engineering (H. Grabowski et al.). Vision in Real-Time Control. A vision assisted mechatronic system for arc welding (L.G. Trabasso, C.E.F. Silva). Mechatronics in Non-Industrial Applications. Features of the lateral active pneumatic suspensions in the ETR 470 high speed train (M. Sorli et al.). Mechatronics Education. Training of experts in mechatronics in Moscow Bauman State Technical University (N.A. Lakota et al.). Calibration, Measurement and Inspection. Estimation of workpiece quality by using state observer (M. Shiraishi, S. Aoshima). Teleoperation. Development of an electropneumatic device for remotely sensed manipulation (C. Ferraresi et al.). System Modeling and Simulation 1. 3-D graphical simulation for agile modular machine systems (J. Adolfsson et al.). Author index.