Universal mechatronics coordinator

Patrick F. Muir

doi:10.1117/12.371178

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24 November 1999 Universal mechatronics coordinator

Patrick F. Muir

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Proceedings Volume 3832, Sensors and Controls for Intelligent Machining and Manufacturing Mechatronics; (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.371178
Event: Photonics East '99, 1999, Boston, MA, United States

Abstract

Mechatronic systems incorporate multiple actuators and sensor which must be properly coordinated to achieve the desired system functionality. Many mechatronic systems are designed as one-of-a-kind custom projects without consideration for facilitating future system or alterations and extensions to the current syste. Thus, subsequent changes to the system are slow, different, and costly. It has become apparent that manufacturing processes, and thus the mechatronics which embody them, need to be agile in order to more quickly and easily respond to changing customer demands or market pressures. To achieve agility, both the hardware and software of the system need to be designed such that the creation of new system and the alteration and extension of current system is fast and easy. This paper describes the design of a Universal Mechatronics Coordinator (UMC) which facilitates agile setup and changeover of coordination software for mechatronic systems. The UMC is capable of sequencing continuous and discrete actions that are programmed as stimulus-response pairs, as state machines, or a combination of the two. It facilitates the modular, reusable programing of continuous actions such as servo control algorithms, data collection code, and safety checking routines; and discrete actions such as reporting achieved states, and turning on/off binary devices. The UMC has been applied to the control of a z- theta assembly robot for the Minifactory project and is applicable to a spectrum of widely differing mechatronic systems.

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Patrick F. Muir "Universal mechatronics coordinator", Proc. SPIE 3832, Sensors and Controls for Intelligent Machining and Manufacturing Mechatronics, (24 November 1999); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.371178

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