Last Generation Mechatronics: a Two-level Platform-based Reconfigurable Technology Approach

As is well known mechatronic systems currently being designed and developed are often difficult multidisciplinary undertakings. Based on the intrinsic coupling of different implementation technologies, efficient design of mechatronic systems is of primordial importance for development of next generation industrial products. This paper is focused to current and future technological trends aimed to improve the design and implementation processes of mechatronic systems in an increasingly harsh industrial environment. Special attention is dedicated to introduction of the two-level platform-based reconfigurable technology approach. This strategy efficiently combines major advantages of both the hardware and software platform-based development trends in modern mecatronic systems. In order to support the unfolded theoretical arguments a last generation and versatile mechatronic system development is presented and discussed in the paper. The mentioned trends can be used as rough orientation for future mechatronic systems research and implementation activities

A Proposed Learner-Centered Mechatronics Engineering Instructional Program

This paper examines the need and requirements for a mechatronics degree program. The results of a survey of the few existing programs in this field are provided. Then, using a case study example for Virginia Tech, a proposed mechatronics curriculum based on a learner-centered paradigm is described. The curriculum combines existing courses in mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering with new, hands-on courses to provide students with a chance to practice and explore the subject matter in ways consistent with the demands of both industry and accreditation. This program, if implemented, could provide a university with a unique offering to attract top students by better preparing them for the types of problems they will encounter in the modern world

Organizational Patterns for Multidisciplinary Development of Mechatronic Systems

The concurrent development of a mechatronic system by a multidisciplinary team requires an intense collaboration between disciplines (e.g. software, mechanics, and electronics). This way of working can encounter problems with: the collaboration and dependencies between disciplines and the integration of deliverables. These problems can lead to system integration issues and project delays. This problem statement leads to the following research question: 'Is it possible to formulate organizational patterns that can be used for the development and integration of a mechatronic system in a multidisciplinary environment developed concurrently?' The results of this research are new organizational patterns that provide practical solutions to counter these problems. It is the first time that these solutions are formalized and presented as an organizational pattern and integrated into the organizational pattern language of (Coplien & Harrison, 2005). This result can benefit a multidisciplinary team that develops a mechatronic system concurrently. It will make them aware of: a solution to their problem, when to apply it, the forces and trade-offs of the solution, and how the solution can be implemented. These patterns will empower a multidisciplinary team to approach the stated problems

Model consistency management for systems engineering

Um der Komplexität der interdisziplinären Entwicklung moderner technischer Systeme Herr zu werden, findet die Entwicklung heutzutage meist modellbasiert statt. Dabei werden zahlreiche verschiedene Modelle genutzt, die jeweils unterschiedliche Gesichtspunkte berücksichtigen und sich auf verschiedenen Abstraktionsebenen befinden. Wenn die hierbei auftretenden Inkonsistenzen zwischen den Modellen ungelöst bleiben, kann dies zu Fehlern im fertigen System führen. Modelltransformations- und -synchronisationstechniken sind ein vielversprechender Ansatz, um solche Inkonsistenzen zu erkennen und aufzulösen. Existierende Modellsynchronisationstechniken sind allerdings nicht mächtig genug, um die komplexen Beziehungen in so einem Entwicklungsszenario zu unterstützen. In dieser Arbeit wird eine neue Modellsynchronisationstechnik präsentiert, die es erlaubt, Modelle verschiedener Sichten und Abstraktionsebenen zu synchronisieren. Dabei werden Metriken zur Erhöhung des Automatisierungsgrads eingesetzt, die Expertenwissen abbilden. Der Ansatz erlaubt unterschiedliche Grade an Benutzerinteraktion, von vollautomatischer Funktionsweise bis zu feingranularen manuellen Entscheidungen.The development of complex mechatronic systems requires the close collaboration of different disciplines, like mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, control engineering, and software engineering. To tackle the complexity of such systems, such a development is heavily based on models. Engineers use several models on different abstraction levels, for different purposes and with different view-points. Usually, a discipline-spanning system model is developed during the first, interdisciplinary system design phase. For the implementation phase, the disciplines use different models and tools to develop the discipline-specific aspects of the system. During such a model-based development, inconsistencies between the different discipline-specific models and the discipline-spanning system model are likely to occur, because changes to discipline-specific models may affect the discipline-spanning system model and models of other disciplines. These inconsistencies lead to increased development time and costs if they remain unresolved. Model transformation and synchronization are promising techniques to detect and resolve such inconsistencies. However, existing model synchronization solutions are not powerful enough to support the complex consistency relations of such an application scenario. In this thesis, we present a novel model synchronization technique that allows for synchronized models with multiple views and abstraction levels. To minimize the information loss and improve automation during the synchronization, it employs metrics to encode expert knowledge. The approach can be customized to allow different amounts of user interaction, from full automation to fine-grained manual decisions.Tag der Verteidigung: 24.10.2014Paderborn, Univ., Diss., 201