Mechatronic systems for machines and automobiles

Summary form only given. The synergetic integration of mechanical processes, microelectronics and information processing opens new possibilities for process design as well as for automatic control. The solution of tasks within mechatronic systems is performed on the process side and the digital-electronic side. As the interrelations during the design play an important role, engineering must be simultaneous from the very beginning. Mechatronic systems are developed for mechanical elements, machines, vehicles and precision mechanic devices. The integration of mechatronic systems can be performed by the components (hardware-integration) and by information processing (software-integration). The information processing consists of low-level and high-level feedback control, supervision and diagnosis and general process management. Special signal processing, model based and adaptive methods are applied. With the aid of a knowledge base and inference mechanisms mechatronic systems with increasing intelligence will be developed. The main goals are to increase systems performance, reliability and economy, and production costs. Some examples for the development of mechatronic systems are shown, e.g. active damping of oscillations of mechanical drives, hydraulic pipes and vehicle suspensions, control of machine tools with force reconstruction, smart actuators and supervision and fault diagnosis for automobiles.