1、英 文 翻 译 INTRODUCTION TO MECHATRONICS 1: What Is Mechatronics? Michatronics is a term coined by the Japanese to describe the integration of mechanical and electronics engineering. The concept may seem to be anything but new ,since we can all look around us and see a myriad of products that utilize bo
2、th mechanical and electronic dis- cipplines. Mechatronics,however ,specifically refers to a multidisciplined ,integrated approach to product and manufacturing system design .It represents the next generation of machines, robots ,and smart mechanisms necessary for carrying out work in a variety of en
3、vironments- primarily ,factory automation ,office automation ,and home automation as show in Figure 1. By both implication and application ,mechatronics represents a new level of integration for advanced manufacturing technology and processes .The intent is to force a multidisciplinary approach to t
4、hese syetems as well as to reemphasize the role of process understanding and control .This mechatronic approach is currently speeding up the already-rapid Japanese process for trasforming ideas into products . Currently ,mechatronics describes the Japanese practice of useing fully intefrated teams o
5、f product designers ,manufactring, purchasing, and marketing personnel acting in concert with each other to design both the product and the manufacturing syestem. The Japanese recognized that the future in producdtion innovation would belong to those who learned how to optimize the marriage beween e
6、letronic and mechanical systems.They realized,in particular ,that the need for this optimizatong would be most intense in application of advanced manufacturing and production systems where artificial intelligence ,expert systems ,smart robots, and advanced manufacturing technology systems would crea
7、te the next generation of tools to be used in the factory of the future. From the very beginnings of recorded time ,mechanical systems have found their way into every aspect of our society .Our simplest mechanisms ,such as gears ,pulleys, springs,and wheeles. have provided the basis for our tools .O
8、ur electronics technology,on the other hand ,is completely twentieth-century ,all of it created within the past 75 years. Until now ,electronics were included to enhance mechanical systems performance ,but the emphasis remained on the mechanical product .There had never been any master plan on how t
9、he integration would be done .In the past ,it had been done on a case -by-case basis .More recently ,however,because of the overwhelming advances in the world of electronics and its capability to physically simplify mechanical configurations ,the technical community began to reassess the marriage be
10、tween these two disciplines. The most obvious trend in the direction of mechatronic innovation can be observed in the automobile industry .There was atime when a car was primarily a mechanical marvel with a few electronic appendages. First came the starter motor ,and then the generator ,each making
11、the original product a bit better than it was before .Then came solid-state electronics,and suddenly the mechanical marvel became an electro-mechanical marvel .Todays machine is controlled by microprocessors ,built by robots ,and fault-an-alyzed by a computer connected to its external interface conn
12、ector. Automotive mechanical engineers are no longer the masters of their creations. The process that describes the evolution of the autimibile is somewhat typical of other productds in our society.Electronics has repeatedly improved the performance of mechanical systems ,but that innovation has bee
13、n more by serendipity than by design .And that is the essence of mechatronica the preplanned application of ,and the efficient integration of,mechanical and electronics technology to create an optimum product. A recent U.S. Department of Commerce report entitled JTECH Panel Report on Mechatronics in
14、 Japancompared U.S and Japanese research and development trends in specific areas of mechatronics technology.Except for afew areas ,the technology necessary to accomplish the development of the next generation of systems embodying the principles of mechatronics is fully within the technological reac
15、h of the Japanede . Comparisons were made in three categories :basic research ,asvanced development, and product implementation.Except for machine vision and software ,Japanese basic research was comparable to the United States,with the Japanese closing in fase on macchine vision system technology.
16、Japanese artificial intelligence research is falling behind ,primarily because the Japanese do not consider it an essential ingredient of their future systems ,they appear capable of closing even that gap,if required .In the advanced development and product implementation areas,Japan is equal to or
17、better than the United States,and is continuing to pull ahead at this time . The Department of Commerce report concleuded that Japan is maintaining itsposition and is in some cases gaining ground over the United States in the application of mechatronics .Their progress in mechatrinics is important b
18、ecause it addresses the very means for next generation of data -driven advanced design and manufacturing technology. In fact ,the Department of Commerce repert cincludes that this has created a regenrative effect on Japans manufacturing industries. TO clese the gap ,we will need to go much further t
19、han creating new tools .If we accept the fact that mechanical systems optimally coupled with eletronics components will be the wave of the future ,then we must also understand that the pipple effect will be felt all the way back to the university,where we now keep the two disciplines of mechanics an
20、d eletronics separated and allow them to meet only in occasional overview sessions .New curricula must be create fir a new hybrid engineer a mechatronics engineer .Only then can we be assured that future generations of product designers and manufactuiing engineers will full seek excellence in these
21、new techniques. We need to rethink our present day approach of separating our engineering staffs both and from each other and from the producting engineers .Living together and communicating individual knowledge will be the key to optimum designs and new product development . The definition of mecha
22、tronics is much more significant than its combined words imply . It can physically turn engineering and manufacturing upside down. It will change the way we design and produce the next generating of high technology products.The nation that fully implements the rediments of mechatronics and vigorouse
23、ly pursues it will lead the word to a new generation of technology innovation with all its profound implications. 2.Benefits Of Mechatronics Mechatronics may sound like utopia to many product and manufacturing managers it is often presented as the solution to nearly all of the problems in manufactur
24、ing . In particular ,it promises to increase productivity in the factory dramatically.Design changes are easy with extensive use of mechatronic elements such as CAD； CAP and MIS systems help in scheduling ； and flexible manufacturing systems ,computer-aided design ,and computer integrated manufactur
25、ing equipment cut turnaround time for manufacturing .These subsystems minimize production costs and greatlu increase equipment utilization .Connections from CAE,CAD, and CAM help create designs that are economical to manufacture ；cintrol and communications are improved,with minimal paper flow； and CAM equipment minimizes time loss due to setup and materials handling.
