Development of an Undergraduate Curriculum in
Mechatronics Systems Engineering
Tai-Ran Hsu
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
San Jose State University
San Jose, California, USA
ABSTRACT
The Mechanical Engineering Program at the San Jose State University (SJSU), located in the hub of
the world renown Silicon Valley, has recently completed a three-year project in developing a
mechatronics systems engineering curriculum stem in its undergraduate curriculum. This
development is the first and still the only such case in this country. This paper will deal with our
experience in developing such unique curriculum at the undergraduate level. Also included are the
strategies in initiating, developing and implementing this new curriculum in an existing mechanical
engineering program.
1.
Introduction
The term “Mechatronics” was first adopted by bureaucrats at the Ministry of International Trades
and Industry (MITI), Japan in the early 1970s [1]. This term was used to describe a new crop of
products such as auto-focus cameras that the Japanese industry was developing for the global
market at the time. The word “mechatronics” adequately described the principal mechanical and
electronics components that were involved in these products. Mechatronics has since become a
distinct but popular engineering discipline in Japan and other Asian Pacific countries. However, it
was not until in the late 1980s that the term “mechatronics” made its debut in the engineering
community in this country.
Despite the slow adoption of the term of Mechatronics by the industry and academe in this country,
many institutions had offered related mechatronics courses in “controls” and “computer-integrated
manufacturing systems” (CIMS) at post graduate levels for decades. The adoption of the popular
term of mechatronics in this country in the last decade has prompted much debates among engineers
and academicians on its proper definition and scope. Many view mechatronics as an engineering
“process” but many others recognize it only as an emerging “technology”. Some believe that
mechatronics is nothing more than intelligent controls of machines and processes, yet some others
believe it involves “the application of complex decision making to operation of physical systems”
[2], without considering the design and manufacture of hardware to deliver this process. There have
been literary dozens of different definitions of mechatronics proposed by various engineers and
researchers [3].
I have summarized several of the current definitions of mechatronics and have offered my own
definition as follows: “Mechatronics is an engineering process that involves the design and
manufacture of intelligent products or systems involving hybrid mechanical and electronic
functions”. The word “intelligent” in the above definition distinguishes Mechatronics systems from
the commonly known electromechanical devices or systems.
It is thus proper to view
“Mechatronics systems to be an intelligent electromechanical system” in short. The scope of
mechatronics has thus been significantly broadened by the above definitions as illustrated in Fig. 1.
With this definition, we may view “Mechatronics” either as an engineering process that involves the
use of mechatronic tools, or as a technology that is used to produce mechatronics products.
The same reference [3] also presents the industrial products that fit in the above definition and the
industries that produce them. One may readily appreciate the fact that “mechatronics” products are
inseparable from human lives in a modern society, and that mechatronics technology has become
the backbone of a nation’s economic well being.
Mechatronics education in higher educational institutions in the US has been sporadic and is
primarily confined to distinct courses in controls and CIMS offered at the graduate level. This
situation is clearly in contrast to what has happened in Japan and other Asian Pacific countries in
which distinct mechatronics engineering departments have been in existence for decades. The same
has happened in some European countries in recent years.
A recent article [4] has provided a
survey of mechatronics educational programs offered by academic institutions around the world.
The need for formalized mechatronics education in the US is thus real, and in a true sense, long
overdue.
2.
Motivation for SJSU Mechatronics Curriculum Development
The plan of establishing a distinct curriculum stem on Mechatronics Systems Engineering in the
ME Program at SJSU was first initiated in 1991 by the faculty in the department. This concept was
motivated by the following factors:
(1) To prepare the SJSU-ME program for the imminent trend of offering interdisciplinary
engineering education to its students:
As machines and devices with intelligence and multi-functions have become common expectation
by consumers, the need for engineers with multi-disciplinary knowledge and skills by industries that
produce these products has become more urgent than ever. It is not uncommon that a ME graduate
no longer knows how to fix his or her automobile, as most of these graduates have little or no
knowledge about common parts such as microprocessors in modern automobiles. Likewise, an EE
graduate is not capable of fixing his or her video camera recorder (VCR) due to many mechanical
linkages and mechanisms present in these machines. Indeed, the need for an interdisciplinary
curriculum in current and future engineering education has been voiced by almost every major
report produced either by special experts groups or the engineering deans. One such report is cited
in reference [5]. It is indeed a noble obligation of engineering educators to respond such need by
developing appropriate curricula for their respective disciplinary programs.
(2) To develop a national model for an inter-engineering disciplinary program on the emerging
mechatronic technology:
The definition of mechatronics as defined in the foregoing section clearly indicates its multidisciplinary nature. Fig. 2 illustrates the three major engineering disciplines of mechanical,
electrical and computer engineering involved in mechatronic technology [3,6,7]. Major topics from
these three major engineering disciplines relevant to mechatronics are shown in this figure.
2
Overlapped subjects between any two of these three disciplines have also been indicated. For
example, the overlapped subjects between mechanical and electrical engineering involve integrated
circuits manufacturing and packaging. Another three disciplines of chemical, industrial and
material engineering are also involved in mechatronics. For example the thin film coating used in
many mechatronics products require the knowledge in chemical engineering.
A mechatronics curriculum at the BS level is thus considered to be an excellent educational
opportunity for undergraduate mechanical engineering students. The experience that the SJSU-ME
has gained in such development would thus serve as a model for other institutions in the nation to
follow.
(3) To provide necessary human resource supply to the Silicon Valley high technology industry:
As presented in References [3,7], the research conducted by my associates and myself indicated that
the revenue earned by the mechatronics and related industries in the Valley in 1993 was $81 billion.
The revenue jumped to close to $100 billion in the following year. There was another 30% increase
of revenue to $130 billion in 1995. The growth of revenues by mechatronic products by other
major industries in the nation would have been even more staggering than the above statistics for
the high tech industries in the Silicon Valley alone. The need for BSME specialized in
mechatronics was well established by a survey to local mechatronics industry of various sizes
ranging from 40 employees to 1600 engineers [8].
(4) To take advantage of strong support of local high tech industry:
The same survey [8] has clearly shown the ready support for such curriculum development by local
mechatronics industry. Such support was essential at the time of developing the plan.
(5) To build strength on strength:
Mechatronics is closely related to the “control and manufacturing” specialty, which happened to be
the strength of the Department at the time. This development would thus be built on existing
strength of the Department.
3.
Objectives of the Development
The objective of this development is to create a new curriculum stem on “mechatronics systems
engineering” in addition to the two existing stems in “thermofluids” and “design” .
The
term
“curriculum stem” means curriculum “specialization” or “option”. According to the stipulation by
the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET), each BS degree program should
have curriculum stems which consist of a capstone and number of elective courses. The capstone
course synthesizes the knowledge and skills taught in these designated elective courses with an
emphasis on systems design in the area of specialization. The current curriculum structure of the
Mechanical and Aerospace engineering Department is illustrated in Fig. 3. Academic units
associated with each group of courses are indicated beside the groups. Students who have
completed courses in the Lower and Upper Division are required to complete their BSME degree
requirements by electing one of the three stems offered by the department.
3
4.
Development Strategy
A single department obviously could not accomplish a project of this magnitude and nature. As the
principal initiator of this curriculum development project, I developed a strategy with a timetable
for each of the planned actions. Following are a few highlights of the overall development strategy:
(1) Consultation with local industry (1991):
As the Chair of the department, I initiated this action in late 1990 after the desire for a new direction
for the Department became apparent. As mentioned in the forgoing Section 2 that mechatronics
was considered to be potentially viable for an institution such as SJSU, which is situated in Silicon
Valley with concentration of high tech industry.
The Department Industrial Advisory Board with a membership of 10 senior managers from local
industry was the primary source for consultation on the above concept. The Board endorsed this
concept and offered to help in establishing necessary liaison with local high tech industry for further
fact-finding missions. Consequently, faculty members reached a consensus in early 1991 to develop
a mechatronics curriculum option in the Department.
(2) Faculty development (1991-1992):
Almost all faculty members in the department at the time were educated in traditional ME
discipline. An well-orchestrated effort was made to facilitate several willing faculty members to
attend special workshops and short courses related to mechatronics technology. Concurrently, there
were regular seminars on similar subjects delivered to the faculty and students of the department by
experts from selected local high tech industry. These seminars proved to be of tremendous value to
faculty and students who not only learned the specialized knowledge of mechatronic technology,
but also appreciate the fact that mechatronics is the emerging technology for the next century.
(3) Introduction of experimental courses (1991-1994):
The following experimental courses were introduced as a “test bed” for assessing students
acceptance of ‘Non-traditional” ME courses. They were introduced as electives to Upper Division
students in the department. These courses included:
Cooling of electronic systems in 1991,
Design of electronic packaging in 1992,
Digital controls and robotics in manufacturing in 1993,
Mechanical technologies in hard disk drives in 1994.
Experience gained from offering these experimental courses was overwhelming. All these courses
had very high enrollments. Faculty members, who developed and taught these courses not only had
acquired valuable experience in teaching these unique course subjects, they had also gained
sufficient confidence in developing similar courses for the mechatronics curriculum.
(4) Taskforce for funding proposal (1993, 1994):
A taskforce which included faculty members from ME, EE, CompE, GE, Physics Department, and
six members from the ME Industrial Advisory Board was established in mid-1993 to develop a
4
funding proposal to the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the project. A proposal to develop
the proposed curriculum in 3 years was submitted to the Course and Curriculum Development
Program of NSF in May 1994.
5.
The Proposed Curriculum
The proposed curriculum was developed by a team with a membership consisting of 5 faculty
members from both ME and EE departments, 3 members from the Department Industrial Advisory
Board. The team interviewed senior members of selected mechatronics industries to identify their
perceptions and needs for specific experience and skill from a BSME graduate. A total of 63
technical topics were collected from these interviews. Consequently, the following three-pillar
concept was evolved for the curriculum development:
Pillar 1: The fundamentals of Mechatronic systems engineering;
Pillar 2: The hands-on laboratory experience;
Pillar 3: The application of the fundamentals of Mechatronic systems engineering
in design and manufacture in specific industries.
Five new specific courses and a new laboratory were identified to satisfy the above 3-pillar
requirements. Description of these five new courses and the laboratory is available in Appendix 1.
Pillar 1 covers all fundamental subjects required by a mechatronic engineer; such as in the courses
ME 106 and ME 190. Pillar 2 enhances students learning of the fundamentals, as well as facilitates
them gaining practical experience in constructing and testing mechatronics systems. The new
Mechatronic Engineering Laboratory is designed to provide the students with such experience. This
laboratory consists of eight workbenches. Each bench is equipped with a digital multimeter
(DMM), a digital oscilloscope, a function generator, a power supply and a personal computer and
printer. Detailed description of this laboratory is available in reference [9]. Students are expected
to purchase their own “bread board” for learning the electronics interface with mechanical systems
of assigned experiments. Appendix 2 presents the eleven experiments involved in the course ME
106. Students enrolled in ME 190 on assigned mechatronics projects also use this laboratory.
Courses that relate to Pillar 3 are designed to satisfy specific needs by regional industry. The
proximity of our university in the Silicon Valley results in developing Pillar 3 courses related to the
computer and electronics industries (refer to the remaining courses: ME136, ME196M and ME196P
listed in Appendix 1). Likewise, institutions in the State of Michigan and Ohio may develop their
Pillar 3 courses by focusing their effort in the application of mechatronics technology in automobile
or machine tools industry.
6.
Funding of the project (1995)
An award for the proposed development was made by the National Science Foundation in early
February 1995 for a 3-year period. Additional cash matching were also made available from the
SJSU Foundation; the Dean’s Office and the ME Department. These funds have allowed major
expenditures in: involved faculty summer stipends and release times, student assistants, a junior
mechatronics technician, significant capital funds for the new Mechatronic Engineering Laboratory,
as well as a Faculty Enhancement Workshop in curriculum development. Hewlett-Packard
Company in Palo Alto donated the nine sets of basic equipment in the Mechatronic Engineering
Laboratory as described in Appendix 1.
5
7.
Implementation of Mechatronics Curriculum Stem
An Advisory Committee consisting of four senior executives from local mechatronics industry and
the Dean of Engineering and the Chairs of three participating engineering departments was
established shortly after the inception of the project. The Committee oversees the progress of the
project, as well as to advise the Project Team on many issues related to the laboratory development.
It met with the Project Team on a semi-annual basis.
The course ME 106 was offered to 30 ME students for the first time in the Spring semester of 1996
with the new laboratory. It was offered once in each of the subsequent 3 semesters. The other
course, ME 190 was offered in the Fall of 1996. It was followed by the offering of ME 136 in
Spring 1998. The Team is currently developing courses ME 196M and P, which are scheduled to
be offered in Spring 1999.
The Mechatronics Curriculum Stem was officially installed in the Department’s curriculum
structure in Fall 1997. The course ME 106 will become a required course for all ME students
effective in Fall 1998. A complete curriculum for ME students opted for Mechatronics Stem is
presented in Appendix 2.
8.
Challenging Issues
As the project is in its conclusion, the Team has encountered several issues, which I would like to
share with the reader. Some of these issues are unique for this project, but many others appear to be
generic for courses of multidisciplinary nature.
(1) Student’s awareness:
Many students in the Mechanical Engineering Program were not aware of the project. Very few of
them had heard about Mechatronics. An intensive recruiting effort had to be launched at the
“eleventh hour” in order to fill the first class of ME 106. This oversight had been rectified in
subsequent offering of other mechatronics courses. For example, the ME 190 class, which is the
second course in the series, reached the enrollment limit three months before the starting date.
Current enrollment in the Mechatronics Stem is 43% of all ME majors, which is the largest of the
three curriculum stems.
(2) Precedent to learn from:
Since this is the first such curriculum stem offered at undergraduate level in this country, there was
no precedent to follow. For example, in (a) selection of adequate text and reference books, (b)
proper equipment for the supporting laboratory, as well as the relevant experiments for the courses
that involve laboratories, (c) the proper format in documenting course notes and lab manuals.
(3) ABET evaluation:
For institutions that are contemplating the development of an ABET accreditable degree program,
lack of ABET evaluation criteria will be a major stumbling block. It is thus desirable for the ABET
to establish a special task force to develop position papers, as well as evaluation criteria for new
multi-disciplinary degree programs include the “Mechatronic Systems Engineering” program.
6
(4) Curriculum packaging:
The question on “How much duplication is not too much” was raised in a previous Project Advisory
Committee meeting when reviewing the course contents of ME 106 and ME 190. As this remains
to be a pioneer effort, very little data is available for the Project Team to reach an optimum solution
on this issue. An ongoing effort on further assessment with due adjustments of all new
mechatronics courses is needed to resolve this problem.
(5) Team teaching:
Mechatronics courses involve multidiscipline of mechanical, electrical and computer engineering.
As a result, no single faculty member in any of these 3 departments would be confident enough to
teach these courses. Consequently, most of the proposed courses need to be team taught by faculty
from two or three departments. Issues such as: who and where the teaching credits belong to;
faculty rewards and other recognition by involved faculty’s home departments; the pros and cons
for involved faculty development, all these issues need to be dealt with.
(6) Course cross listing:
Cross listing of multidiscipline courses by involved departments is desirable for fair sharing of
student-credit-hours in most institutions. However, the following three issues need to be dealt with
(a) preparedness of students with diverse discipline backgrounds; (b) pre-requisites for the course;
and (c) grading standards.
(7) Maintenance costs:
The costs for maintaining team teaching staff and laboratories for mechatronics are very high.
Resource sharing by participating departments becomes a major issue. The justification in investing
in multidisciplinary courses from traditional department budgets often becomes a subject for debate
in department faculty meetings.
9.
Summary
Following are a few closing remarks, which I would like to share with my colleagues who are
contemplating a similar curriculum development at his (her) institution:
(1) There is a clear need for engineering graduates with sound knowledge and skill in Mechatronics
by American (and global) industry. It is the responsibility of engineering educators to provide
the industry with graduates with such knowledge and skill.
(2) Mechatronics curriculum is multi-disciplinary. It involves major engineering disciplines of ME,
EE, CompE, MatE, ISE and CheE (see Figure 2). As such, an interdisciplinary team is
necessary to develop and implement such curriculum. Inter-departmental cooperation is thus
the key to success for any such effort. For this reason, strong support and commitment by the
Dean and the Chairs of all involved departments are absolutely essential to the success of this
type of development.
7
(3) Input and participation of industry is absolutely essential in both development and
implementation stages.
(4) The SJSU mechatronics curriculum development project is built on 3 pillars to facilitate
transportability and collaborative effort in developing complete curricula on this emerging
technology. Inter-institutional dialogue and cooperation in mechatronics education are desirable
and are strongly encouraged.
(5) Further integration of manufacturing, business management and marketing into mechatronics
curriculum is desirable.
Acknowledgment
The SJSU development project would not have been possible without generous financial supports of
the Division of Undergraduate Education of the National Science Foundation (NSF Award No.
DUE-9455395) and the SJSU Foundation. The Project Team also appreciated the substantial
donations from Silicon Valley high tech industry, in particular, the Hewlett-Packard Company, The
Adept Technology, Inc. and its outstanding alum, David Brown, for the establishment of the David
A. Brown Fellowship. Valuable advice and guidance by the SJSU-ME Industrial Advisory Board is
gratefully acknowledged. Above all, nothing could have happened without wholehearted
cooperation by a team of dedicated faculty members from the ME, EE, CompE and GE
Departments at the San Jose State University.
References
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
[9]
K. Self, “The coining of Mechatronics”, IEEE Spectrum, June 1994, P. 61.
D.M. Auslander and C.J. Kempf, “Mechatronics”, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 1996
T. R. Hsu, “Mechatronics – an Overview”, IEEE Transactions on components, Packaging
and Manufacturing Technology – Part C, Vol. 20, No. 1, January, 1997, pp. 4-7.
M. Acar, “Mechatronics Challenge for Higher Education World”, IEEE Transactions on
components, Packaging and Manufacturing – Part C, Vol. 20, No. 1, January, 1997, pp. 1420.
“Shaping the Future- New expectations for undergraduate education in science,
mathematics, engineering and technology”, Advisory Committee to the National Science
Foundation, NSF 96-139, National Science Foundation, Washington, DC, 1996.
Hsu, T.R. “Mechatronics in Manufacturing”, ‘The CRC Handbook of Mechanical
Engineering’, CRC Press, Boston, 1998, pp. 13-84 to 13-86.
Hsu, T.R. “Undergraduate Curriculum Development in Mechatronic Systems Engineering”,
ABET Annual Meeting Proceedings, an invited paper, Accreditation Board for Engineering
and Technology, Inc., Baltimore, MD, 1996, pp. 140-147.
Hsu, T.R. “Mechatronics for Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Education”,
Proceedings of ASEE Annual Conference, Anaheim, CA, June 25-28, 1995, pp. 1312-1324.
Furman, B.J., Hsu, T.R., Barez, F., Tesfaye, A., Wang, J., Hsu, P. and Reischl, “Laboratory
Development for Mechatronics Education”, Proceedings of Annual conference of the
American Society of Engineering Education, Washington, DC, June 27, 1996
(ASEE-J-Paper.Paper-6)
8
Appendix 1
New Mechatronics Courses and Laboratory Developed with NSF Grant
ME 106
Fundamentals of Mechatronics Engineering
Introduction to basic electronic devices and microprocessor systems for measurements and control; Electronic circuits;
Amplifiers; Filters; logic gates and sequential logic applications; A/D and D/A conversion and interfacing; Transducers;
Controllers; Motors and Actuators; Microprocessor fundamentals and programming; Data acquisition and feedback
control.
ME 136
Design for Manufacturability - with emphasis on mechatronics products
Principles and practice of design for manufacturability with emphasis on mechatronics; Design parameters;
Manufacturing technologies; Reliability; Design for quality, assembly and environmental considerations; Case studies
projects and laboratory activities.
ME 190
Electromechanical System and Microprocessor Applications
Operating principles of electromechanical actuators (DC servo motors, Ac servomotors); Digital servo systems; Motion
transducers; Digital motion drivers and motion controllers; Design and implementation of digital motion control
systems. Performance study; Microprocessor fundamentals and interfacing; Application program development;
Application of microprocessor for smart product design, and for measurement and feedback control.
ME 196M
Introduction to Design and Manufacture of Microsystems
This course intends to provide students with fundamental knowledge in the design and manufacture of microsystems,
which involves microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and peripherals. Emphasis is placed on the packaging of
microsystems design. Major topics include working principles of common microsystems, engineering physics required
in design of these systems, the scaling laws in miniaturization, electronics and material characterizations and selections,
overview of micro fabrication and manufacturing techniques, and the design methodologies.
ME 196P
Control of Manufacturing Processes
Introduction to modeling, optimization, and control of the manufacturing process. Presentation on integrated approach
to Statistical Process Control (SPC) and Automatic Process Control (APC, traditional control theory). Major topics
include basic philosophy of quality control, process control of semiconductor manufacturing processes, characterization
of stochastic data and disturbances, SPC for process monitoring and improvement, process model building and I/O
responses, nonstationary time series models of process disturbances, control and adjustment of manufacturing
processes, and modern automatic control and intelligent control engineering methods for quality control.
The Mechatronic Engineering Laboratory
The laboratory is equipped with a gift from Hewlett-Packard Company in Palo Alto, California. It was developed to
support the instruction of Mechatronic Systems Engineering courses, and to enable students to gain significant hands-on
laboratory experiences in Mechatronics. The Laboratory consists of 11 workbenches equipped with basic test an
measurement instruments. Each bench is equipped with digital multimeter, power supply, function generator, digital
oscilloscope, personal computer and printer. The Laboratory also uses LabView software for process control and data
acquisition. To support microprocessor experiments, the laboratory has 11 sets of F68HC11 single board computers.
9
Appendix 2
Mechatronics Curriculum at SJSU-MAE Department
Note:
(1) Descriptions of courses with no asterisks are available in the Web page:
http:/www.engr.sjsu.edu/mae
(2) Only Upper Division courses are listed below.
Capstone course (required for Mechatronics stem):
ME 190
Mechatronics Systems Design*
Related required courses (required for all ME students):
ME 106
ME 120
ME 147
ME 154
Fundamentals of Mechatronics Engineering*
Experimental Methods
Dynamic Systems Vibration and Control
Mechanical Engineering Design
Elective courses (3 from the following listed):
ME 136
ME 145
ME 146
ME 165
ME 187
Design for Manufacturability: with emphasis on mechatronic products*
Electronic Packaging and Design
Thermal Management of Electronic Systems
Computer-aided Design in Mechanical Engineering
Automatic Control Systems Design
ME 196E
ME 196F
ME 196G
ME 196M
ME 196P
Robotics and Control of Manufacturing Systems
Introduction to Mechanical Technologies in Hard Disk Drives
High Vacuum Systems Engineering & Applications
Introduction to Design and Manufacture of Microsystems*
Manufacturing Process Control*
*
New courses developed with NSF grant.
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Appendix 3
Experiments for ME 106 Fundamentals of Mechatronics Engineering [9]
1.
Light-controlled switch
Introduce basic electronic components and instrumentation (resistors, potentiometers, photoresistor,
LED, transistor, DMM and power supply). Build and test a light-controlled switch.
2.
Electronic scale
Introduce operation of function generator and oscilloscope and applications of operational
amplifiers. Build an electronic scale using a prefabricated cantilever beam with attached strain
gage.
3.
Analog temperature controller
Introduce analog closed loop control and applications of IC temperature sensors. Build a
temperature controller for a pre-instrumented thermal mass.
4.
Digital counter
Introduce digital IC’s and optoelectronics. Build a digital counter with 7-segment display output.
5.
Inclinometer
Introduce the concept of transducer calibration and the use of potentiometers for angular rotation
measurement. Build an inclinometer using a pot to determine an unknown angle.
6.
Printer cartridge control
Introduce photoreflective, optointerrupter, and mechanical switches as limit switches. Build a
controller to drive a printer between two limits.
7.
DC motor speed control
Introduce dc motors, tachometers, and analog closed loop speed control. Build a dc motor speed
control.
8.
Introduction to C programming
Introduce C programming. Write, compile, and download a simple C program to the
microprocessor board.
9.
Digital temperature controller
Introduce real time digital feedback control. Build a temperature controller for a pre-instrumented
thermal mass.
10,11 Microprocessor controlled parts sorter-I and II
Introduce multi-input, multi-output, and microprocessor control of an electromechanical system.
11
ENGINEERING
PROCESS:
Market
Needs
EMEERGING
TECHNOLOGY:
involving
design & manufacture of
involving
mechatronics tools:
or
CAD/CAM, robots,
CNC machine tools,
FMC, etc.
to produce mechatronics
products.
mechatronics products, e.g.
CNC machine tools,
Robots,
Hard disk drives,
Electronic cameras,
Guided missiles, etc.
Fig. 1 The Scope of Mechatronics
12
EN M A
GI T E
NE R I
ER A L
IN
G
AL
R I ING
S T ER
DU E
I N GIN
EN
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
•Mechanical System Design
•Linkages and Mechanisms
•Automatic Control
•Mechanical Design
of Components
& Peripherals
•IC Manufacture
•Electronic
Packaging
MECHATRONIC
SYSTEMS
ENGINEERING
ELECTRONIC
ENGINEERING
•Microcontrollers
&
•Circuit Design
for Microprocessors Microprocessors
& Microcontrollers
•Special Purpose
IC Design
COMPUTER
ENGINEERING
•Design of CPU’s,
Microprocessors
& Controllers
•SW Interface
CHEMICAL
ENGINEERING
Fig 2 The Multi-disciplinary Nature of Mechatronics
13
General Education
(32 Units)
Lower Division
(30 Units)
Upper Division
Req’d Courses
(60 Units for ME)
(59 Units for AE)
*ME106(3)
AE Program
ME Program
Upper Division
Elective Courses
Thermofluids Stem
Design Stem
(12 Units Electives)
5-7AE Courses
Plus ME Courses
Mechatronics Stem
Capstone Course
Capstone Course
Capstone Course
*ME190(3)
Electives
Electives
Electives in
Mechatronics:
*ME136(3)
*ME196M(3)
*ME196P(3)
Note: (1) Numbers in parentheses denote units
(2) “*” represent new courses
NSF-Mechatronics MAE-CUR
Fig. 3 Curriculum Structure of SJSU-MAE Department
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