RHBishop_Mechatronics Handbook - Systems, Sensors and Actuators - Fundamentals and Modeling_2nd Ed_2006_2.pdf

Preface
According to the original definition of mechatronics proposed by the Yasakawa pany and
the definitions that have appeared since, many of the engineering products designed and manufactured
in the last 30 years integrating mechanical and electrical systems can be classified as mechatronic systems.
Yet many of the engineers and researchers responsible for those products were never formally trained in
mechatronics per se. The Mechatronics Handbook, 2nd Edition can serve as a reference resource for those
very same design engineers to help connect their everyday experience in design with the vibrant field of
mechatronics.
The Handbook of Mechatronics was originally a single-volume reference book offering a thorough
coverage of the field of mechatronics. With the need to present new material covering the rapid changes
in technology, especially in the area puters and software, the single-volume reference book quickly
became unwieldy. There is too much material to cover in a single book. The topical coverage in the
Mechatronics Handbook, 2nd Edition is presented here in two books covering Mechatronic Systems, Sensors,
and Actuators: Fundamentals and Modeling and Mechatronic System Control, Logic, and Data Acquisition.
These two books are intended for use in research and development departments in academia, government,
and industry, and as a reference source in university libraries. They can also be used as a resource for
scholars interested in understanding and explaining the engineering design process.
As the historical divisions between the various branches of engineering puter science e
less clearly defined, we may well find that the mechatronics specialty provides a roadmap for nontradi-
tional engineering students studying within the traditional structure of most engineering colleges. It is
evident that there is an expansion of mechatronics laboratories and classes in the university environment
worldwide. This fact is reflected in the li