The word Automation is derived from the Greek word "automatos", which means self acting. The word automation was first used in the mid of 1940, by the United States automobile industry to define automatic transfer of parts between different production machines, and their continuous processing at the machines. Before the advent of computer automation was just a small scale process, using mechanical actuators to automate some simply structured objects. However, the concept of automation took it's broad meaning with the advent of computers. Combination of computers with mechanically engineering structures and electronic circuitry, provided great flexibility to perform almost any type of process.
Automation is generally defined as the process of following the predetermined or fed sequence of operations (by the help of computer programming) with little or no involvement of human. This generally requires some specialized/dedicated equipment and devices. Human involvement can be minimized by the use of devices such as, sensors, transducers and actuators. With the involvement of such a devices the system can be made fully automated. These devices observe the manufacturing process in industry and send signal on the basis of changes occurring during any process, these signals are then processes by computer. The computer then takes the final decision on the basis of the signal received and then controls the process by sending control signals to the actuator or any other part of the circuit, as desired.
In this course we will see which automation strategies do the industries of today are following, and which strategies can be applied to optimize them further. The course will also introduce the devices that are essential part of any automated systems, like sensors, transducers and mechanical actuators. This is a core subject for mechatronics engineering students as it includes all aspects of mechatronics engineering, i.e. Mechanical, electronics, control and computer engineering.
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| Introduction to Industrial Automation |
Automation is generally defined as the process of following the predetermined or fed sequence of operations (by the help of computer programming) with little or no involvement of human. This generally requires some specialized/dedicated equipment and devices. Human involvement can be minimized by the use of devices such as, sensors, transducers and actuators. With the involvement of such a devices the system can be made fully automated. These devices observe the manufacturing process in industry and send signal on the basis of changes occurring during any process, these signals are then processes by computer. The computer then takes the final decision on the basis of the signal received and then controls the process by sending control signals to the actuator or any other part of the circuit, as desired.
In this course we will see which automation strategies do the industries of today are following, and which strategies can be applied to optimize them further. The course will also introduce the devices that are essential part of any automated systems, like sensors, transducers and mechanical actuators. This is a core subject for mechatronics engineering students as it includes all aspects of mechatronics engineering, i.e. Mechanical, electronics, control and computer engineering.
