Course Descriptions - Undergraduate Calendar 2023-2024

An introduction to mechatronics engineering and the engineering profession. Topics include the design process, project planning, data presentation, measurements and error, control logic, sensors and actuators, and intellectual property. Engineering graphics fundamentals of multi-view, isometric, oblique, and perspective projections are also covered while developing skills in computer-aided drawing (CAD), freehand sketching, and the interpretation of technical drawings. Professional development including résumé skills, interview skills, and preparation for co-op terms. A mechatronic design project/competition with small groups supplements the lecture material. [Offered: F]

Discussion of structure of mechatronics engineering curriculum, operation of department, faculty, university, technical societies. [Offered: W,S]

The relevance of materials to engineering practice; the relationships between macroscopic physical properties (including mechanical, photonic, thermal, electrical, and magnetic properties) and microscopic causes based on fundamental principles (including electronic and atomic structures, atomic bonding, crystal structure, and microstructure); description of the differences in macroscopic physical properties of metals, polymers, ceramics, semiconductors, and composite materials in terms of microscopic causes. [Offered: W,S]

Basic concepts of mechanics, vectors. Statics of particles. Rigid bodies and force systems, equilibrium of rigid bodies. Analysis of trusses and frames. Distributed forces, centroids and moments of inertia. Friction. Internal shear and bending moments in beams.[Offered: W,S]

Basic electromagnetic theory; magnetic circuits; electric circuit elements; DC circuit analysis; first-order transient response; AC circuit analysis; Diodes; Transistors: regions of operation, single-transistor amplifiers [Offered: W,S]

Introduction to electronic digital computers, hardware and software organization, examples of efficient numerical algorithms for basic scientific computations. [Offered: F]

This course emphasizes the following topics: structured software design data structures, abstract data types, recursive algorithms, algorithm analysis and design, sorting and searching, hashing, and problem-solving strategies. [Offered: W,S]

Discussion of the structure of and options within the mechatronics engineering curriculum; of the operation of department, faculty, university, technical societies; of student team and graduate school opportunities; of safety training; and of subject material in support of core courses. [Offered: F,W]

Discussion of the structure of and options within the mechatronics engineering curriculum; of the operation of department, faculty, university, technical societies; of student team and graduate school opportunities; of safety training; and of subject material in support of core courses. [Offered: F,S]

Measurement errors, calculations with unknown quantities, and error propagation. Sensitivity analysis. Techniques of sampling and statistical estimation. Introduction to sensors and data acquisition tools. Frequency distributions. Probability. Binomial, Poisson, normal distributions. Tests of hypotheses. Significance. The t-test and chi-squared test. Curve fitting by least squares. Correlation and regression. Design of experiments. [Offered: F,W]

First Order Differential Equations; Direction Field; Separable Equations, Integrating Factors and Simple Transformations; Applications; Second and Higher Order ODE's with Constant Coefficients - Transient and Steady State Solutions; The Laplace Transform; Systems of Equations - reduction to single equation; Matrix Differential Equations; Introduction to Partial Differential Equations. [Offered: F,W]

Review of Vectors and Vector Operations; 3-D Analytic Geometry and Space Curves; Multivariable Calculus, including Partial Differentiation, Total Differential, Chain Rule, Directional Derivative, Gradient Operator, Maxima and Minima; Multiple Integrals - Surface Area, Volume and Moments of Inertia; Line and Surface Integrals; Vector Theorems; Complex Analysis including Limits, Analytic Functions, Complex Line Integral, Cauchy's Integral Formula; Fourier Series (real and complex) and Fourier Integrals. [Offered: F,S]

Number Systems and Machine Errors; Roots of Non-Linear Equations; Matrix Calculations; Eigenvalue and Eigenvector Calculations; Interpolation and Approximation; Numerical Integration and Solution of ODE's (linear and non-linear) and systems of ODEs; Calculation of Series; Solution Methods for PDE's; Use of numeric and symbolic computing tools. [Offered: F,S]

Introduction to mechanical response of materials and stress-strain relationships. Behaviour of prismatic members in tension, compression, shear, bending and torsion. Stress and strain transformations. Virtual work and energy methods. [Offered F,W]

Review of circuit theory; input-output relationships, transfer functions and frequency response of linear systems; operational amplifiers, operational amplifier circuits using negative or positive feedback; diodes, operational amplifier circuits using diodes; analog signal detection, conditioning and conversion systems; transducers and sensors, difference and instrumentation amplifiers, active filters. [Offered: F,S]

Introduction to computer organization, basic real-time concepts, process management, interprocess communication and synchronization, memory management, resource management, interrupt handling, concurrent programming, file systems. [Offered: F,S]

Number systems, logic gates, Boolean algebra. Karnaugh maps, and combinational logic design. Implementation of combinational logic circuits on Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) boards. Sequential logic and state machines. Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) and PLC programming using ladder logic and statement list. Microcomputer structure and operation, I/O, and interfacing and interrupts. Assembly language programming. Laboratory work includes microcomputer and PLC programming. [Offered: F,W]

Discussion of the structure of and options within the mechatronics engineering curriculum; of the operation of department, faculty, university, technical societies; of student team and graduate school opportunities; of safety training; and of subject material in support of core courses. [Offered: W,S]

Discussion of the structure of and options within the mechatronics engineering curriculum; of the operation of department, faculty, university, technical societies; of student team and graduate school opportunities; of safety training; and of subject material in support of core courses. [Offered: F,W]

Macroscopic approach to energy analysis. Energy transfer as work and heat, and the First Law of thermodynamics. Properties and states of simple substances. Control-mass and control-volume analysis. The essence of entropy, and the Second Law of thermodynamics. The Carnot cycle and its implications for practical cyclic devices. Introduction to heat transfer by conduction, convection, and radiation. Basic formulation and solution of steady and transient problems. Issues relevant to the cooling of electrical devices. [Offered: W,S]

Review of circuit analysis and basic electromagnetic theory. Power electronics: power electronics circuits, H bridges, PWM control, interfacing, power amplifiers. DC servo and stepper motors, AC synchronous and induction motors. Transformers. Introduction to typical speed and torque control techniques of motors. [Offered: W,S]

Principles of the geometry and motion in linkages and mechanisms. Computer-aided kinematic and kinetic analysis of mechanisms. Synthesis of mechanisms. Static failure and yield criteria in ductile and brittle materials. Fatigue failure criteria due to fluctuating stresses. Shaft design under static and fluctuating loads. Shaft components, including shoulders, keys and keyways. Deflections in shafts. [Offered: W, S]

Integrated design of mechanical motion transmission systems: gearing, couplings, bearings, power screws, fasteners, and their integration; sensing and measurement of mechanical motion; specification and selection of motors and electromechanical actuators; analysis and design of controllers for motion transmission systems; case studies. [Offered: F,W]

Synchronization and data flow; interfacing to sensors and actuators; microprocessor system architecture, parallel, serial, and analog interfacing; buses; direct memory access (DMA); interfacing considerations. [Offered: W,S]

Feedback control design and analysis for linear dynamic systems with emphasis on mechanical engineering applications; transient and frequency response; stability; system performance; control modes; state space techniques; Introduction to digital control systems. [Offered: F,W]

In this course, students study the design process, including needs analysis, problem definition; design criteria and critical parameter identification, generation of alternative solutions; conceptual design, detailed design, optimization; and implementation. Most of the term is devoted to a significant design project in which student groups work independently and competitively, applying the design process to a project goal set by the faculty coordinator. The design project typically includes construction of an electro-mechanical prototype, and part of the course grade may depend on the performance of the prototype in a competitive test. In exceptional circumstances, the requirement for a prototype may be replaced by a computer simulation, or may be waived. [Offered: F,W]

Discussion of structure of mechatronics engineering curriculum, operation of department, faculty, university, technical societies. [Offered: F]

Discussion of structure of mechatronics engineering curriculum, operation of department, faculty, university, technical societies. [Offered: W]

Analysis, design and control of power electronic converters, principles of operation and control of DC and special-purpose motors, power electronics-based control of DC and special-purpose motors. [Offered: F]

The performance of single, differential, and multistage amplifiers. The cascode configuration, current mirror and active loads. A detailed study of operational amplifier circuits. Transistor frequency response analysis. Feedback circuit configurations and oscillators. A detailed study of stability and compensation for multistage and operational amplifiers. Introduction to common circuit blocks; A/D (analog-to-digital) converters, D/A (digital-to-analog) converters, and phase-locked loops. [Offered: F]

Mechatronic system interfaces and architecture design. Sensing and actuation in industrial mechatronics systems. Motion control. Industrial computer vision. Networks and communication. PLC based and distributed control. Discrete and hybrid control systems. Fault finding. [Offered: F,W]

This course is intended to reinforce the concepts learned in MTE 380 and to extend the significant design experience obtained. Students work individually or in small groups applying the principles of engineering design and problem-solving to a design project of their own choosing. The project must incorporate all elements of Mechatronics, namely, mechanical design, electronics, computers and software. In exceptional circumstances, one or more elements may be exempted by the course instructor. The students are required to consider a need analysis, search for prior art and present alternate designs. The course ends with the selection of a final design. Projects are selected, approved, monitored, and marked by a course co-ordinator. [Offered: F]

This course is an extension of MTE 481. Students work on prototyping the designs they proposed and finalized in MTE 481. The students either individually or in small groups demonstrate the working prototypes; make a poster presentation for the design competition; and pitch their product on a web site. The projects are monitored by the course instructor and evaluated by the instructor with feedback from an expert judging panel. [Offered: W]

Fundamentals of autonomous mobile robotics, including both perception and planning for autonomous operation, sensor modelling, vehicle state estimation using Bayes Filters, Kalman Filters, and Particle Filters as well as onboard localization and mapping. Topics in planning include vehicle motion modelling and control, as well as graph based and probabilistic motion planning of (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) MEMS devices. [Offered: F]

Introduction to MEMS. Fabrication processes for MEMS devices. Basic MEMS governing equations in different energy domains (mechanical, electrical, and thermal). Methods for layout, design, and modeling of MEMS devices. Simulation techniques. Techniques for testing and characterization of MEMS devices. [Offered: F]

Sensor data and information fusion systems. Sensor modelling, including characterization of uncertainty. Sensor fusion approaches for estimation and decisions including weighted least squares, extended Kalman Filter, Dempster-Shafer evidential reasoning, artificial neural networks; Outlier rejection; Spatial and temporal registration. Course project involving independent study of one aspect of sensor data fusion. [Offered: W]

Various topics at the undergraduate level in mechatronics engineering with a focus on software systems. Courses offered when resources permit.

Various topics at the undergraduate level in mechatronics engineering with a focus on hardware systems. Courses offered when resources permit.

Various topics at the undergraduate level in automation, process control, robotics, autonomous and intelligent systems, and electromechanical design. Courses offered when resources permit.