McIsaac, UWO ECE/MME, 2013 MSE2202b: page 1/17

WESTERN ENGINEERING
MECHATRONIC SYSTEMS ENGINEERING PROGRAM
| MSE2202b – INTRODUCTION TO MECHATRONIC DESIGN |

FINAL EXAMINATION:April 28, 2013.

NAME: _____________________________
Student Number: _______________________

Instructions: 3 Hours.
† University policy states that cheating, including plagiarism, on an examination is a scholastic
offense. The commission of a scholastic offense is attended by academic penalties which
might include expulsion from the program. If you are caught cheating, there will be no
second warning.
† You are permitted the use of a non-programmed calculator in this examination. No other aids are
permitted (i.e. NO books, notes, wireless devices, or other information processing devices).
All sheets (including rough work) must be handed in; no part of the examination may be
taken from the room.
† It is in your own best interest to start by reviewing the entire paper and scheduling your time
appropriately.
† The student is responsible for ensuring that no pages are missing from
this copy. Total Pages: 17

Q# Mark Weight

Q1 /10

Q2 /8

Q3 /8

Q4 /10

Q5 /8

Q6 /6

Q7 /10

Total: /60

Doc. Rev: April 26, 2013

McIsaac, UWO ECE/MME, 2013 MSE2202b: page 2/17

Standard Arduino Functions

abs() char() loop() setup()

analogReference() constrain() lowByte() shiftIn()
analogRead() cos() map() shiftOut()
analogWrite() delay() max() sin()
byte() delayMicroseconds() micros() sizeof()
bit() digitalRead() millis() sqrt()
bitClear() digitalWrite() min() tan()
bitRead() float() noTone() tone()
bitSet() highByte() pinMode() word()
bitWrite() int() pow()
byte() long() pulseIn()
McIsaac, UWO ECE/MME, 2013 MSE2202b: page 3/17

Useful Formulas

†
Assumes radiation exchange between a small surface at Ts and a much larger, isothermal surface that
completely surrounds the smaller one. It is also assumed that α = ε for the surface.
McIsaac, UWO ECE/MME, 2013 MSE2202b: page 4/17

1 Short Answer Problems (10 marks)

a. (2 mark)What is the distinction between accuracy and precision?

b. (2 mark) What is the distinction between a linear sensor and non-linear sensor, with
reference to the problem of calibration?

c. (2 marks) A basic principle of design for manufacturing (DFM) is “don’t specify square holes”.
Discuss why we have this principle, with reference to the applicable machining processes.
McIsaac, UWO ECE/MME, 2013 MSE2202b: page 5/17

d. (2 marks) In design for human factors, discuss which factors would influence your decision
between a digital numeric readout or a rotary dial readout. Provide at least one
circumstance under which you might choose each one.

e. (2 marks) What do we mean by analog-to-digital conversion in the context of mechatronic

systems? Discuss the inaccuracies introduced by the process of sampling analog signals.
McIsaac, UWO ECE/MME, 2013 MSE2202b: page 6/17

2 Debugging Mechatronic Systems (8 marks)

Suppose you have been asked by your colleague to help debug a mechatronic system. The input
side consists of a potentiometer providing an analog signal to an Arduino. Based on the analog
value read from the potentiometer, the system is supposed to set the position of a servo motor.
Your friend reports “it doesn’t work”, meaning that turning the potentiometer does not cause the
motor to turn.
Propose at least four possible problems that might lead to this observed lack of performance. In
each case, propose the test you might use to determine if your hypothesis is correct, and what
tool(s) you would need for this test.
McIsaac, UWO ECE/MME, 2013 MSE2202b: page 7/17

3 Arduino interfacing (8 marks)

Consider the following piece of an Arduino-based circuit:

D13
1 2 3 4 5 6
D12

D11

Arduino D10

D9

a. (1 mark) What is the purpose of Charlieplexing as used in this example?

b. (2 marks) Suppose you want to turn on LED 2. How would you configure the I/O pins? How
do you write to the I/O pins?

c. (2 marks) Is it possible to turn on more than one LED at a time? If not, why not? If so, how
is it done? Are there restrictions?
McIsaac, UWO ECE/MME, 2013 MSE2202b: page 8/17

d. (3 marks) Why does the circuit contain resistors? Are all three necessary? What factors
affect the choice of resistor value?
McIsaac, UWO ECE/MME, 2013 MSE2202b: page 9/17

4 Mechatronic System Design (10 marks)

Suppose you are required to implement a simple Arduino-based temperature controller to keep an
enclosure near 20 degrees Celsius. The system should use a thermistor to sample the temperature
of an enclosure every 10ms. The thermistor is known to have an impedance of 200Ω at 20 degrees,
and to vary by 10Ω per degree. If the temperature falls below 10 degrees Celsius, the system should
turn on a heating element, driven from a digital output, until the temperature comes back to 20
degrees. If the temperature exceeds 40 degrees Celsius, the system should turn on the fan, driven
from a different digital output, until the temperature comes back to 20 degrees. When the system
is at an acceptable temperature, turn on an LED on still a third output.

a. (4 marks) Using the Arduino in the figure, complete a schematic showing how you would wire
the system. It is acceptable to show the fan and heating element as blocks labelled “fan” and
“heater”.
McIsaac, UWO ECE/MME, 2013 MSE2202b: page 10/17

b. (6 marks) Develop a complete Arduino sketch to implement this system, assuming it has
been wired as in your schematic.
McIsaac, UWO ECE/MME, 2013 MSE2202b: page 11/17

5 Basic Heat Transfer (8 marks)

An unwise engineering professor has installed the plumbing to his upstairs bathroom as in the
figure. The cold-water supply pipe is on the outside of the heated space, embedded 8.75cm into
a 15cm block of spray-foam insulation. Suppose that the bathroom is held at 20 degrees Celsius.
Assume the knee wall is 1m x 3m.

a. (1 marks) What heat transfer processes are going on in this situation?

McIsaac, UWO ECE/MME, 2013 MSE2202b: page 12/17

b. (4 marks) Suppose the attic space is well-ventilated, so the air space and the inner surfaces
of wall and roof (Tsur ) are at the exterior temperature. How cold does it need to get in order
for the water supply to the professor’s bathroom to freeze? You can assume the pipe has
negligible width, and ignore heat flow “up” or “down”. It is enough to formulate the problem
without solving for a numerical answer.
kdrywall Heat conductivity of drywall 0.14 W/mK
kfoam Heat conductivity of foam 0.03 W/mK
hair Convection constant 2 W/m2 K
ε Emissivity of foam 0.9
McIsaac, UWO ECE/MME, 2013 MSE2202b: page 13/17

c. (2 marks) At the temperature determined in (b), how much heat power needs to be provided
to the room to keep it at 20 degrees? (Ignore any possible heat transfer through other walls
or the roof.)

d. (1 marks) Now, continuing to assume the attic is well ventilated, suppose it is a windy day.
What elements in part (b) will change? What will stay the same? Answer in a qualitative
way only.
McIsaac, UWO ECE/MME, 2013 MSE2202b: page 14/17

6 Design Reflection (6 marks)

Consider your final product design for your game-playing system. Describe the most significant
feature of the design that you were unable to prototype. What resource limitation led to this in-
ability? Was the prototype still a useful means of evaluating the design in spite of this shortcoming?
If so, why? If you had the ability to revisit the prototype, could its validity be improved?
McIsaac, UWO ECE/MME, 2013 MSE2202b: page 15/17

7 Quality Function Deployment (10 marks)

On the last page of the examination, there is a partially filled house of quality for a climbing
harness. With reference to this house of quality, answer the following questions:

a. (2 marks) Discuss the process of determining the importance of customer requirements.

Propose at least one way in which the importance can be assigned.

b. (2 marks) Compute the absolute and relative (percent) weights. Show at least one sample
calculation below.
McIsaac, UWO ECE/MME, 2013 MSE2202b: page 16/17

c. (3 marks) The “roof” of the house of quality is used to show how specifications interact.
Identify at least one positive and one negative interaction and explain the interactions you
identified.

d. (3 marks) Using the ratings provided for the “competition”, propose numerical targets for
the various specifications in the design. Justify at least three of your choices below.
McIsaac, UWO ECE/MME, 2013 MSE2202b: page 17/17

Have a safe and happy summer break.