MEng Mechatronic Engineering / Course details

The Brief Description of the Unit:

This unit introduces students to instrumentation and measurement, as a discipline within EEE. The importance of traceable measurement to commerce in general and control system engineering is highlighted.

Measurement theory is examined, including key concepts such as accuracy and precision. Statistical methods for dealing with random uncertainty are introduced and the propagation of measurement uncertainties into derived quantities is considered.

Example test and measurement devices are examined, including the most common benchtop instruments (digital multimeter, oscilloscope) and a data acquisition (DAQ) device. The correct use of each device is described and their performance and specifications are considered in terms of concepts introduced in measurement theory.

The LabVIEW™ programming language is introduced and used to develop a simple measurement system, based on a DAQ device.

The unit aims to:

Introduce students to instrumentation and measurement as a significant field of specialism within electronic engineering.

Familiarize students with the basic theory and practice of measurement, with an emphasis on electrical measurements.

Enable students to make effective use of common electrical test instruments, including a basic data acquisition device.

Provide an introduction to the development of measurement and data acquisition systems.

Large group lectures delivered primarily using PowerPoint presentations but also incorporating simple demonstrations of instruments and LabVIEW programming. E-learning videos are used to demonstrate some concepts. Presentation slides and notes are available electronically via Blackboard.

Three, three-hour laboratory sessions are delivered in a computer cluster with the aid of Teaching Assistants. The first two sessions aim to familiarise students with the LabVIEW programming environment and basic concepts of visual programming. The third session, which is directly related to the coursework, aims to bring the two halves of the unit together with LabVIEW-based measurement exercises.

Links to supplementary electronic resources are also provided via Blackboard including instructional videos on the use of measurement instruments, and other resources for improving LabVIEW and myDAQ skills.