Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is that engineering science, the engineering science concerned with the research and technical development as well as production engineering of devices or procedures that pro rata based at least on electrical energy. These include the area of the transducer, the electrical machinery and components and circuits for control, measurement, control, communications and computer technology to the technical computer science.
- 2.1 Beginnings in the 17th and 18th centuries
- 2.2 19th century
- 2.3 20th century
- 3.1 of study
- 3.2 Apprenticeships
- 3.3 Professional associations
Areas of responsibility
The classic division of electrical engineering, power engineering was that is reflected in energy technology and drive technology today, and the low power technique that was formed to telecommunications. As more areas of the electrical measurement and control technology as well as the electronics were added. The boundaries between the different areas are often blurred. With increasing proliferation of applications, there were countless other specialization areas. In our present civilization almost all processes and facilities are operated electrically or run on electrical equipment and controls a substantial interest.
Energy Technology
The electrical power engineering (formerly power engineering ) deals with the production, transmission and conversion of electric energy and high voltage engineering. Electrical energy is produced in most cases by conversion of mechanical rotational energy by means of generators. For classical power engineering also includes the area of consumer electrical energy and drive technology. At the area of the transmission of electric energy in the low voltage also include the topic of electrical installations as they are varied to find among others in the household.
Drive Technology
The drive technology, formerly also considered a " power engineering ", converts electrical energy by means of electrical machines in mechanical energy. Classic Electric machines are synchronous, induction and dc machines, especially in the area of small drives, there are many other types. Current development of the linear motors, the electrical energy without the " detour" via the rotation is converted directly into mechanical linear motion. The drive technology plays an important role in automation technology, as there is often a variety of movements can be realized with electric drives. For drive technology electronics turn plays a major role, one for the control and regulation of drives, on the other drives are often supplied by means of power electronics with electrical energy. Also, the area of the peak load reduction and energy optimization in the field of electrical engineering has evolved considerably.
Communications Engineering
Called with the help of communications technology, including information and communication technology (formerly Low power technology), signals with electromagnetic waves carry information from an information source to be transferred ( the sender) to one or more receivers ( the information sink ). It comes down to transfer the information to losses that they can be recognized by the recipient ( see also high-frequency technology, amateur radio ). An important aspect of communications engineering, the signal processing, for example by filtering, encoding or decoding.
Electronics
The electronics is concerned with the development, manufacturing and application of electronic components such as coils or semiconductor devices such as diodes and transistors. The microelectronics deals with the development and manufacture of integrated circuits. The development of power semiconductors ( Power Electronics) plays in drive technology, an ever-increasing role as inverter can provide the electrical power much more flexible, as it is possible, for example with transformers.
Digital technology can be as far as the electronics assign a time when classical logic circuit is composed of transistors. On the other hand, the digital technology is also the basis of many controls and so important for the automation technology. The theory could be described as well as the theoretical electrical engineering.
Automation Technology
In automation technology (collectively MSR technique) by means of methods of measuring, control and regulation technology automates and monitors individual steps of a process. Today Usually MCR technology is supported by digital technology. One of the core areas of automation technology, automatic control technology. Regulations are contained in many technical systems. Examples include the control of industrial robots, autopilots in airplanes and ships, speed controls in engines, stability control ( ESP) in automobiles, the attitude control of missiles and the process control of chemical plants. Simple examples of everyday life are the temperature controls in irons, and refrigerators (see also Sensors ).
Electronic device technology
The electronic device technology is concerned with the development and manufacture of electronic components and devices. So you includes the design and subsequent structural design of electronic systems ( wiring racks, modules, devices).
Electromagnetic Theory
The basis of the theory and link the physics of electrical engineering are the insights from the theory of electricity. The theory of the circuits concerned with the methods of analysis of circuits of passive components. The theoretical electrical engineering, the theory of fields and waves, is based on the Maxwell equations.
History, developments and people of Electrical Engineering
Beginnings in the 17th and 18th centuries
The beginnings of electrical engineering are sure to look in physics, but which have developed later than the time of George Westinghouse and Werner von Siemens on its own discipline. In the initial discoveries were around electricity. In the 17th century, the electricity and its effects for the first time attracted the interest of scientists. In 1663, Otto von Guericke invented the first electrostatic generator, a sulfur ball having a rotational axis, the electricity by hand caused friction generated. Around the middle of the 18th century was invented by Ewald Georg von Kleist and Pieter van Musschenbroek the Leyden jar, the oldest design of a capacitor. 1752 Benjamin Franklin invented the lightning rod and published from 1751 to 1753 the results of his experiment and Observations on Electricity. 1792 Luigi Galvani took his legendary frog leg experiment that led to the development of Galvani'schen cell, a special electrochemical cell.
19th century
Inspired by the experiments of Galvani, Alessandro Volta constructed around 1800 the so-called voltaic pile, the first working battery, stood for the first time a continuous power source for electro- technical research. Hans Christian Ørsted in 1820 made attempts to deflect a magnetic needle by an electric current. André- Marie Ampère went on these experiments and exhibited in 1820, after that two current- carrying conductors exert a force on each other. Ampère explained the concept of electric voltage and electric current, and established the current direction.
Michael Faraday made a great contribution in the field of electric and magnetic fields, comes from him, the notion of " field line ". The findings were the basis for Faraday James Clerk Maxwell's work. He completed the theory of electromagnetism to electrodynamics and their mathematical formulation. The quintessence of his work, published in 1864 Maxwell 's equations are one of the basic theories in electrical engineering.
Philipp Reis invented in 1860 at the Institute Garnier in Friedrichsdorf the phone and thus the electrical voice transmission. However, his invention was not given much attention, so that in 1876 Alexander Graham Bell in the U.S. built the first commercially usable phone and also successfully marketed.
Among the pioneers of " power engineering " Werner von Siemens was one who developed the first electrical generator in 1866 by the dynamo- electric principle. Electrical energy was the first time in large, usable quantity available. 1879 Thomas Edison invented the carbon filament light bulb and thus brought the electric light to the people. As a result, electricity found its way into more and more areas of life. At the same time worked Nikola Tesla and Mikhail Dolivo - of Dobrowolsky who were pioneers of the alternating current and through their pioneering inventions laid the foundations of today's power systems.
Erasmus Kittler founded in 1883 at the Technical University of Darmstadt ( TU Darmstadt today ) the world's first degree program in electrical engineering. The course lasted four years and ended with an exam for Electrical Engineer from. 1885 and 1886, followed by the University College London (UK) and the University of Missouri (USA), the more independent chairs einrichteten of Electrical Engineering. The thus formed engineers were required to enable a large electrification.
Heinrich Hertz succeeded in 1884, the experimental proof of the Maxwell equations. He proved the existence of electromagnetic waves, thus he is the founder of the foundations of wireless transmission of information and thus also the intelligence technology. The following year, Alexander Popov led about 250 meters from the world's first wireless radio transmission. Based on his work, first transmitting and receiving equipment are commercially available from 1900.
20th century
John Ambrose Fleming invented in 1905 the first radio tube, the diode. Developed in 1906 Robert von Lieben and Lee De Forest independently the amplifier tube, called the triode, which gave a significant impulse radio technology.
John Logie Baird built in 1926 by the simplest means the first mechanical television based on the Nipkow disk. 1928 followed by the first color television. In the same year he achieved the first transatlantic television transmission from London to New York. However, in 1931, was his invention of date, Manfred von Ardenne then led a cathode ray tube, and hence the electronic television.
1941, Konrad Zuse built the world's first functioning computer, the Z3, done. In 1946 the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer ) of John Presper Eckert and John Mauchly followed. The first phase of the computer age began. The so- available computing power has enabled the engineers and the company is to develop completely new technologies and achieve feats. An early example is the moon landing as part of the Apollo program, NASA.
The invention of the transistor in 1947 at Bell Laboratories ( USA) by William B. Shockley, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain, and the entire semiconductor technology opened up the electrical very wide application areas, since now many devices could be built very compact. Another major step in this direction was the development of micro- integration: in 1958, invented by Jack Kilby integrated circuit ( IC) made today's processor chip and thus the development of modern computers at all possible.
1958 invented and built George Devol and Joseph Engelberg in the United States the world's first industrial robot. Such a robot was first used in 1960 at General Motors in industrial production. Industrial robots are now in a variety of industries such as the automotive industry, an important building block of automation technology.
Gerhard Sessler and James E. West invented 1962, the electret microphone, the microphone, the most commonly produced today worldwide. It is, for example, part of cell phones and tape recorders.
In 1968 Marcian Edward Hoff invented, known as Ted Hoff, at the company Intel microprocessor and thus ushered in the era of the personal computer ( PC). These were based on Hoff's invention, an order of a Japanese company for a desktop computer, which he wanted to realize the lowest possible price. The first realization of the microprocessor was the Intel 4004 in 1969, a 4-bit processor. But it was the Intel 8080, an 8 -bit processor from 1973, enabled the construction of the first PC, the Altair 8800th
The company Philips invented 1978, the Compact Disc (CD) for storing digital information. 1982 resulted then from a cooperation between Philips and Sony audio CD. In 1985 he was the CD -ROM.
In 1996, the company Honda unveiled the world's first functional humanoid robot, the P2. A first prototype humanoid robot, which was not yet fully functional, developed in 1976, the Japanese Waseda University. From the moment the current P2 Android, Honda's Asimo resulted about 1.20 m high. In addition to many electronic and electrical components are humanoid robot also essential for mechanical components whose interaction is known as mechatronics.
Electrical engineering in the professional world
Subject
Electrical Engineering is offered at many universities, colleges and career academies program. There are also sixth form colleges, specializing in electrical engineering, where you can catch up on the advanced secondary school or secondary school certificate or diploma. The standard period of study at the University 9 to 10 semester at the University of Applied Sciences ( FH) 7-8 (including internship ) semester and at the University of Cooperative Education (BA ) 6 semesters. Termination is made with a diploma as a graduate engineer ( Dipl. -Ing. Respectively Dipl. -Ing. ( FH) ) or Master of Science ( M. Sc.). Meanwhile, it is possible to acquire the Bachelor of Engineering or Bachelor of Science degree, then the standard period of study is 6 semesters, at the FH 7 semesters including internship.
The study of electrical engineering includes some topics related subjects: Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering, Physics, Maths, network and system theory, control engineering, communications engineering, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC ), some laboratory courses and specialization courses. At the University, the academic work is emphasized in training, at the University of Applied Sciences is the application of physical knowledge in the foreground. Due to the interdisciplinary nature and the often tight integration with the computer science program is also usually part of the program. Corresponding studies or closely related courses then are also called as electrical engineering and information technology and technical computer science. The " Doctor of Engineering " is the highest academic degree that can be achieved on a master's degree as part of a promotion or assistant in graduate school afterwards.
At some universities, the subject can be studied electrical engineering and information technology in seven semesters with a view of the Master of Vocational Studies, which includes another three semesters. With this degree, and a further 1.5 years Referandariatszeit can pursue a job as a commercial teacher (senior service ) at a vocational school. Likewise, there is the field of study Teacher Training at Vocational Schools for Electrical Engineering; here a clerkship is also usually required before a place in the senior civil service can be started at a vocational school.
Apprenticeships
Professional associations
The largest professional association of Electrical Engineering is the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE ) worldwide. He has over 420,000 members and publishes magazines in all relevant fields in English. Since 2008, the IEEE Global History Network ( GHN IEEE ), in different categories important milestones (evaluated by a panel of experts ) and personal memories of Engineers (IEEE First - Hand History ) can be held. Such recollections of Swiss electrical engineers can be viewed as examples.
The VDE Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies is a technical- scientific association in Germany. With approximately 35,000 members, the VDE is committed to a better climate for innovation, safety standards, for a modern engineering education, and high technology acceptance in the population.
In Germany, the largest professional association in the electro-technical craft of Association of the electrical craftsmen ( FEH ). This is built into the national trade associations, divided into the provinces.