Design of “Figure-8” Spherical Motion Flapping Wing for Miniature UAV

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zohaib Rehmat ◽  
Jesse Roll ◽  
Joon S. Lee ◽  
Woosoon Yim ◽  
Mohamed B. Trabia
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Testing ◽  
Flapping Wing ◽  
Servo Motor ◽  
Flapping Motion ◽  
Experimental Prototype ◽  
Wing Motion ◽  
Air Vehicle ◽  
Spherical Motion

Hummingbirds and some insects exhibit a “Figure-8” flapping motion, which allows them to undergo variety of maneuvers including hovering. It is therefore desirable to have miniature air vehicle (FWMAV) with this wing motion. This paper presents a design of a flapping-wing for FWMAV that can mimic “Figure-8” motion using a spherical four bar mechanism. In the proposed design, the wing is attached to a coupler point on the mechanism, which is driven by a DC servo motor. A prototype is fabricated to verify that the design objectives are met. Experimental testing was conducted to determine the validity of the design. The results indicate good correlation between model and experimental prototype.

Flight Characteristics of Flapping Wing Miniature Air Vehicles With “Figure-8” Spherical Motion

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed B. Trabia ◽  
Woosoon Yim ◽  
Zohaib Rehmat ◽  
Jesse Roll
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Model ◽  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Experimental Testing ◽  
Flapping Wing ◽  
Dynamic Stall ◽  
Wind Tunnel Testing ◽  
Servo Motor ◽  
Aerodynamic Forces ◽  
Flapping Motion ◽  
Spherical Motion

Hummingbirds and some insects exhibit “Figure-8” flapping motion that allows them to go through a variety of maneuvers including hovering. Understanding the flight characteristics of Figure-8 flapping motion can potentially yield the foundation of flapping wing UAVs that can experience similar maneuverability. In this paper, a mathematical model of the dynamic and aerodynamic forces associated with Figure-8 motion generated by a spherical four bar mechanism is developed. For validation, a FWMAV prototype with the wing attached to a coupler point and driven by a DC servo motor is created for experimental testing. Wind tunnel testing is conducted to determine the coefficients of flight and the effects of dynamic stall. The wing is driven at speeds up to 12.25 Hz with results compared to that of the model. The results indicate good correlation between mathematical model and experimental prototype.

Design of a Bio-Inspired Spherical Four-Bar Mechanism for Flapping-Wing Micro Air-Vehicle Applications

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matt McDonald ◽  
Sunil K. Agrawal
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Micro Air Vehicles ◽  
Aerodynamic Performance ◽  
Flapping Wing ◽  
Micro Air Vehicle ◽  
Aerodynamic Forces ◽  
Flapping Motion ◽  
Wing Motion ◽  
Air Vehicle ◽  
Flapping Mechanism

Design of flapping-wing micro air-vehicles presents many engineering challenges. As observed by biologists, insects and birds exhibit complex three-dimensional wing motions. It is believed that these unique patterns of wing motion create favorable aerodynamic forces that enable these species to fly forward, hover, and execute complex motions. From the perspective of micro air-vehicle applications, extremely lightweight designs that accomplish these motions of the wing, using just a single, or a few actuators, are preferable. This paper presents a method to design a spherical four-bar flapping mechanism that approximates a given spatial flapping motion of a wing, considered to have favorable aerodynamics. A spherical flapping mechanism was then constructed and its aerodynamic performance was compared to the original spatially moving wing using an instrumented robotic flapper with force sensors.

Modelling and Simulation of a Flapping Wing Mechanism Driven by a Brushless Servo Motor

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin Xie ◽  
Yong Chen
Keyword(s):  
Nonlinear Dynamic System ◽  
Input Voltage ◽  
Flapping Wing ◽  
Phase Lag ◽  
Servo Motor ◽  
Flapping Motion ◽  
Runge Kutta Method ◽  
Air Vehicle ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Relationship

Flapping wing mechanism is designed to generate flapping motion for a micro air vehicle. Some issues concerning with the design and control of flapping wing mechanism are discussed in this paper. Firstly the problem of phase-lag between two wings is treated. To eliminate phase-lag, a method of modifying the design is proposed. Then, motion controlling of a flapping wing mechanism by means of changing the voltage inputted to servo motor is studied. Based on Lagrange’s formulation and Kirchhoff’s voltage law, motion equation for a servo motor coupled to flapping wing mechanism is established. Fourth-order Runge-Kutta method is employed to integrate this equation. For the purpose of finding the relationship between the flapping motion and the input voltage, a response diagram obtained from simulation of the system is utilized. A crucial voltage VC is obvious in the response diagram. If the input voltage is lower than VC, the mechanism will settle at its fixed point, only when the input voltage is higher than VC, can the mechanism work in order. Both to find all fixed points and to analyze their stability for a complex nonlinear dynamic system are difficult tasks. A numerical method to deal with these difficulties is proposed. The results of simulation also show that the flapping frequency increases with the increasing of input voltage provided that the input voltage is higher than VC.

scholarly journals Improving Prediction of Flapping-Wing Motion By Incorporating Actuator Constraints With Models of Aerodynamic Loads Using In-Flight Data

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
John W. Gerdes ◽  
Hugh A. Bruck ◽  
Satyandra K. Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Design Space Exploration ◽  
Experimental Testing ◽  
Flapping Wing ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Flight Data ◽  
Flexible Wing ◽  
Wing Motion ◽  
Aerodynamic Model ◽  
Strip Theory

Flapping-wing flight is a challenging system integration problem for designers due to tight coupling between propulsion and flexible wing subsystems with variable kinematics. High fidelity models that capture all the subsystem interactions are computationally expensive and too complex for design space exploration and optimization studies. A combination of simplified modeling and validation with experimental data offers a more tractable approach to system design and integration, which maintains acceptable accuracy. However, experimental data on flapping-wing aerial vehicles which are collected in a static laboratory test or a wind tunnel test are limited because of the rigid mounting of the vehicle, which alters the natural body response to flapping forces generated. In this study, a flapping-wing aerial vehicle is instrumented to provide in-flight data collection that is unhindered by rigid mounting strategies. The sensor suite includes measurements of attitude, heading, altitude, airspeed, position, wing angle, and voltage and current supplied to the drive motors. This in-flight data are used to setup a modified strip theory aerodynamic model with physically realistic flight conditions. A coupled model that predicts wing motions is then constructed by combining the aerodynamic model with a model of flexible wing twist dynamics and enforcing motor torque and speed bandwidth constraints. Finally, the results of experimental testing are compared to the coupled modeling framework to establish the effectiveness of the proposed approach for improving predictive accuracy by reducing errors in wing motion specification.

Geometric Design of a Bio-Inspired Flapping Wing Mechanism Based on Bennett-Derived 6R Deployable Mechanisms

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huang Hailin ◽  
Li Bing
Keyword(s):  
Flapping Wing ◽  
Geometric Design ◽  
Geometric Parameters ◽  
Degree Of Freedom ◽  
Single Degree Of Freedom ◽  
Flapping Motion ◽  
Single Degree ◽  
Revolute Joints ◽  
Air Vehicle ◽  
Deployable Mechanism

In this paper, we present the concept of designing flapping wing air vehicle by using the deployable mechanisms. A novel deployable 6R mechanism, with the deploying/folding motion of which similar to the flapping motion of the vehicle, is first designed by adding two revolute joints in the adjacent two links of the deployable Bennett linkage. The mobility of this mechanism is analyzed based on a coplanar 2-twist screw system. An intuitive projective approach for the geometric design of the 6R deployable mechanism is proposed by projecting the joint axes on the deployed plane. Then the geometric parameters of the deployable mechanism can be determined. By using another 4R deployable Bennett connector, the two 6R deployable wing mechanisms can be connected together such that the whole flapping wing mechanism has a single degree of freedom (DOF).

The Design of New Mechanism of Birdlike MAV

2012 ◽  
Vol 229-231 ◽  
pp. 470-473
Author(s):  
Hai Zhou Zhai
Keyword(s):  
Angular Velocity ◽  
Flapping Wing ◽  
Micro Air Vehicle ◽  
Flapping Motion ◽  
Folding Angle ◽  
Air Vehicle ◽  
Aerodynamic Property ◽  
Kinematic Performance

MAV- Micro Air Vehicle which acts like bird has attracted many studies because of outstanding aerodynamic property. Former studies on birdlike MAV with flapping wing had just focused on the flapping motion, but passed over the change of flapping angular velocity and deformation of wing, therefore lost the good aerodynamic capacity. One new mechanism of the birdlike MAV is designed and studied. The mechanism can bring out 3 motions at one time, including flapping, spanning and twisting, so has movement as bird. The kinematic performance including the flapping angle, flapping angular velocity, and the folding angle etc., has been studied and compared with other relative works. The design can help the birdlike aircraft into reality.

Incorporation of Passive Wing Folding in Flapping Wing Miniature Air Vehicles

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominik Mueller ◽  
John W. Gerdes ◽  
Satyandra K. Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Flapping Wing ◽  
Flight Behavior ◽  
Unique Challenge ◽  
Wing Motion ◽  
Air Resistance ◽  
Air Vehicle ◽  
Spatially Distributed ◽  
Turning Radius ◽  
Wing Folding ◽  
Aerodynamic Lift

Flapping wing motion produces positive lift in the down stroke and negative lift in the upstroke under zero forward velocity. Large birds frequently exhibit flight behavior where their wings are folded during the upstroke, thus lowering the air resistance as the wing is moved upwards. The result is reduced magnitude of negative lift produced during the upstroke, relative to the positive lift produced in the down stroke, where the wings are unfolded and the area is increased. We expect that by incorporating this style of upstroke wing folding into miniature air vehicle (MAV) platforms, beneficial flight properties would arise. Specifically, a portion of the wings’ overall lift will be generated by upstroke folding and downstroke unfolding, even at zero forward velocity. Such a capability will reduce the reliance on aerodynamic lift produced due to the forward motion of the MAV. This in turn would reduce the minimum flight-sustaining forward velocity and thus enhance MAV maneuverability by allowing for a reduced turning radius. Incorporating wing folding into a miniature air vehicle platform presents a unique challenge due to strict weight constraints present at small sizes. Using actuators to accomplish folding actively is not feasible due to the added weight of the actuators and the need for an on-board control system to synchronize the folding with the wing flapping motion. Therefore, the folding motion must be accomplished passively, since this is currently the only viable option in miniature MAVs. We have developed a passive, spatially distributed, one-way folding mechanism. This mechanism has been incorporated into a flying MAV testbed, and has successfully shown that the flapping wing MAV with folding wings is capable of flying at reduced forward velocity, while maintaining the payload carrying capacity.

Direct Sensing of Wing Flapping and Rotation Parameters for a Hawkmoth-Sized Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicle

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ranjana Sahai
Keyword(s):  
Optical Sensors ◽  
Flapping Wing ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Wing Motion ◽  
Air Vehicle ◽  
Direct Sensing ◽  
Present Design ◽  
Rotation Parameters ◽  
Design Reasoning ◽  
Control Surfaces

Many insights can still be gained from the flapping flight of nature’s flyers, particularly from how they can effortlessly transition between flight modes and maneuver in obstacle-strewn environments. Furthermore, they are able to do this without the typical control surfaces found in manmade vehicles. Many theories have been postulated on how this is accomplished and they often involve control of individual wing position and stroke velocity. As such, direct sensing of wing motion both in flapping and in rotation would be desirable. In this work, we look at implementing wing motion sensing through the use of optical sensors. We develop sensing designs for both the transmissive and reflective sensor types, present design reasoning, and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of their use. Finally, we employ the sensors on the wing of a flapping wing MAV capable of power autonomous flight and demonstrate successful sensor tracking of general wing motion.

Design and Analysis of Flapping Wing

2011 ◽  
Vol 110-116 ◽  
pp. 3495-3499
Author(s):  
G.C. Vishnu Kumar ◽  
M. Rahamath Juliyana
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Flapping Wing ◽  
Micro Air Vehicle ◽  
Flapping Wings ◽  
Visualization Technique ◽  
Aerodynamic Forces ◽  
Flapping Motion ◽  
Smoke Flow ◽  
Air Vehicle ◽  
Lift And Drag

This paper the optimum wing planform for flapping motion is investigated by measuring the lift and drag characteristics. A model is designed with a fixed wing and two flapping wings attached to its trailing edge. Using wind tunnel tests are conducted to study the effect of angle of attack (smoke flow visualization technique). The test comprises of measuring the aerodynamic forces with flapping motion and without it for various flapping frequencies and results are presented. It can be possible to produce a micro air vehicle which is capable of stealthy operations for defence requirements by using these experimental data.

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