The micro Flapping Rotary Wing （FRW） concept inspired by insects was proposed recently. Its aerodynamic performance is highly related to wing pitching and rotational motions. Therefore, the effect of wing pitching k...The micro Flapping Rotary Wing （FRW） concept inspired by insects was proposed recently. Its aerodynamic performance is highly related to wing pitching and rotational motions. Therefore, the effect of wing pitching kinematics and rotational speed on unsteady aerodynamic forces and power consumption of a FRW in hovering flight is further studied in this paper using computational fluid dy- namics method. Considering a fixed pitching amplitude （i.e., 80°）, the vertical force of FRW increases with the downstroke angle of attack and is enhanced by high wing rotational speed. However, a high downstroke angle of attack is not beneficial for acquiring high rotational speed, in which peak vertical force at balance status （i.e., average rotational moment equals zero.） is only acquired at a comparatively small negative downstroke angle of attack. The releasing constraint of pitching amplitude, high rotational speed and enhanced balanced vertical force can be acquired by selecting small pitching amplitude despite high power consumption. To confirm which wing layout is more power efficient for a certain vertical force requirement, the power consumed by FRW is compared with the Rotary Wing （RW） and the Flapping Wing （FW） while considering two angle of attack strategies without the Reynolds number （Re） constraint. FRW and RW are the most power efficient layouts when the target vertical force is produced at an angle of attack that corresponds to the maximum vertical force coefficient and power efficiency, respectively. However, RW is the most power efficient layout overall despite its insufficient vertical force production capability under a certain Re.展开更多
Micro aerial platforms face significant challenges in achieving long controlled endurance as most of the energy is consumed to overcome the weight of the body.In this study,we present a controllable micro blimp that a...Micro aerial platforms face significant challenges in achieving long controlled endurance as most of the energy is consumed to overcome the weight of the body.In this study,we present a controllable micro blimp that addresses this issue through the use of a helium-filled balloon.The micro blimp has a long axis of 23 cm and is propelled by four insect-sized flapping-wing thrusters,each weighing 80 mg and with a wingspan of 3.5 cm.These distributed thrusters enable controlled motions and provide the micro blimp with an advantage in flight endurance compared to multirotors or flapping-wing micro aerial vehicles at the same size scale.To enhance the performance of the controlled flight,we propose a wireless control module that enables manipulation from a distance of up to 100 m.Additionally,a smartphone application is developed to send instructions to the circuit board,allowing the blimp to turn left and right,ascend and descend,and achieve a combination of these movements separately.Our findings demonstrate that this micro blimp is one of the smallest controlled self-powered micro blimps to date.展开更多
Flapping-wing flying insects possess various advantages,such as high agility and efficiency.The design and manufacture of insect-scale flapping-wing micro aerial vehicle(FWMAV)have attracted increasing attention in re...Flapping-wing flying insects possess various advantages,such as high agility and efficiency.The design and manufacture of insect-scale flapping-wing micro aerial vehicle(FWMAV)have attracted increasing attention in recent decades.Due to the limitations of size and weight,the FWMAV with an onboard battery which can fully mimic insect flight has not been achieved.In this work,we design and fabricate a highly integrated flapping-wing microrobot named Robomoth.The Robomoth consists of a carbon chassis,customized power and control devices,and two piezoelectric ceramic actuators symmetrically distributed in the thorax and controlled individually.It weighs 2.487 g,spans 5.9 cm in length,possesses 9 cm of wingspan,and carries a 0.355 g rechargeable lithium battery.We demonstrate the mobility of the Robomoth through untethered gliding and making turns on the water surface.A simplified dynamic model of the flapping system is proposed to explain the relationship between the driving frequency and the flapping amplitude.The Robomoth is one new untethered bioinspired flapping-wing robot that can perform stable water surface motion,which holds potential applications such as search and rescue on the water.The robot can also provide insight for designing insect-scale flying vehicles.展开更多
蜻蜓被认为是飞行行为简单且机动高效的昆虫之一,因此成为众多微型飞行器(Micro Air Vehicle,MAV)的仿生设计原型。蜻蜓优异的飞行特性与其翅特性密不可分。它不仅可承受飞行过程中的多种载荷,而且能保持高效飞行特性。总结了蜻蜓翅结...蜻蜓被认为是飞行行为简单且机动高效的昆虫之一,因此成为众多微型飞行器(Micro Air Vehicle,MAV)的仿生设计原型。蜻蜓优异的飞行特性与其翅特性密不可分。它不仅可承受飞行过程中的多种载荷,而且能保持高效飞行特性。总结了蜻蜓翅结构特性、飞行特性和仿蜻蜓扑翼MAV的研究现状及最新研究进展,并分别对蜻蜓翅的翅脉、翅膜、翅结、翅痣、褶皱结构,体液流动,材料特性,飞行机理以及红外探测应用进行了概述。同时针对仿生扑翼MAV的微型化需求,对未来研究方向进行了分析。展开更多
A physical model for a micro air vehicle with Flapping Rotary Wings （FRW） is investigated by measuring the wing kine- matics in trim conditions and computing the corresponding aerodynamic force using computational f...A physical model for a micro air vehicle with Flapping Rotary Wings （FRW） is investigated by measuring the wing kine- matics in trim conditions and computing the corresponding aerodynamic force using computational fluid dynamics. In order to capture the motion image and reconstruct the positions and orientations of the wing, the photogrammetric method is adopted and a method for automated recognition of the marked points is developed. The characteristics of the realistic wing kinematics are presented. The results show that the non-dimensional rotating speed is a linear function of non-dimensional flapping frequency regardless of the initial angles of attack. Moreover, the effects of wing kinematics on aerodynamic force production and the underlying mechanism are analyzed. The results show that the wing passive pitching caused by elastic deformation can sig- nificantly enhance lift production. The Strouhal number of the FRW is much higher than that of general flapping wings, indi- cating the stronger unsteadiness of flows in FRW.展开更多
We propose a control moment generator to control the attitude of an insect-like tailless Flapping-wing Micro Air Vehicle （FW-MAV）, where the flapping wings simultaneously produce the flight force and control moments...We propose a control moment generator to control the attitude of an insect-like tailless Flapping-wing Micro Air Vehicle （FW-MAV）, where the flapping wings simultaneously produce the flight force and control moments. The generator tilts the stroke plane of each wing independently to direct the resultant aerodynamic force in the desired direction to ultimately generate pitch and yaw moments. A roll moment is produced by an additional mechanism that shifts the trailing edge, which changes the wing rotation angles of the two flapping wings and produces an asymmetric thrust. Images of the flapping wings are captured with a high-speed camera and clearly show that the FW-MAV can independently change the stroke planes of its two wings. The measured force and moment data prove that the control moment generator produces reasonable pitch and yaw moments by tilting the stroke plane and realizes a roll moment by shifting the position of the trailing edge at the wing root.展开更多
基金Acknowledgment This research was primarily supported by the Na- tional Natural Science Foundation of China （Grant number： 11672022）.
文摘The micro Flapping Rotary Wing （FRW） concept inspired by insects was proposed recently. Its aerodynamic performance is highly related to wing pitching and rotational motions. Therefore, the effect of wing pitching kinematics and rotational speed on unsteady aerodynamic forces and power consumption of a FRW in hovering flight is further studied in this paper using computational fluid dy- namics method. Considering a fixed pitching amplitude （i.e., 80°）, the vertical force of FRW increases with the downstroke angle of attack and is enhanced by high wing rotational speed. However, a high downstroke angle of attack is not beneficial for acquiring high rotational speed, in which peak vertical force at balance status （i.e., average rotational moment equals zero.） is only acquired at a comparatively small negative downstroke angle of attack. The releasing constraint of pitching amplitude, high rotational speed and enhanced balanced vertical force can be acquired by selecting small pitching amplitude despite high power consumption. To confirm which wing layout is more power efficient for a certain vertical force requirement, the power consumed by FRW is compared with the Rotary Wing （RW） and the Flapping Wing （FW） while considering two angle of attack strategies without the Reynolds number （Re） constraint. FRW and RW are the most power efficient layouts when the target vertical force is produced at an angle of attack that corresponds to the maximum vertical force coefficient and power efficiency, respectively. However, RW is the most power efficient layout overall despite its insufficient vertical force production capability under a certain Re.
基金co-supported by the Beijing Natural Science Foundation,China(No.3232010)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.12002017)the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China 111 Project(No.B08009).
文摘Micro aerial platforms face significant challenges in achieving long controlled endurance as most of the energy is consumed to overcome the weight of the body.In this study,we present a controllable micro blimp that addresses this issue through the use of a helium-filled balloon.The micro blimp has a long axis of 23 cm and is propelled by four insect-sized flapping-wing thrusters,each weighing 80 mg and with a wingspan of 3.5 cm.These distributed thrusters enable controlled motions and provide the micro blimp with an advantage in flight endurance compared to multirotors or flapping-wing micro aerial vehicles at the same size scale.To enhance the performance of the controlled flight,we propose a wireless control module that enables manipulation from a distance of up to 100 m.Additionally,a smartphone application is developed to send instructions to the circuit board,allowing the blimp to turn left and right,ascend and descend,and achieve a combination of these movements separately.Our findings demonstrate that this micro blimp is one of the smallest controlled self-powered micro blimps to date.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.91748209)the 111 Project(Grant No.B21034)the Key Research and Development Program of Zhejiang Province(Grant No.2020C05010)。
文摘Flapping-wing flying insects possess various advantages,such as high agility and efficiency.The design and manufacture of insect-scale flapping-wing micro aerial vehicle(FWMAV)have attracted increasing attention in recent decades.Due to the limitations of size and weight,the FWMAV with an onboard battery which can fully mimic insect flight has not been achieved.In this work,we design and fabricate a highly integrated flapping-wing microrobot named Robomoth.The Robomoth consists of a carbon chassis,customized power and control devices,and two piezoelectric ceramic actuators symmetrically distributed in the thorax and controlled individually.It weighs 2.487 g,spans 5.9 cm in length,possesses 9 cm of wingspan,and carries a 0.355 g rechargeable lithium battery.We demonstrate the mobility of the Robomoth through untethered gliding and making turns on the water surface.A simplified dynamic model of the flapping system is proposed to explain the relationship between the driving frequency and the flapping amplitude.The Robomoth is one new untethered bioinspired flapping-wing robot that can perform stable water surface motion,which holds potential applications such as search and rescue on the water.The robot can also provide insight for designing insect-scale flying vehicles.
文摘蜻蜓被认为是飞行行为简单且机动高效的昆虫之一,因此成为众多微型飞行器(Micro Air Vehicle,MAV)的仿生设计原型。蜻蜓优异的飞行特性与其翅特性密不可分。它不仅可承受飞行过程中的多种载荷,而且能保持高效飞行特性。总结了蜻蜓翅结构特性、飞行特性和仿蜻蜓扑翼MAV的研究现状及最新研究进展,并分别对蜻蜓翅的翅脉、翅膜、翅结、翅痣、褶皱结构,体液流动,材料特性,飞行机理以及红外探测应用进行了概述。同时针对仿生扑翼MAV的微型化需求,对未来研究方向进行了分析。
基金This research was primarily supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China （No. 11672022）.
文摘A physical model for a micro air vehicle with Flapping Rotary Wings （FRW） is investigated by measuring the wing kine- matics in trim conditions and computing the corresponding aerodynamic force using computational fluid dynamics. In order to capture the motion image and reconstruct the positions and orientations of the wing, the photogrammetric method is adopted and a method for automated recognition of the marked points is developed. The characteristics of the realistic wing kinematics are presented. The results show that the non-dimensional rotating speed is a linear function of non-dimensional flapping frequency regardless of the initial angles of attack. Moreover, the effects of wing kinematics on aerodynamic force production and the underlying mechanism are analyzed. The results show that the wing passive pitching caused by elastic deformation can sig- nificantly enhance lift production. The Strouhal number of the FRW is much higher than that of general flapping wings, indi- cating the stronger unsteadiness of flows in FRW.
文摘We propose a control moment generator to control the attitude of an insect-like tailless Flapping-wing Micro Air Vehicle （FW-MAV）, where the flapping wings simultaneously produce the flight force and control moments. The generator tilts the stroke plane of each wing independently to direct the resultant aerodynamic force in the desired direction to ultimately generate pitch and yaw moments. A roll moment is produced by an additional mechanism that shifts the trailing edge, which changes the wing rotation angles of the two flapping wings and produces an asymmetric thrust. Images of the flapping wings are captured with a high-speed camera and clearly show that the FW-MAV can independently change the stroke planes of its two wings. The measured force and moment data prove that the control moment generator produces reasonable pitch and yaw moments by tilting the stroke plane and realizes a roll moment by shifting the position of the trailing edge at the wing root.
