Passively Stable Flapping Flight from Hover to Fast Forward through Shift in Wing Position

Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicles (FWMAVs) hold the potential to both cover large distances and perform precision flights when arrived at destination. However, flying at different speeds leads to a complex control problem for attitude stabilization. Inspired by nature, we present a morphing mechanism that allows tailed FW- MAVs to have a passively stabilized attitude both in fast forward flight and in slow hovering flight. The mechanism displaces the wings and hence aerodynamic center. It is implemented on the DelFly II and tested in-flight in a motion tracking arena. The experimental tests show that the morphing mechanism indeed allows to fly passively stable in multiple flight modes. Just changing the aerodynamic center allows the DelFly II to fly fast forward (∼ 6 m/s, pitch attitude of 10°), transition to slow forward flight (∼ 0.8 m/s, pitch attitude of 55°), and back. The proposed mechanism paves the way for FWMAVs performing long range missions such as search-and-rescue.

[1]  Robert Dudley,et al.  Maximum Flight Performance of Hummingbirds: Capacities, Constraints, and Trade‐Offs , 1999, The American Naturalist.

[2]  Ephrahim Garcia,et al.  Stability in Ornithopter Longitudinal Flight Dynamics , 2008 .

[3]  A. Azuma,et al.  Flight Performance of a Dragonfly , 1988 .

[4]  Robert J. Wood,et al.  Using a MEMS gyroscope to stabilize the attitude of a fly-sized hovering robot , 2014 .

[5]  Guido C. H. E. de Croon,et al.  Attitude and altitude estimation and control on board a Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicle , 2015, 2015 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA).

[6]  Satyandra K. Gupta,et al.  Design, Manufacturing, and Testing of Robo Raven , 2014 .

[7]  C. C. de Visser,et al.  Near-Hover Flapping Wing MAV Aerodynamic Modelling: A linear model approach , 2013 .

[8]  Satyandra K. Gupta,et al.  A Review of Bird-Inspired Flapping Wing Miniature Air Vehicle Designs , 2010 .

[9]  Muhammad R. Hajj,et al.  Flight dynamics and control of flapping-wing MAVs: a review , 2012 .

[10]  J. Sean Humbert,et al.  Testing and System Identification of an Ornithopter in Longitudinal Flight , 2011 .

[11]  Robert J. Wood,et al.  The First Takeoff of a Biologically Inspired At-Scale Robotic Insect , 2008, IEEE Transactions on Robotics.

[12]  Nina Gaißert,et al.  Inventing a Micro Aerial Vehicle Inspired by the Mechanics of Dragonfly Flight , 2013, TAROS.

[13]  Kevin Y. Ma,et al.  Controlled Flight of a Biologically Inspired, Insect-Scale Robot , 2013, Science.

[14]  B. Remes,et al.  Linear Aerodynamic Model Identification of a Flapping Wing MAV Based on Flight Test Data , 2013 .

[15]  Henry Won,et al.  Development of the Nano Hummingbird: A Tailless Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicle , 2012 .

[16]  Ronald S. Fearing,et al.  Flight forces and altitude regulation of 12 gram I-Bird , 2010, 2010 3rd IEEE RAS & EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics.

[17]  G C H E de Croon,et al.  Design, aerodynamics and autonomy of the DelFly , 2012, Bioinspiration & biomimetics.