Platform Design and Preliminary Test Result of an Insect-like Flapping MAV with Direct Motor-Driven Resonant Wings...

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Aerospace Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering

Background:

• Conventional flapping micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) often utilize complex or less durable spring systems.
• Torsion springs in MAVs can be difficult to mount and may have limited endurance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and evaluate a new platform for insect-like flapping MAVs utilizing a resonant wing-driving system with extension springs.
• To demonstrate the feasibility of using extension springs for improved MAV performance and robustness.

Main Methods:

• Development of a flapping winged micro aerial vehicle with a resonant wing-driving system employing extension springs.
• Testing of a prototype FMAVRES to analyze control torque linearity and transient responses.
• Modeling of actuator torque response as a first-order system.

Main Results:

• The proposed resonant driving system using extension springs is easier to mount and offers better endurance than torsion spring systems.
• Generated torques for roll, pitch, and yaw control exhibit linearity with respect to control input signals.
• A prototype FMAVRES weighing 17.92 g achieved a lift force of 21.3 gf at 80% throttle.

Conclusions:

• The developed FMAVRES platform demonstrates effective lift generation and control characteristics.
• The use of extension springs in resonant driving systems is a viable approach for creating simple and robust flapping MAVs.
• Interactions between roll, pitch, and yaw control commands necessitate closed-loop controller compensation for optimal performance.