Bio-inspired, sensitivity-enhanced, bi-directional airflow sensor for turbulence detection

Area of Science:

• Aerospace Engineering
• Sensor Technology
• Fluid Dynamics

Background:

• Prompt detection of airflow turbulence precursors is vital for flight safety and control.
• Existing airflow sensors struggle to detect subtle reverse flows characteristic of early turbulence.
• Turbulence precursors involve small, random velocity and directional reverse flows.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and develop a bionic, sensitivity-enhanced, bi-directional airflow sensor (BSBA).
• To improve the detection capabilities for early-stage airflow turbulence.
• To enhance aircraft safety and control systems through advanced airflow sensing.

Main Methods:

• Incorporated bio-inspired circular tip slits into the sensor design.
• Enlarged the central part of the cruciform beam structure for enhanced sensitivity.
• Tested the sensor's response time, sensitivity, bi-directional detection accuracy, and detection threshold.

Main Results:

• The BSBA demonstrated a rapid response time of 24.1 ms and high sensitivity (1.36 mV m⁻¹ s⁻¹).
• Achieved consistent bi-directional airflow detection with a correlation coefficient of 0.9854 and a low detection threshold of 1 ml.
• Successfully detected transparent obstacles on a quadrotor by measuring minute flow field changes.

Conclusions:

• The BSBA sensor offers significant potential for enhancing aircraft control systems due to its high sensitivity, fast response, and accurate bi-directional detection.
• The sensor's ability to detect subtle airflow variations enables prompt identification of turbulence precursors.
• The BSBA's obstacle detection capability improves safety, especially in challenging visual conditions.