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Horizontal take-off of an insect-like FMAV based on stroke plane modulation

Zihao Chen (National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Micro/Nano Fabrication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China, and Department of Micro/Nano Electronics, School of Electronic Information and Electrical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China)
Weiping Zhang (National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Micro/Nano Fabrication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China)
Jiawang Mou (National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Micro/Nano Fabrication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China, and Department of Micro/Nano Electronics, School of Electronic Information and Electrical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China)
Kexin Zheng (National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Micro/Nano Fabrication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China, and Department of Micro/Nano Electronics, School of Electronic Information and Electrical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China)

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology

ISSN: 0002-2667

Article publication date: 18 March 2022

Issue publication date: 30 May 2022

375

Abstract

Purpose

Vertical take-off is commonly adopted in most insect-mimicking flapping-wing micro air vehicles (FMAV) while insects also adopt horizontal take-off from the ground. The purpose of this paper is to study how insects adjust their attitude in such a short time during horizontal take-off by means of designing and testing an FMAV based on stroke plane modulation.

Design/methodology/approach

An FMAV prototype based on stroke plane rotating modulation is built to test the flight performance during horizontal take-off. Dynamic gain and decoupling mixer is added to compensate for the nonlinearity during the rotation angle of the stroke plane getting too large at the beginning of take-off. Force/torque test based on a six-axis sensor validates the change of aerodynamic force and torque at different rotation angles. High-speed camera and motion capture system test the flight performance of horizontal take-off.

Findings

Stroke plane modulation can provide a great initial pitch toque for FMAV to realize horizontal take-off. But the large range of rotation angles causes nonlinearity and coupling of roll and yaw. A dynamic gain and a mixer are added in the controller, and the FMAV successfully achieves horizontally taking off in less than 1 s.

Originality/value

The research in this paper shows stroke plane modulation is suitable for insect’s horizontal take-off

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, grant No. 6141A02022627.

Citation

Chen, Z., Zhang, W., Mou, J. and Zheng, K. (2022), "Horizontal take-off of an insect-like FMAV based on stroke plane modulation", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 94 No. 7, pp. 1068-1077. https://doi.org/10.1108/AEAT-11-2021-0338

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited

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