WING ROTATION STRUCTURE OF FLAPPING WING MICRO AIR VEHICLE

Abstract

A wing rotation structure of a flapping wing micro air vehicle, for which, wing rotations are related to and caused by wing flappings, the wing rotation structure includes: an actuator mount, a left actuator, a right actuator, a left connector, a right connector, a left flapping wing arm, a right flapping wing arm, a central base, a left rotation bevel gear, a right rotation bevel gear, a left fixed auxiliary bevel gear, a right fixed auxiliary bevel gear. Wherein, the left actuator and the right actuator are located respectively on a left side and a right side of the actuator mount. the left connector connects the left actuator to the left flapping wing arm, and the right connector connects the right actuator to the right flapping wing arm. The central base is fixed securely on the actuator mount.

Claims

1. A wing rotation structure of a flapping wing micro air vehicle, for which, wing rotations are related to and caused by wing flappings, the wing rotation structure includes: an actuator mount, a left actuator, a right actuator, a left connector, a right connector, a left flapping wing arm, a right flapping wing arm, a central base, a left rotation bevel gear, a right rotation bevel gear, a left fixed auxiliary bevel gear, and a right fixed auxiliary bevel gear, wherein the left actuator and the right actuator are located respectively on a left side and a right side of the actuator mount, and are used to actuate wing flapping, the left connector connects the left actuator to the left flapping wing arm, and the right connector connects the right actuator to the right flapping wing arm, the central base is fixed securely on the actuator mount, the left fixed auxiliary bevel gear and the right fixed auxiliary bevel gear are fixed securely on an outward facing left side and an outward facing right side of the central base respectively, the left rotation bevel gear is disposed in a wing rotation slot of the left flapping wing arm, and the right rotation bevel gear is disposed in a wing rotation slot of the right flapping wing arm.

2. The wing rotation structure of the flapping wing micro air vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the left rotation bevel gear and the right rotation bevel gear are engaged respectively with the left fixed auxiliary bevel gear and the right fixed auxiliary bevel gear.

3. The wing rotation structure of the flapping wing micro air vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein a wing flapping set is inserted in an axle hole of the left rotation bevel gear and in an axle hole of the right rotation bevel gear respectively, such that the left fixed auxiliary bevel gear and the right fixed auxiliary bevel gear are arranged coaxially with the left actuator and the right actuator respectively.

4. The wing rotation structure of the flapping wing micro air vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein in operation, after power is supplied, the left actuator and the right actuator are actuated, and the left connector and the right connector are connected to the left actuator and the right actuator respectively to perform driving and rotations, to bring the left flapping wing arm and the right flapping wing arm into flapping synchronously, such that the left rotation bevel gear and the right rotation bevel gear are brought into flapping along with the left flapping wing arm and the right flapping wing arm respectively, since the left fixed auxiliary bevel gear and the right fixed auxiliary bevel gear are engaged respectively with the left rotation bevel gear and the right rotation bevel gear, so that left rotation bevel gear and the right rotation bevel gear are brought to move in two dimensions, in achieving wing flappings and wing rotations,

5. The wing rotation structure of the flapping wing micro air vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein through controlling rotations of the left actuator and the right actuator, wing flapping and wing rotation of the wing flapping set are controlled; and through varying a total engaged teeth number for engaging the left rotation bevel gear and the right rotation bevel gear with the left fixed auxiliary bevel gear and the right fixed auxiliary bevel gear respectively, and through controlling a wing flapping angle caused by the actuators, control of a wing rotation angle is achieved.

6. The wing rotation structure of the flapping wing micro air vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wing rotation structure of the flapping wing micro air vehicle is made through using a CAD software design, a 3D printing technology, and Zortax ASA (acrylonitrile styrene acrylate)-pro material.

7. The wing rotation structure of the flapping wing micro air vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein sizes of the wing rotation structure of the flapping wing micro air vehicle are: length 85 mm, width 63 mm, height 39.3 mm, and having a weight of 47 gram, wing flapping frequency 3.1 Hz, and maximum lift 91 gram force (gf).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The related drawings in connection with the detailed descriptions of the present invention to be made later are described briefly as follows, in which:

[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wing flapping and wing rotation type micro air vehicle (MAV) having servo motors according to Prior Art 2;

[0019] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a wing rotation structure of a flapping wing Micro Air Vehicles (MAV) according to the present invention;

[0020] FIG. 3 is an assembled view of a wing rotation structure of a flapping wing Micro Air Vehicles (MAV) according to the present invention;

[0021] FIG. 4 is a top view of a wing rotation structure of a flapping wing Micro Air Vehicles (MAV) according to the present invention;

[0022] FIG. 5 is a front view of a wing rotation structure of a flapping wing Micro Air Vehicles (MAV) according to the present invention;

[0023] FIG. 6 is a rear view of a wing rotation structure of a flapping wing Micro Air Vehicles (MAV) according to the present invention;

[0024] FIG. 7 is a left side view of wing rotation structure of flapping wing Micro Air Vehicles (MAV) according to the present invention;

[0025] FIG. 8 is a right side view of wing rotation structure of flapping wing Micro Air Vehicles (MAV) according to the present invention; and

[0026] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a wing flapping and wing rotation Micro Air Vehicles (MAV) formed by assembling the wing rotation structure of flapping wing Micro Air Vehicles (MAV) and a wing flapping set together according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0027] The purpose, construction, features, functions and advantages of the present invention can be appreciated and understood more thoroughly through the following detailed descriptions with reference to the attached drawings.

[0028] In the following, an embodiment is used to describe the various details of the present invention. However, it does not mean that this embodiment represents all the embodiments of the present invention. Other embodiments can be envisaged by people familiar with this field, and thus they all fall into the scope of the present invention.

[0029] The present invention provides a wing rotation structure of a flapping wing micro air vehicle (MAV), for which, wing rotations are related to and caused by wing flappings. The wing rotation structure 100 includes: an actuator mount 17, a left actuator 18, a right actuator 19, a left connector 20, a right connector 21, a left flapping wing arm 10, a right flapping wing arm 13, a central base 16, a left rotation bevel gear 11, a right rotation bevel gear 14, a left fixed auxiliary bevel gear 12, a right fixed auxiliary bevel gear 15.

[0030] Wherein, two-ear shape protrusion plates of the left actuator 18 and the right actuator 19 are located respectively on a left side and a right side of the actuator mount 17, and are used to actuate wing flapping. The left connector 20 connects the rotation axle of the left actuator 18 to the left flapping wing arm 10, and the right connector 21 connects the rotation axle of the right actuator 19 to the right flapping wing arm 13. The central base 16 together with the left fixed auxiliary bevel gear 12 and the right fixed auxiliary bevel gear 15, are fixed securely on the actuator mount 17 assembled with the left actuator 18 and the right actuator 19. The left fixed auxiliary bevel gear 12 and the right fixed auxiliary bevel gear 15 are fixed securely on an outward facing left side and an outward facing right side of the central base 16 respectively. Finally, the left rotation bevel gear 11 is disposed in a wing rotation slot of the left flapping wing arm 10, and the right rotation bevel gear 14 is disposed in a wing rotation slot of the right flapping wing arm 13.

[0031] The left rotation bevel gear 11 and the right rotation bevel gear 14 are engaged respectively with the left fixed auxiliary bevel gear 12 and the right fixed auxiliary bevel gear 15.

[0032] A wing flapping set 22 is inserted in an axle hole of the left rotation bevel gear 11 and an axial hole of the right rotation bevel gear 14 respectively, such that the left fixed auxiliary bevel gear 12 and the right fixed auxiliary bevel gear 15 are arranged coaxially with the left actuator 18 and the right actuator 19 respectively.

[0033] In operation, after power is supplied, the left actuator 18 and the right actuator 19 are actuated, and the left connector 20 and the right connector 21 are connected to the left actuator 18 and the right actuator 19 respectively, to perform driving and rotation. As such, bringing the left flapping wing arm 10 and the right flapping wing arm 13 into flapping synchronously, such that the left rotation bevel gear 11 and the right rotation bevel gear 14 are brought into flapping along with the left flapping wing arm 10 and the right flapping wing arm 13 respectively. Since the left fixed auxiliary bevel gear 12 and the right fixed auxiliary bevel gear 15 are engaged respectively with the left rotation bevel gear 11 and the right rotation bevel gear 14, so the left rotation bevel gear 11 and the right rotation bevel gear 14 are brought to move in two dimensions, in achieving wing flappings and wing rotations.

[0034] Through controlling rotations of the left actuator 18 and the right actuator 19, wing flapping and wing rotation of the wing flapping set 22 can be controlled. And through varying the total engaged teeth number for engaging the left rotation bevel gear 11 and the right rotation bevel gear 14 with the left fixed auxiliary bevel gear 12 and the right fixed auxiliary bevel gear 15 respectively, the wing rotations of the wing flapping set 22 can be controlled.

[0035] In addition, through varying the total engaged teeth number for engaging the left rotation bevel gear 11 and the right rotation bevel gear 14 with the left fixed auxiliary bevel gear 12 and the right fixed auxiliary bevel gear 15 respectively, and through controlling the wing flapping angle caused by the actuators 18 and 19, the wing rotation angle can be controlled.

[0036] The wing rotation structure of the flapping wing micro air vehicle 100 can be made through using CAD software design, 3D printing technology, and Zortax ASA (acrylonitrile styrene acrylate)-pro material. In assembling the wing rotation structure of the present invention into a micro air vehicle, a carbon fiber rod having cross section 6 mm×6 mm can be used as a fuselage 23 of the micro air vehicle. In addition, a carbon fiber rod having cross section 3 mm×3 mm can be used as the wing spar. In the present invention, the actuator can be a servo motor.

[0037] In the present invention, the tests and verifications for various parameters and functions are conducted in a wind tunnel. In the wind tunnel, high speed cameras are provided to obtain data/information such as wing flapping frequency, wing flapping angle, and wing rotation angle.

[0038] In application, the wing rotation structure of the flapping wing micro air vehicle can be made into a size of length 85 mm, width 63 mm, and height 39.3 mm, and having a weight of 47 grams, wing flapping frequency 3.1 Hz, and maximum lift 91-gram force (gf).

[0039] In the rear side of the present invention, a Lithium polymer (LiPo) battery (not shown) connected to the actuators can be provided, to supply the power required.

[0040] In a micro air vehicle making use of the wing rotation structure of the present invention, a fuselage 23 can be provided, that is made of a carbon fiber rod to reduce weight. Further, the wing flapping set 22 can be made of a polyethylend terephthalate (PET) film.

[0041] In the following, refer to Tables 1 and 2 to explain that the functions of the present invention is indeed superior to the Prior Arts 1 and 2, and the present invention is able to achieve the effects that can not be attained by the Prior Arts 1 and 2, thus fulfilling the requirements of inventiveness.

[0042] Firstly, the functions and effects of the present invention are better than the Prior Art 1, and the reasons are as mentioned earlier in that, it is only capable of wing flapping but not wing rotation, so that its lift is insufficient for flying. In contrast, the present invention fully utilizes the capability provided by aerodynamics, such that it is capable of wing flapping and wing rotation, to increase the lift significantly during its flight.

[0043] Secondly, the functions and effects of the present invention are better than the Prior Art 2, such that it is able to achieve the effects that can not be attained by the Prior Art 2, thus fulfilling the requirements of inventiveness as explained as follows:

[0044] 1. Prior Art 2 utilizes two pairs of servo motors (totaling 4 units), with one pair used for wing flapping, and with the other pair used for wing rotation, therefore, the total weight is 13.4×4=53.6 grams. The present invention utilizes one pair of actuators (servo motors) and a pair of bevel gears, having a total weight of 13.4×2+1.02×2=26.8+2.04=28.84 grams, that is almost only one half of weight of the Prior Art 2. Therefore, the total weight of the present invention (47 grams) is only 56% of the weight of the Prior Art 2 (83 grams), thus reducing the power required during its flight. In the condition of using the same kind of battery power source, the present invention is able to have better endurance of flight, in achieving longer flying time and flying distance.

[0045] 2. Compared with the Prior Art 2, the present invention can be made lighter, and having smaller volume (length, width, height), thus being able to reduce the material utilized, reduce the production cost, while occupying less space.

[0046] 3. In the present invention, the maximum average lift/weight=91 gf/47 gm=1.94 gf/gm; while in the Prior Art 2 the maximum average lift/weight=133 gf/83 gm=1.6 gf/gm. Therefore, for the present invention, the average lift/weight can be raised by (1.94−1.6)/1.6=21.25%. In case the average lift/weight of the present invention is used for the Prior Art 2, that could raise its lift by 83 gm×(1.94-1.6)=28.22 gf. As such, the present invention is able to provide greater lift, to carry heavier load when flying.

[0047] 4. The present invention makes use of a pair of actuators (servo motors), while the Prior Art 2 utilizes two pairs of servo motors, therefore in application, the latter could produce greater vibrations and noises, be liable to be detected by the enemy.

[0048] 5. When the wing rotation structure of the present invention is mounted on a micro air vehicle, the ratio of its wing span as compared with that of the Prior Art 2 is 650 mm vs 960 mm; while the ratio of flapping wing areas between the two cases is 108,480 mm.sup.2 vs 254,100 mm.sup.2. The reasons for the scales of these ratios are that, the micro air vehicle of the Prior Art 2 is much heavier, and according to the scaling law for a flying object, it needs larger wing span and larger flapping wing area to carry on flying. In the present invention, the micro air vehicle formed by wing rotation structure is lighter in weight, and it is able to achieve greater flight endurance capability. Therefore, in addition to the benefit of reducing material used and saving cost, it has the advantages of being less likely to be detected by the enemy while carrying on reconnaissance missions.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Comparisons of component weights for the present case vs Prior Art 2 Prior art 2 present case Mechanism parts (grams) (grams) Servo motor each 13.4 * 4 = 53.6 13.4 * 2 = 26.8 13.4 grams Left Flapping arms 6.46 3.09 Right flapping arm 6.46 3.09 Left Rotating Servo 6.28 — motor to wing spar attacher Right Rotating Servo 6.28 — motor to wing spar attacher Central base along with — 7.2 fixed bevel gears Left Rotational — 1.02 bevel gears Right Rotational — 1.02 bevel gears Actuator mount 4.1 4.1 Total 83.18 46.32

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Comparisons of parameters for the present case vs Prior Art 2 Parameters Prior art 2 Present case Length 157.6 mm 85 mm Width 46.5 mm 63 mm Height 42.7 mm 39.3 mm Weight of mechanism 83 grams 47 grams Wing flapping frequency 1.4 Hz at 2.2 V 1.4 Hz at 2.2 V 1.6 Hz at 5.5 V 2 Hz at 5.5 V 2.7 Hz at 8.8 V 3.1 Hz at 8.8 V Maximum flapping angle 127° at 2.2 V 110° at 2.2 V 102° at 5.5 V 85° at 5.5 V 62° at 8.8 V 60° at 8.8 V Wing rotation angle ~120° at 2.2 V ~108° at 2.2 V ~101° at 5.5 V ~82° at 5.5 V ~62° at 8.8 V ~57° at 8.8 V Wing Span 960 mm 650 mm Total weight including 121 grams 74 grams wing set Chord length 296.5 mm 215 mm Wing area 254100 mm.sup.2 108480 mm.sup.2 Maximum average lift 133 gf 91 gf (Less because of smaller wing span, mean chord, and wing area)

[0049] Summing up the above, the functions and performances of the present invention is superior to that of the Prior Arts, and it can achieve the merits and effects not anticipated by the Prior Arts 1, 2, therefore the present invention does fulfill the requirements of inventiveness.

[0050] The above detailed description of the preferred embodiment is intended to describe more clearly the characteristics and spirit of the present invention. However, the preferred embodiments disclosed above are not intended to be any restrictions to the scope of the present invention. Conversely, its purpose is to include the various changes and equivalent arrangements which are within the scope of the appended claims.