A novel piezo-actuated flapping mechanism based on inertia drive

Abstract

In this article, a novel piezo-actuated flapping mechanism based on inertia drive is proposed and developed. In comparison with the existing flapping mechanisms, the proposed one has a more direct driving form simply via a frictional contact without using any transmission mechanism like crank-rocker or crank-slider, making it easier for miniaturization. In addition, it could principally allow for an arbitrary form of flapping motion with unlimited stroke. The flapping principle and the rationale for an arbitrary form of flapping motion with unlimited stroke are presented. A prototype of the proposed flapping mechanism was constructed and tested. The ability in various modulations of flapping motion, including flapping amplitude, position, asymmetry between downstroke and upstroke flapping speeds, and frequency, is demonstrated.

Quasi-steady aerodynamic modeling and dynamic stability of mosquito-inspired flapping wing pico aerial vehicle

“…Figures 4A, B show the minimum and maximum range of stroke amplitude for the mosquito model, which is very small, and Figures 4C, D show the variation of relative velocity during the downstroke and upstroke (stroke cycle from the top view). Generally, hovering is accomplished at a symmetric flapping speed where the total average lift force from two wings equals the body weight and passes through the center of mass without inducing any torque ( Zhang et al, 2020 ). A complete understanding of aerodynamic modeling is crucial for the control simulators used ( Karásek and Preumont, 2012 ; Karásek, 2014 ).…”