Mathematical Modeling and Control System Design of Flapping Wing Unmanned Air Vehicle

Abstract

In the recent past, development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has entered in the arena of bio-inspired flapping-wing drones, mainly due to their ability of flying at lower speed in a silent manner. Flapping-wing UAVs are becoming vital in modern era due to their diversified use and ability to serve several public and defense needs, such as SWARM mission and espionage. This research focuses on mathematical modeling, aerodynamic modeling, control design and hardware implementation of flapping-wing ornithopter UAV. An ornithopter UAV is a drone that imitates the flight of a bird, i.e., it flies by flapping its wings. Moreover, the author also discusses the design of ground control station in order to provide reception of real-time telemetry. For control system design and development, separate mechanical test benches were employed for the pitch and yaw motion. The research work also encompasses results of various forces, including thrust, lift, drag, gust and aerodynamics. In order to make the drone autonomous, different parameters and aerodynamic profiling has also been discussed with map navigation from ground station.