This paper describes the research carried out over the past 3 years in the flight dynamics modelling and flight control of a flapping wing micro aerial vehicle (MAV) at the College of Aeronautics, Cranfield University. A flapping mechanism that allows two degrees of freedom (flap and pitch) was designed to measure the dynamic forces experienced by a flapping wing during hovering flight. The aerodynamic forces were extracted from the measurements, during which the phase between flap and pitch angles of the wing were varied to determine the effects on the force magnitude and direction. Next, the equations of motion based on a multi-body representation of the vehicle and the flapping wings were derived and form the basis for the simulation program, which was developed using MATLAB and SIMULINK. The experimentally determined aerodynamic forces form the basis for the aerodynamic model. The hovering and low speed flight of the MAV was investigated using SIMULINK models. Various flight control concepts, inspired by observation of insect and bird flight, were investigated in some detail. The concepts include the control of flap frequency, flap and pitch phasing (wing beat kinematics) and shift in centre of gravity position. The paper concludes with a comparison of the control concepts and their feasibility for a practical vehicle application.
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