Design and Optimization of a Piezo-Actuated Flapping Wing Mechanism for Micro Air Vehicles

Y. Peng, J. Cao, L. Liu
National University of Singapore, Singapore
J. Wang, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
H. Yu, National University of Singapore, Singapore

Abstract:
This paper presents a novel a piezo-actuated flapping wing mechanism for micro air vehicles (MAVs). The flapping wing mechanism is composed of a piezo-actuated linear actuator and a crank-slider mechanism. The linear actuator, which consists of a piezoelectric element and a permanent magnet, is connected to the crankslider mechanism and serves as a slider of the mechanism. Based on the principle of impact friction drive, the linear actuator can move a reciprocating linear motion with a long travel range, which can be directly converted to a flapping motion via the crank-slider mechanism. Compared with conventional flapping wing micro air vehicles driven by a rotary motor, no gearbox is needed in our design. Therefore, the proposed flapping wing mechanism can be made with small volume and light weight. The experimental results confirm that the designed
flapping wing mechanism can obtain a continuous flapping motion by moving the linear actuator reciprocatingly.