System identification of an ornithopter aerodynamics model
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abstract
Flapping-wing ornithopters are emerging as a promising vehicle design for developing small scale unmanned air vehicles with multi-mission capabilities. One of the primary technical challenges currently impeding the maturation of flapping-wing vehicle systems is the difficulty in obtaining simple but accurate models of the complex aerodynamic flow fields which characterize flapping flight. Typically aerodynamic models are based on first principles, numerical models, or time-averaged wind tunnel testing. System identification provides an alternative that does not compromise the aerodynamic environment experienced in free flight. In this paper the authors present model structure determination results of lift and thrust forces generated by the flapping wings of an ornithopter. A visual tracking system was used to obtain state measurements of the ornithopter while in trimmed straight and level mean flight. A multibody vehicle dynamics model, previous experimental results, model structure determination, and the equation-error parameter estimation routine used in both the time and frequency domains were used to determine models for the aerodynamic forces. 2010 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. All rights reserved.
