Most of the driving mechanisms used in micro flapping wing vehicles are gear and linkage transmission mechanisms, which convert the unidirectional rotation of the motor into the reciprocating flapping of the driving mechanism. However, gear and linkage transmission mechanisms occupy a larger space and weight with certain energy losses. This article introduces a drive mechanism that is different from gear and linkage mechanisms, namely the string-based mechanism. In this study, the working principle and various parameters in string-based mechanisms are analyzed, and the flapping trajectory and amplitude of the mechanism is simulated. Following that, this article proposes an improved method of the cam mechanism, designs the trajectory of a cam mechanism, and a physical design is carried out with a driving mechanism width of 22 mm. Subsequently, the experiments are conducted to compare the flapping trajectory of the actual mechanism with the simulation trajectory, thereby verifying the simulation accuracy. The results prove that, in a string-based mechanism, the ratio of the radius of the pulley to the installation radius of the double-layer bearings has a direct impact on the flapping amplitude, and optimizing the design of cam mechanisms can effectively reduce the tensile and relaxation phenomena in string-based mechanisms. The above conclusion was verified in physical experiments, where the modified cam mechanism effectively reduced the stuck phenomenon in the string-based mechanism.

Flexible wings, serving as the key components of tailless flapping wing micro air vehicles (FWMAVs), simultaneously generate lift, thrust, and control torques. Due to the complex unsteady fluid-structure interactions involved in their flapping, accurately predicting their aerodynamic performance, such as mean lift and lift-to-power efficiency, becomes challenging. There is also a lack of widely accepted and rational design methods for flexible wings. To address these, we propose an experimental optimization design method based on response surfaces methodology and investigate the impact of four design parameters—aspect ratio ( A ), slack angle ( θ ), taper ratio ( λ ), and flapping frequency ( f )—on the aerodynamic performance of flexible wings. The results show that the models accurately predict the aerodynamic performance of flexible wings, with an error margin of less than 10% compared to experimental measurements. Utilizing these models, an optimal flexible wing for a tailless FWMAV with a mass of 15 g was designed and manufactured, which can generate 15.24 gf of lift while maintaining a lift-to-power efficiency of 6.07 gf/W. Additionally, the models indicate that the four parameters are nearly equally important for the aerodynamic performance of flexible wings, and the coupling between these parameters also significantly affects the aerodynamic performance. Specifically, A & λ , A & f , θ & f , and λ & f affect mean lift, while A & λ , θ & λ , and θ & f affect lift-to-power efficiency. These coupling effects help explain the contradictions found in previous studies regarding the influence of different parameters. Our research provides clear guidance and practical methods for designing flexible wings in tailless FWMAVs.

In the design of flapping-wing micro-size air vehicles capable of hovering, wings serve as the primary source of hovering power, making the analysis of aerodynamics and aerodynamic efficiency crucial. Traditional quasi-steady models treat the wings as single rigid plane, neglecting the deformable characteristics of flexible wings. This paper proposes a multi-plane method that, in conjunction with various design parameters of flexible wings in a two-dimensional plane, analyzes their deformation characteristics under the assumption of multiple planes in three-dimensional space, and describes the deformation of wings during flapping. By combining the quasi-steady aerodynamic model, aerodynamic analysis of the deformed wings can be conducted. The relationship between the slack angle, wing flapping position, and wing deformation are analyzed, along with their effects on aerodynamics and aerodynamic efficiency. Experiments validate the deformation patterns of wings during flapping and compare the simulated aerodynamic forces with measured ones. The results indicate that wing deformation can be accurately described by adjusting the parameters in the multi-plane method and that the aerodynamic analysis using this method closely approximates the average lift results. Additionally, the multi-plane method establishes a connection between wing morphology and aerodynamic forces and efficiency, providing valuable insights for aerodynamic analysis.

Bio-inspired flapping-wing micro air vehicles (FWMAVs) are a research hotspot in micro air vehicles due to their high maneuverability and hovering capabilities. Accurate motion damping modeling is a prerequisite for their attitude disturbance rejection and control law design. Addressing the key issues in existing research—namely, the low computational efficiency of high-fidelity flexible-wing aerodynamic simulations and the inability of efficient rigid-wing assumptions to capture dynamic deformation of flexible wings—this paper investigates motion damping modeling for FWMAVs and its application to lateral flight stability analysis. First, an aerodynamic damping model under lateral motion parameters is established by approximating the flexible-wing surface using the spatial topology of the spar and veins. Second, numerical simulations of the flapping trajectory and motion damping are conducted. Subsequently, the validity and reliability of the model are verified through wind tunnel and turntable experiments. Finally, leveraging this model, lateral flight dynamics equations are derived to perform lateral stability analysis. The results effectively address the gap in assessing flapping-induced aerodynamic damping for flexible wings, providing an accurate analytical damping model, an efficient simulation framework, and an effective open-loop dynamics assessment method for the rapid design iteration and control algorithm development of FWMAVs.

This study investigates the multi-objective design of flapping-wing parameters using aerodynamic load calculations and steady-state motor performance evaluation. First, a semi-empirical flexible-wing aerodynamic model is combined with a steady-state motor model through the transmission relationship to evaluate aerodynamic loads and motor operating points for different morphological and kinematic parameters. Second, steady-state motor efficiency and lift- and power-normalized control torque sensitivity are evaluated to compare candidate wing designs. Experimental comparisons for the tested configurations provide a reference for evaluating model discrepancies, and the model is used to examine parameter-dependent trends. Finally, the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) is applied to perform multi-objective optimization of wing morphological and kinematic parameters. The optimization aims to maximize the normalized control torque sensitivity and motor efficiency while minimizing aerodynamic power consumption, subject to lift and maximum torque constraints. Constraint checking and non-dominated filtering retain 39 candidates from 126 feasible solutions. A representative design is selected by prioritizing the normalized control torque sensitivity within this set. The representative design selected under the adopted model and preference yields a wingspan of 75 mm, a slack angle of $8^{\circ }$, a flapping amplitude of 175.${45}^{\circ }$, and a flapping frequency of 29.55 Hz. Under this configuration, the calculated aerodynamic power is approximately 3.39 W, and the calculated steady-state motor efficiency is 69%. The framework supports preliminary comparison of control torque sensitivity, aerodynamic power, and steady-state motor efficiency for iterative wing design.