Performance Characterization of Multifunctional Wings With Integrated Solar Cells for Unmanned Air Vehicles

Flapping wing unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) are small light weight vehicles that typically have short flight times due to the small size of the batteries that are used to power them. During longer missions, the batteries must be recharged. The lack of nearby electrical outlets severely limits the locations and types of missions that these UAVs can be flown in. To improve flight time and eliminate the need for electrical outlets, solar cells can be used to harvest energy and charge/power the UAV. Robo Raven III, a flapping wing UAV, was developed at the University of Maryland and consists of wings with integrated solar cells. This paper aims to investigate how the addition of solar cells affects the UAV. The changes in performance are quantified and compared using a load cell test as well as Digital Image Correlation (DIC). The UAV platform reported in this paper was the first flapping wing robotic bird that flew using energy harvested from on-board solar cells. Experimentally, the power from the solar cells was used to augment battery power and increase operational time.

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Enhancing the Design of Solar-Powered Flapping Wing Air Vehicles Using Multifunctional Structural Components

Volume 5B: 39th Mechanisms and Robotics Conference ◽

10.1115/detc2015-47570 ◽

2015 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Ariel Perez-Rosado ◽

Hugh A. Bruck ◽

Satyandra K. Gupta

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Flight Time ◽

Flapping Wing ◽

The Body ◽

Flight Performance ◽

Structural Components ◽

University Of Maryland ◽

The Difference ◽

Solar Powered ◽

The University

Flapping wing aerial vehicles (FWAVs) are limited to small batteries due to constraints on the available onboard payload. To increase the energy available for the vehicle, solar cells can be integrated to harvest energy during flight. This addition of available onboard energy increases the flight time of the vehicle and could eventually lead to an infinite flight as long as there is sunlight. However, integration of solar cells is expected to alter flight performance. The changes in performance must be measured and understood. Previously, solar cells have been integrated to the wings of Robo Raven III, a FWAV developed at the University of Maryland. Changes in flight performance were observed, but ultimately the vehicle was still able to maintain flight and an increase in flight time was observed. This paper extends the previous work and further integrates solar cells to the body and tail of the FWAV. Different tail designs were built and the change in performance caused by the difference in each tail was measured and compared. The new FWAV generated 1.8W more than the previous Robo Raven IIIv2 design. The best tail design has provided the longest operational flight time so far and is known as Robo Raven IIIv3. This new platform benefited from an improved tail design and carried 13g more than the original Robo Raven III tail, despite an increase in vehicle mass.

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Modeling of Dive Maneuvers for Executing Autonomous Dives With a Flapping Wing Air Vehicle

Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics ◽

10.1115/1.4037760 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Luke J. Roberts ◽

Hugh A. Bruck ◽

S. K. Gupta

Keyword(s):

Computational Model ◽

Operation Mode ◽

Open Loop ◽

Flapping Wing ◽

Minimal Amount ◽

University Of Maryland ◽

Roll Control ◽

Wind Speeds ◽

Air Vehicle ◽

The University

This paper is focused on design of dive maneuvers that can be performed outdoors on flapping wing air vehicles (FWAVs) with a minimal amount of on-board computing capability. We present a simple computational model that provides accuracy of 5 m in open loop operation mode for outdoor dives under wind speeds of up to 3 m/s. This model is executed using a low power, on-board processor. We have also demonstrated that the platform can independently execute roll control through tail positioning, and dive control through wing positioning to produce safe dive behaviors. These capabilities were used to successfully demonstrate autonomous dive maneuvers on the Robo Raven platform developed at the University of Maryland.

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Design, fabrication, and characterization of multifunctional wings to harvest solar energy in flapping wing air vehicles

Smart Materials and Structures ◽

10.1088/0964-1726/24/6/065042 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 24 (6) ◽

pp. 065042 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Ariel Perez-Rosado ◽

Rachel D Gehlhar ◽

Savannah Nolen ◽

Satyandra K Gupta ◽

Hugh A Bruck

Keyword(s):

Solar Energy ◽

Flapping Wing ◽

Fabrication And Characterization ◽

Air Vehicles

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Characterization of the Nonlinear Focusing Magnet for Quasi - Integrable Optics Experiments at the University of Maryland Electron Ring

2018 IEEE Advanced Accelerator Concepts Workshop (AAC) ◽

10.1109/aac.2018.8659376 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

David Matthew ◽

William Curtiss ◽

Heidi Baumgartner Komkov ◽

Brian Beaudoin

Keyword(s):

University Of Maryland ◽

Electron Ring ◽

The University ◽

Nonlinear Focusing

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Characterization of the Mechanics of Compliant Wing Designs for Flapping-Wing Miniature Air Vehicles

Experimental Mechanics ◽

10.1007/s11340-013-9779-5 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 53 (9) ◽

pp. 1561-1571 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

J. W. Gerdes ◽

K. C. Cellon ◽

H. A. Bruck ◽

S. K. Gupta

Keyword(s):

Flapping Wing ◽

Air Vehicles

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Phenotypic and Genotypic Characterization of Nosocomial Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from Trauma Patients

Journal of Clinical Microbiology ◽

10.1128/jcm.36.2.414-420.1998 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 36 (2) ◽

pp. 414-420 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

T. Na’was ◽

A. Hawwari ◽

E. Hendrix ◽

J. Hebden ◽

R. Edelman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Staphylococcus Aureus ◽

Trauma Patients ◽

Resistant Genotype ◽

Methicillin Resistant ◽

University Of Maryland ◽

Single Clone ◽

Resistant Strains ◽

Mrsa Strains ◽

The University

Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of nosocomial infections. During the period from March 1992 to March 1994, the patients admitted to the intensive care unit of the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center were monitored for the development ofS. aureus infections. Among the 776 patients eligible for the study, 60 (7.7%) patients developed 65 incidents of nosocomialS. aureus infections. Of the clinical isolates, 43.1% possessed a polysaccharide type 5 capsule, 44.6% possessed a type 8 capsule, and the remaining 12.3% had capsules that were not typed by the type 5 or type 8 antibodies. Six antibiogram types were noted among the infection-related isolates, with the majority of the types being resistant only to penicillin and ampicillin. It was noted that the majority of cases of pneumonia were caused by relatively susceptible strains, while resistant strains were isolated from patients with bacteremia and other infections. Only 16 (6.3%) of the isolates were found to be methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). DNA fingerprinting by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis showed 36 different patterns, with characteristic patterns being found for MRSA strains and the strains with different capsular types. Clonal relationships were established, and the origins of the infection-related isolates in each patient were determined. We conclude that (i) nosocomial infection-related isolates from the shock trauma patients did not belong to a single clone, although the predominance of a methicillin-resistant genotype was noted, (ii) most infection-relatedS. aureus isolates were relatively susceptible to antibiotics, but a MRSA strain was endemic, and (iii) for practical purposes, the combination of the results of capsular and antibiogram typing can be used as a useful epidemiological marker.

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