Entomopter and method for using same
AssigneeGeorgia Tech Research Corporation
InventorRobert C. Michelson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention is an apparatus and method for a multimodal electromechanical insect known as an entomopter. The entomopter is a species of micro air vehicle (MAV), which is defined as a flying vehicle having no dimension greater than 15 cm. The entomopter mimics the flight characteristics of an insect by flapping wings to generate lift. The entomopter's wings are powered by a reciprocating power source. The same power source may be used to power legs to enable the entomopter to crawl along the ground. In a preferred embodiment, the power source is a compact noncombustive engine known as a reciprocating chemical muscle (RCM).
Claims29
A mobile vehicle, comprising:
- a fuselage;
- at least one pair of opposing wings pivotally coupled to said fuselage on opposing sides thereof;
- a controllable flapping means coupled to said wings for moving said wings in a flapping manner to produce lift;
- and
- a circulation control means for modifying the lift produced by each of said wings.
A mobile vehicle, comprising:
- a fuselage;
- at least one pair of opposing wings pivotally coupled to said fuselage on opposing sides thereof;
- flapping means coupled to said at least one pair of opposing wings for moving the at least one pair of opposing wings in a flapping manner;
- at least one pair of opposing legs pivotally coupled to said fuselage, said pair of opposing legs being capable of movement about an axis that is substantially orthogonal to the axis of movement of said pair of opposing wings;
- means for coupling said at least one pair of opposing legs to said flapping means;
- and
- means for decoupling said at least one pair of opposing legs from said flapping means, while the vehicle is in flight.
A mobile vehicle, comprising:
- a fuselage;
- a first wing, said first wing being pivotally coupled to said fuselage near the center of said first wing;
- a second wing, said second wing being pivotally coupled to said fuselage near the center of said second wing, said second wing being capable of movement about a common axis with said first wing;
- a flapping means coupled to both said first wing and said second wing for reciprocating the first and second wing;
- and
- circulation control means for modifying the lift produced by each of said wings.
A method for operating a mobile vehicle, said vehicle having a fuselage and at least one pair of wings, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a source of reciprocating power;
- coupling said wings to said source of reciprocating power;
- reciprocating said wings in a flapping manner to produce lift;
- and
- applying circulation control to modify the lift produced by each of said wings.
A method for operating a mobile vehicle having at least one pair of wings and at least one pair of legs, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a source of reciprocating power;
- coupling said wings to the source of reciprocating power, said wings being configured to produce lift;
- coupling said legs to the source of reciprocating power, said legs being configured to engage a surface and move in a first direction such that said vehicle is urged in a direction of travel along the surface;
- and
- decoupling the legs from the source of reciprocating power when the vehicle is in flight.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.