This chapter presents a novel concept of simultaneous energy harvesting and gust alleviation for a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The heart of the autonomous gust alleviation system is a multifunctional spar. The chapter examines a wing spar that performs not only its strength function but also the functions of computing, harvesting, sensing, energy storage and control. The energy‐harvesting component uses the piezoelectric effect to transduce low‐ level wing vibrations into usable electrical energy. The harvesting and storage component consists of the monolithic PZT coupled through electronics to the thin‐film battery. The original concept for this part of the multifunctional spar was a self‐charging structure. The chapter looks at harvesting effects under flutter speed. Harvesting energy involves extracting energy from a structure and, as such, provides some vibration suppression or additional damping to the structure.
Autonomous Gust Alleviation in UAVs
2017-04-03
30 pages
Article/Chapter (Book)
Electronic Resource
English
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