Simulation of Flapping-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle using X-plane and Matlab/Simulink

A. Kaviyarasu; K. Senthil Kumar

doi:10.14429/dsj.64.4933

A. Kaviyarasu Madras Institute of Technology, Anna University, Chennai
K. Senthil Kumar Madras Institute of Technology, Anna University, Chennai

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14429/dsj.64.4933

Keywords: Unmanned aerial vehicle, X-plane, Matlab, Simulink, plane maker, flapping-wing, ethernet

Abstract

This paper presents the simulation of flapping-wing unmanned aerial vehicle model using X-plane and Matlab/ Simulink. The flapping-wing ornithopter model (i.e. an aircraft that flies by flapping its wings) has been developed in plane maker software and executed in the X-plane environment. The key idea of flapping-wing mechanism in X-plane software is by varying its dihedral angle sinusoidally. This sinusoidally varying dihedral angle of wing creates upward and downward stroke moments inturn this creates a lift and a forward thrust for flying the flapping-wing model. Here pitch, roll, yaw and throttle (flapping rate) is fed as reference input through the user datagram protocol (UDP) port. The difference between the reference inputs, the simulated outputs are again fed back to simulator through UDP port and the gains are observed for the responses of flapping-wing unmanned aerial vehicle in Matlab/Simulink environment. Here various gains are used to monitor the optimized flying of flapping-wing model.

Defence Science Journal, Vol. 64, No. 4, July 2014, pp.327-331, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.64.4933

Author Biographies

A. Kaviyarasu, Madras Institute of Technology, Anna University, Chennai

Mr A. Kaviyarasu received his BE (ECE) and ME (Avionics) from Anna University, Chennai. Currently he is working as a Teaching fellow in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, MIT campus, Anna University, Chennai. He has been awarded as ‘Excellence in Innovation’ by Anna University for his contribution in the field of unmanned aerial vehicle. His area of interest are : UAV modeling and simulation and satellite communication.

K. Senthil Kumar, Madras Institute of Technology, Anna University, Chennai

Dr K. Senthil Kumar received his ME (Avionics) and PhD (Avionics) from Anna University (MIT), Chennai. Currently he is working as an Associate Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, MIT campus, Anna University, Chennai. He has been honored by various awards for his contribution in the field of unmanned aerial vehicle. He is member of AIAA, ASI and system society of India. His area of interests are : Unmanned aerial vehicles, avionics system and aerospace guidance and control.