In-Flight Airflow Measurements for a High Maneuverability Ornithopter

This paper presents a novel airflow measurement solution for high-maneuverability ornithopters. The use of 3D printing technology in combination with metal tubes reduces the difficulty and cost of creating sensors while ensuring high reliability and measurement accuracy. Flow sensing employs a flow sensor instead of a differential pressure sensor, giving higher accuracy and sensitivity. CFD calculations are used to guide and validate the geometric design of the probe. Wind tunnel tests were conducted to verify the sensor’s accuracy, and the sensor was calibrated using the test data. The results show that the sensors in this paper have good accuracy at low airspeeds and large airflow deflections.