Design of an Automatic Autonomous Mini Prone-cone Microsatellite Docking Mechanism

Abstract

The capability of docking, refueling, repairing, and updating microsatellites using automatic autonomous vehicles will be of significance critical value for design and operation of several space systems in the near feature. Automatic docking capability was successfully tested by many institutions such as National Space Development Agency in Japan, European Space Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration in USA, etc. However, there is still much more space for improvement of degree of automation during the process of docking with large deviations of the initial attitude. A novel automatic autonomous probe-cone docking mechanism used for microsatellite docking is proposed. This docking mechanism is designed according to the design indices such as miniaturization, degree of automation and automatic capture capability within large deviation of the initial attitude. On the basis of the virtual work principle, the dynamics modeling of the docking process is presented. The position of the contact point is then analyzed. Comprehensive system level simulation is conducted in the 13 kinds of typical operating conditions with the initial deviations. Capture performance is analyzed. The simulation results show that the docking mechanism can be smoothly captured within 2 s in all cases of large attitude deviation between the active and passive spacecrafts. A virtual prototype model of the docking mechanism is established through ADAMS for further verifying the correctness of the buffer parameter model and the autonomous docking capability. A laboratory platform is designed for on-the-ground experimental validation of the property of mini probe-cone docking mechanism. Repeated docking tests prove the proposed design of the mini probe-cone docking mechanism system for its high reliability, and automatic capture capability within large attitude range. The kinetic model of the docking capture process and the mechanism structure could provide some references for similar mechanism design of in-orbit spacecraft.