Kinematic reliability of a dual-axis driving mechanism for satellite antenna considering joint clearance

Abstract

The dual-axis driving mechanism is a space actuating mechanism for the satellite antenna to implement precise guidance and positioning. As a precision mechanism, joint clearance is bound to influence the kinematic accuracy. A kinematic reliability analysis method for a dual-axis driving mechanism considering joint clearance is developed in this study. Firstly, the relationship between the joint clearance and the kinematic parameters of the dual-axis driving mechanism is determined. Secondly, the position error model of the antenna reflector considering joint clearance is built based on the differential kinematics. Then, the mean and covariance matric of the position error is derived analytically. Finally, the kinematic reliability of the mechanism is calculated on the basis of the saddle point approximation. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated by comparison with Monte Carlo simulation.