A passive self-locking small space docking mechanism assisted by a robot arm

Abstract

The present invention discloses a passive self-locking small space docking mechanism assisted by a robot arm, the docking mechanism comprises an insert inner shell, a ball lock outer shell, a ball lock gear, a spring assembly, a ball lock ball, a bearing ball and a retaining ring; the outer peripheral surface of the insert inner shell is evenly distributed with 12 ball lock ball grooves; the ball lock outer shell is evenly distributed with 6 ball lock ball mounting holes and 6 bearing ball mounting grooves along the circumference; the ball lock gear is sleeved on the outer peripheral side of the ball lock outer shell; the ball lock gear is evenly opened with 6 spring assembly mounting holes along the circumference, and a bearing ball raceway is arranged on the inner peripheral side; a spring assembly is fixedly installed in each spring assembly mounting hole; the ball lock ball is installed in the ball lock ball mounting hole with clearance fit; the bearing ball is installed in the bearing ball mounting groove with clearance fit; the retaining ring is fixedly installed on the bottom of the ball lock outer shell. The above docking mechanism utilizes the structural characteristics of a simple locking method to simplify the docking locking process, improve the compactness of the mechanism, and is light in weight and reliable in locking.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of spacecraft on-orbit docking, and in particular to a passive self-locking small space docking mechanism assisted by a mechanical arm. Background Art

[0002] With the introduction of the U.S. Skylab project, the international community began to study the field of on-orbit services. Until the 1990s, on-orbit services were limited to astronauts' extravehicular activities and the assembly of space robotic arms. With the continuous development of space robotics technology, on-orbit service technology will have greater potential. Whether it is on-orbit assembly, on-orbit replacement, on-orbit transmission, or on-orbit maintenance, on-orbit service tasks require on-orbit docking of mechanisms. The design of on-orbit docking interfaces is particularly important in on-orbit service missions.

[0003] At present, the docking and locking technology of foreign space agencies is relatively mature, while the docking and locking mechanisms in China are still in the research and development stage. At this stage, the docking and locking mechanisms basically only consider their own functions, and are not combined with other functional connectors. In actual applications, the installation position is restricted by other connectors; the locking process requires a separate drive source to achieve locking, and the cumbersome locking process increases the difficulty of locking; the docking and locking mechanisms occupy a large proportion of space and weight in the entire docking process, making it difficult to achieve wide application in different aerospace docking missions.

[0004] In summary, the inventors have found that it is very necessary to design a small space docking locking mechanism that is light in weight, highly integrated, has a reserved position for other functional connectors in the middle, can be widely used, and can be locked only by straight-line plugging. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention provides a passive self-locking small space docking mechanism assisted by a robot arm. The docking mechanism utilizes the structural characteristics of the simple locking method to simplify the docking locking process, solves the docking locking problems of low integration of the docking locking mechanism and complicated locking process, improves the compactness of the mechanism, and has light weight and reliable locking.

[0006] The present invention adopts the following specific technical solutions:

[0007] A passive self-locking small space docking mechanism assisted by a robot arm, the docking mechanism comprising a plug-in inner shell, a ball lock outer shell, a ball lock gear, a spring assembly, a ball lock ball, a bearing ball and a retaining ring;

[0008] The plug-in inner shell is a hollow structure, and the outer ring is gap-matched with the inner ring of the ball lock outer shell; the outer peripheral surface of the plug-in inner shell is evenly distributed with 12 ball lock ball grooves;

[0009] The ball lock shell is evenly distributed with 6 ball lock ball mounting holes and 6 bearing ball mounting grooves along the circumference; a spring cap slide groove extending along the circumference of the ball lock shell is provided on the line connecting the centers of the ball lock ball mounting holes;

[0010] The ball lock gear is sleeved on the outer peripheral side of the ball lock housing with clearance fit; the ball lock gear is evenly provided with 6 spring assembly mounting holes along the circumference, and a bearing ball raceway is provided on the inner peripheral side; a spring assembly is fixedly installed in each of the spring assembly mounting holes;

[0011] The spring assembly comprises a spring cap, a spring and a spring cover plate; the inner surface of the spring cover plate is provided with a pressing boss, an unlocking groove and a spring groove in sequence;

[0012] The ball-locking ball is installed in the ball-locking ball installation hole with clearance fit;

[0013] The bearing ball is installed in the bearing ball installation groove with clearance fit, so as to reduce the friction force of the ball lock gear rotating around the ball lock housing;

[0014] The retaining ring is fixedly mounted on the bottom of the ball lock shell and is used to limit the ball lock gear between the top of the ball lock shell and the retaining ring.

[0015] Furthermore, the outer circumferential surface of the plug-in inner shell and the inner circumferential surface of the ball lock outer shell are both provided with meshing positioning teeth evenly distributed along the circumferential direction, so as to eliminate the docking deviation through the meshing positioning of the meshing positioning teeth during the guiding docking process;

[0016] The meshing positioning teeth are V-shaped, and the angle of the V-shape is 120°;

[0017] The ball lock housing is platform-shaped at the front end of the engagement and positioning teeth, so as to prevent the two engagement and positioning teeth from getting stuck or over-constrained during the engagement and docking process.

[0018] Furthermore, the spring assembly is sleeved on the outer peripheral side of the ball lock gear; the spring is installed in the spring groove to provide a pre-locking force; the spring cap presses the spring and can slide in the spring groove under the action of the spring.

[0019] Furthermore, spring assembly threaded holes are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the ball lock gear at both ends of the spring assembly mounting hole;

[0020] The spring assembly is fixedly mounted on the ball lock gear by means of a bolt threadedly connected to the threaded hole of the spring assembly;

[0021] Driving the ball lock gear to rotate can drive the spring assembly to rotate;

[0022] The locking action of the docking mechanism is completed by pressing the corresponding ball-locking ball through the pressing boss of the spring cover plate.

[0023] Furthermore, when the plug-in inner shell is inserted into the interior of the ball lock outer shell, the spring cap is compressed by the spring to push the ball lock ball into the ball lock ball groove, thereby achieving the pre-locking goal and ensuring that the plug-in inner shell will not fall out without being clamped by a mechanical arm. The mechanical arm drives the ball lock gear to rotate, so that the clamping boss of the spring assembly can clamp the ball lock ball or release the ball lock ball in the unlocking groove.

[0024] Furthermore, four retaining ring threaded holes are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction at the bottom end of the ball lock housing;

[0025] The retaining ring is fixed to the ball lock housing by bolts installed in the threaded holes of the retaining ring;

[0026] A boss is arranged in the ball-lock-ball installation hole to prevent the ball-lock-ball from rolling out of the hole.

[0027] Beneficial effects:

[0028] 1. The docking mechanism of the present invention comprises an insert inner shell, a ball lock outer shell, a ball lock gear, a spring assembly, a ball lock ball, a bearing ball and a retaining ring; the insert inner shell is a hollow structure, and the outer ring is clearance-matched with the inner ring of the ball lock outer shell; the outer circumferential surface of the insert inner shell is evenly distributed with 12 ball lock ball grooves; the ball lock outer shell is evenly distributed with 6 ball lock ball mounting holes and 6 bearing ball mounting grooves along the circumferential direction; a spring cap slide groove extending along the circumferential direction of the ball lock outer shell is provided on the center line of the ball lock ball mounting holes; the ball lock gear is sleeved on the outer circumferential side of the ball lock outer shell with clearance; the ball lock gear is evenly provided with 6 spring assembly mounting holes along the circumferential direction, and a bearing ball raceway is provided on the inner circumferential side; a spring assembly is fixedly installed in each spring assembly mounting hole; the spring assembly comprises a spring cap, a spring and a spring cover plate; the inner surface of the spring cover plate is sequentially provided with a pressing boss, an unlocking groove and a spring groove; the ball lock ball is clearance-matchedly installed in the ball lock ball mounting hole; The bearing ball is installed in the bearing ball installation groove with clearance fit; the retaining ring is fixedly installed at the bottom of the ball lock shell, and is used to limit the ball lock gear between the top of the ball lock shell and the retaining ring; since the plug-in inner shell adopts a hollow structure, a large space is left in the middle after docking, so that the plug-in inner shell can be used in conjunction with other functional connectors; the plug-in inner shell and the ball lock shell adopt a plug-in structure, and the locking force can be effectively controlled by utilizing the controllability of the spring stiffness, and the pre-locking and unlocking processes can be achieved without the need for a driving source, and a larger locking force can be achieved through mechanical arm control. The passive design makes its structure simple and its weight light, and the variable design of pre-locking makes its locking stable and reliable, and its application range is wide; therefore, the above-mentioned docking mechanism has the characteristics of simple structure, light weight, simple docking and locking, reliable locking, high integration, reserved positions for other functional connectors in the middle, wide application, and locking can be achieved only by linear plug-in.

[0029] 2. The docking mechanism of the present invention adds a pre-tightening stage to the docking process, saving a driving source. In the pre-tightening stage, the robotic arm can be released and controlled to unlock and lock, and the driving mode can be controlled by the robotic arm alone. Compared with other docking and locking structures, a set of separate driving devices is saved, which greatly reduces the mass of the overall space docking structure and makes the docking process easier to control. The docking mechanism has controllable pre-locking force and docking force, and the pre-locking force and docking force are controlled by the elastic force of the spring, which can be replaced according to the docking scenario, so that it can be applied to a wider range of space docking and locking tasks.

[0030] 3. The docking mechanism of the present invention is provided with meshing positioning teeth evenly distributed along the circumferential direction on the outer circumferential surface of the plug-in inner shell and the inner circumferential surface of the ball lock outer shell. During the docking process, the outer circumferential surface of the plug-in inner shell and the inner circumferential surface of the ball lock outer shell are engaged and positioned by the meshing positioning of the meshing positioning teeth to guide and position the plug-in process, thereby eliminating the docking deviation between the plug-in inner shell and the ball lock outer shell; by making the front end of the meshing positioning teeth of the ball lock outer shell into a platform shape, it is possible to avoid the two meshing positioning teeth of the plug-in inner shell and the ball lock outer shell from getting stuck and being over-constrained during the meshing docking process.

[0031] 4. Since a boss is provided in the ball-lock ball mounting hole, the boss can prevent the ball-lock ball from rolling out of the hole, thereby preventing the docking failure of the docking mechanism. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the explosion structure of the docking mechanism of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the spring assembly;

[0034] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the spring assembly and the ball lock gear;

[0035] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of the plug-in inner shell;

[0036] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of the ball lock housing;

[0037] Figure 6 It is a cross-sectional view of the docking mechanism when it is in a docking pre-locking state;

[0038] Figure 7 A cross-sectional view of the docking mechanism in a docking locking state

[0039] Figure 8 It is a cross-sectional view of the docking mechanism when it is in the docking unlocked state.

[0040] Among them, 1-plug-in inner shell, 2-ball lock outer shell, 3-ball lock gear, 4-spring assembly, 5-ball lock ball, 6-bearing ball, 7-retaining ring, 8-spring cap, 9-spring, 10-spring cover, 11-engaging positioning tooth, 12-ball lock ball groove, 13-ball lock ball mounting hole, 14-bearing ball mounting groove, 15-spring cap slide groove, 16-retaining ring threaded hole, 17-spring assembly threaded hole, 18-bearing ball raceway, 19-pressing boss, 20-unlocking groove, 21-spring groove DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0042] This embodiment provides a small space docking mechanism with passive self-locking and robot-assisted operation, such as Figure 1 As shown, the docking locking mechanism includes an insert inner shell 1, a ball lock outer shell 2, a ball lock gear 3, 6 spring assemblies 4, 6 ball lock balls 5, 6 bearing balls 6 and a retaining ring 7;

[0043] like Figure 2 As shown, each spring assembly 4 includes a spring cap 8, a spring 9 and a spring cover plate 10; the inner surface of the spring cover plate 10 is sequentially provided with a pressing boss 19, an unlocking groove 20 and a spring groove 21; the spring 9 is installed in the spring groove 21 of the spring cover plate 10, and the spring cap 8 presses the spring 9 and can slide in the spring groove 21 under the action of the spring 9, and the spring 9 is used to provide resistance to the movement of the spring cap 8 in the spring groove 21;

[0044] like Figure 4 As shown, the outer circumference of the plug-in inner shell 1 is evenly distributed with 12 ball lock ball grooves 12, and the outer ring of the plug-in inner shell 1 and the inner ring of the ball lock outer shell 2 are gap-matched; the overall structure of the plug-in inner shell 1 is hollowed out in the middle, and the middle space is large and does not affect the docking process. It can be integrated with other functional connectors, which solves the problem of low integration of mechanical interfaces and functional interfaces at this stage, and also saves installation space to a certain extent, reducing the installation difficulty and overall quality of the interface; the plug-in inner shell 1 can be a hollow ring structure;

[0045] like Figure 5 As shown, the ball lock housing 2 is evenly distributed with 6 ball lock ball mounting holes 13 and 6 bearing ball mounting grooves 14 in the circumferential direction, and the outer circumferential surface of the ball lock housing 2 is provided with a spring cap slide groove 15 extending in the circumferential direction, and the spring cap slide groove 15 is located on the line connecting the centers of the ball lock ball mounting holes 13, and 4 retaining ring threaded holes 16 are provided at the bottom end of the ball lock housing 2;

[0046] like Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, the ball lock gear 3 is provided with 6 spring assembly threaded holes 17 corresponding to the 6 spring assemblies 4 one by one, and a bearing ball raceway 18 is provided at the bottom end of the inner circumference; the ball lock gear 3 is sleeved on the outer circumference side of the ball lock housing 2 with clearance fit;

[0047] like Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the outer circumference of the plug-in inner shell 1 and the inner circumference of the ball lock outer shell 2 can be conical guide surfaces of matching shapes, and the conical guide surfaces facilitate guiding when the plug-in inner shell 1 is plugged into the ball lock outer shell 2; the outer circumference of the plug-in inner shell 1 and the inner circumference of the ball lock outer shell 2 are both provided with meshing positioning teeth 11 evenly distributed along the circumferential direction, which are used to eliminate docking deviations through the meshing positioning of the meshing positioning teeth 11 during the guided docking process; the meshing positioning teeth 11 are V-shaped, and the angle of the V-shape is 120°; the ball lock outer shell 2 is platform-shaped at the front end of the meshing positioning teeth 11, which is used to avoid the two meshing positioning teeth 11 from getting stuck and over-constrained during the meshing docking process, thereby better realizing the guided docking function and effectively ensuring that the docking can be accurately guided in the event of docking deviations;

[0048] The spring assembly 4 is fixed to the spring assembly threaded hole 17 of the ball lock gear 3 by bolts; the ball lock gear 3 is sleeved on the periphery of the ball lock housing 2, and the clearance between the two facilitates the ball lock gear 3 to drive the spring assembly 4 to rotate around the ball lock housing 2;

[0049] The bearing ball 6 is installed in the bearing ball installation groove 14 of the ball lock housing 2. The clearance fit between the two facilitates the bearing ball 6 to rotate in the groove. When the ball lock housing 2 and the ball lock gear 3 are matched, the bearing ball 6 falls into the bearing ball raceway 18 of the ball lock gear 3, which can reduce the friction force when the ball lock gear 3 rotates.

[0050] The ball lock ball 5 is installed in the ball lock ball installation hole 13 of the ball lock housing 2. The clearance between the two facilitates the movement of the ball lock ball 5 in the hole. The inner circle of the ball lock ball installation hole 13 is provided with a boss to prevent the ball lock ball 5 from rolling out of the hole.

[0051] The retaining ring 7 is fixedly mounted on the bottom of the ball lock housing 2 and is fixed to the retaining ring threaded hole 16 of the ball lock housing 2 by bolts to prevent the ball lock gear 3 from slipping;

[0052] The plug-in inner shell 1 is inserted into the ball lock outer shell 2, and the ball lock ball 5 is sunk into the ball lock groove 12 under the pressure of the spring cap 8 to withstand the pre-locking force. The design of the clamping boss 19 and the unlocking groove 20 can enable this design to achieve a large locking force and unlocking when there is a driving source.

[0053] The above-mentioned docking mechanism includes an insert inner shell 1, a ball lock outer shell 2, a ball lock gear 3, a spring assembly 4, a ball lock ball 5, a bearing ball 6 and a retaining ring 7; the insert inner shell 1 is a hollow structure, and the outer ring is clearance-matched with the inner ring of the ball lock outer shell 2; the outer circumferential surface of the insert inner shell 1 is evenly distributed with 12 ball lock ball grooves 12; the ball lock outer shell 2 is evenly distributed with 6 ball lock ball mounting holes 13 and 6 bearing ball mounting grooves 14 along the circumferential direction; a spring extending along the circumferential direction of the ball lock outer shell 2 is provided on the line connecting the centers of the ball lock ball mounting holes 13 The cap slide groove 15; the ball lock gear 3 is sleeved on the outer peripheral side of the ball lock housing 2 with clearance fit; the ball lock gear 3 is evenly provided with 6 spring assembly 4 mounting holes along the circumference, and a bearing ball raceway 18 is provided on the inner peripheral side; a spring assembly 4 is fixedly installed in each spring assembly 4 mounting hole; the spring assembly 4 includes a spring cap 8, a spring 9 and a spring cover plate 10; the inner surface of the spring cover plate 10 is sequentially provided with a pressing boss 19, an unlocking groove 20 and a spring groove 21; the ball lock ball 5 is clearance fit The ball lock ball mounting hole 13 is installed in the ball lock ball mounting hole 13; the bearing ball 6 is installed in the bearing ball mounting groove 14 with clearance fit; the retaining ring 7 is fixedly installed at the bottom of the ball lock shell 2, and is used to limit the ball lock gear 3 between the top of the ball lock shell 2 and the retaining ring 7; because the plug-in inner shell 1 adopts a hollow structure, a large space is left in the middle after docking, so that the plug-in inner shell 1 can be used in conjunction with other functional connectors; the plug-in inner shell 1 and the ball lock shell 2 adopt a plug-in structure, and the locking force can be effectively controlled by utilizing the controllability of the stiffness of the spring 9, and the pre-locking and unlocking processes can be realized without the need for a driving source, and a larger locking force can be achieved through the control of the mechanical arm. The passive design makes its structure simple and its weight light, and the variable design of the pre-locking makes its locking stable and reliable, and its application range is wide; therefore, the above-mentioned docking mechanism has the characteristics of simple structure, light weight, simple docking and locking, reliable locking, high integration, other functional connector positions reserved in the middle, wide application, and locking can be achieved by only linear plug-in.

[0054] The above-mentioned docking mechanism adds a pre-tightening stage to the docking process, saving a driving source. During the pre-tightening stage, the robotic arm can be released and controlled to unlock and lock, and the driving mode can be controlled by the robotic arm alone. Compared with other docking and locking structures, a separate driving device is saved, which greatly reduces the mass of the overall space docking structure and makes the docking process easier to control. The docking mechanism has controllable pre-locking force and docking force, and the pre-locking force and docking force are controlled by the elastic force of spring 9, which can be replaced according to the docking scenario, so that it can be applied to a wider range of space docking and locking tasks.

[0055] The above-mentioned docking mechanism is provided with meshing positioning teeth 11 evenly distributed along the circumferential direction on the outer circumferential surface of the plug-in inner shell 1 and the inner circumferential surface of the ball lock outer shell 2. During the docking process, the meshing positioning teeth 11 between the outer circumferential surface of the plug-in inner shell 1 and the inner circumferential surface of the ball lock outer shell 2 are engaged and positioned to guide the plug-in process, thereby eliminating the docking deviation between the plug-in inner shell 1 and the ball lock outer shell 2; because the ball lock outer shell 2 is platform-shaped at the front end of the meshing positioning teeth 11, it is possible to avoid the two meshing positioning teeth 11 of the plug-in inner shell 1 and the ball lock outer shell 2 from getting stuck or being over-constrained during the meshing docking process.

[0056] The specific working process of the above-mentioned docking mechanism is as follows: in the initial position, the spring assembly 4 is fixed on the ball lock gear 3 by bolts and is installed outside the ball lock housing 2 with the ball lock gear 3 in a gap; the retaining ring 7 is fixed to the bottom of the ball lock housing 2 by bolts to limit the up and down movement of the ball lock gear 3; at this time, the spring cap 8 in the spring assembly 4 presses the ball lock ball 5 installed in the ball lock housing 2 under the action of the spring 9, and the ball lock ball 5 will not be ejected from the ball lock housing 2 under the blocking of the inner ring boss of the ball lock ball mounting hole 13. The mechanical arm clamps one end of the plug-in inner shell 1 and slowly inserts it into the interior of the ball lock outer shell 2 under the action of the tapered guide surface and the meshing positioning teeth 11. After the meshing positioning teeth 11 eliminate the docking deviation, 6 of the 12 ball lock ball grooves 12 on the plug-in inner shell 1 correspond to the 6 ball lock ball mounting holes 13 on the ball lock outer shell 2; the ball lock ball 5 in the ball lock ball mounting hole 13 presses the spring cap 8 to move outward under the extrusion of the plug-in inner shell 1, so that the spring cap 8 presses the spring 9 and sinks into the spring groove 21. When the ball lock ball groove 12 of the plug-in inner shell 1 moves to the position of the ball lock ball 5, the ball lock ball 5 sinks into the ball lock ball groove 12 under the elastic force of the spring cap 8 to achieve pre-locking; Figure 6 As shown; at this time, the spring cap 8 presses the ball lock ball 5 under the action of the spring 9, and the locking force is provided by the spring 9; although the pre-locking locking force is relatively small, it is sufficient to connect the plug-in inner shell 1 and the ball lock outer shell 2 to each other and will not separate without a large external force; at this time, the mechanical arm can release one end of the plug-in inner shell 1, and drive the ball lock gear 3 in turn, and the bearing ball 6 installed on the ball lock outer shell 2 rolls to reduce the friction of rotation, and the ball lock gear 3 drives the spring assembly 4 to rotate around the ball lock outer shell 2 so that the pressing boss 19 presses the ball lock ball 5, and at this time the ball lock ball 5 cannot move outward to achieve mechanical locking, such as Figure 7 When unlocking, just continue to rotate the ball lock gear 3 to make the ball lock ball 5 recessed into the unlocking groove 20 of the spring cover plate 10 of the spring assembly 4, and then the plug-in inner housing 1 can be pulled out from the ball lock outer housing 2, as shown in FIG. Figure 8 shown.

[0057] In summary, the above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A passive self-locking small space docking mechanism assisted by a robot arm, characterized in that: It includes a plug-in inner shell, a ball lock outer shell, a ball lock gear, a spring assembly, a ball lock ball, a bearing ball and a retaining ring; The plug-in inner shell is a hollow structure, and the outer ring is gap-matched with the inner ring of the ball lock outer shell; the outer peripheral surface of the plug-in inner shell is evenly distributed with 12 ball lock ball grooves; The ball lock shell is evenly distributed with 6 ball lock ball mounting holes and 6 bearing ball mounting grooves along the circumference; a spring cap slide groove extending along the circumference of the ball lock shell is provided on the center line of the ball lock ball mounting holes; The ball lock gear is sleeved on the outer peripheral side of the ball lock housing with clearance fit; the ball lock gear is evenly provided with 6 spring assembly mounting holes along the circumference, and a bearing ball raceway is provided on the inner peripheral side; a spring assembly is fixedly installed in each of the spring assembly mounting holes; The spring assembly comprises a spring cap, a spring and a spring cover plate; the inner surface of the spring cover plate is provided with a pressing boss, an unlocking groove and a spring groove in sequence; The ball-locking ball is installed in the ball-locking ball installation hole with clearance fit; The bearing ball is installed in the bearing ball installation groove with clearance fit, so as to reduce the friction force of the ball lock gear rotating around the ball lock housing; The retaining ring is fixedly mounted on the bottom of the ball lock housing and is used to limit the ball lock gear between the top of the ball lock housing and the retaining ring; The outer circumferential surface of the plug-in inner shell and the inner circumferential surface of the ball lock outer shell are both provided with meshing positioning teeth evenly distributed along the circumferential direction, which are used to eliminate the docking deviation through the meshing positioning of the meshing positioning teeth during the guiding docking process; The meshing positioning teeth are V-shaped, and the angle of the V-shape is 120°; The ball lock housing is platform-shaped at the front end of the engagement and positioning teeth, so as to prevent the two engagement and positioning teeth from getting stuck or over-constrained during the engagement and docking process.

2. The passive self-locking small space docking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The spring assembly is sleeved on the outer peripheral side of the ball lock gear; the spring is installed in the spring groove to provide a pre-locking force; the spring cap presses the spring and can slide in the spring groove under the action of the spring.

3. The passive self-locking small space docking mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The outer peripheral surface of the ball lock gear at both ends of the spring assembly mounting hole is provided with spring assembly threaded holes; The spring assembly is fixedly mounted on the ball lock gear by means of a bolt threadedly connected to the threaded hole of the spring assembly; Driving the ball lock gear to rotate can drive the spring assembly to rotate; The locking action of the docking mechanism is completed by pressing the corresponding ball-locking ball through the pressing boss of the spring cover plate.

4. The passive self-locking small space docking mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: When the plug-in inner shell is inserted into the interior of the ball lock outer shell, the spring cap is compressed by the spring to push the ball lock ball into the ball lock ball groove, thereby achieving the pre-locking goal and ensuring that the plug-in inner shell will not fall out without being clamped by a mechanical arm. The mechanical arm drives the ball lock gear to rotate, so that the clamping boss of the spring assembly can clamp the ball lock ball or release the ball lock ball in the unlocking groove.

5. The passive self-locking small space docking mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: Four retaining ring threaded holes are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction at the bottom end of the ball lock housing; The retaining ring is fixed to the ball lock housing by bolts installed in the threaded holes of the retaining ring; A boss is arranged in the ball-lock-ball installation hole to prevent the ball-lock-ball from rolling out of the hole.

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