Asteroid surface self-adapting attachment mechanism

Abstract

The present application provides a kind of asteroid ground self-adapting attachment mechanism, including attachment mechanism shell, drive device, power transmission device, driving disc and attachment unit, drive device is installed on attachment mechanism shell, driving disc is installed inside attachment mechanism shell, the bottom outer edge of attachment mechanism shell is distributed with multiple attachment units along circumference, any attachment unit includes the microthorn array for hooking up protrusion;Drive device is connected with power transmission device, power transmission device is connected with driving disc, driving disc can move along the axial direction of attachment mechanism shell, driving disc is connected with any attachment unit, and microthorn array can be close to or away from the center of the bottom of attachment mechanism shell.The present application converts the rotary motion of drive device output into the linear motion of driving disc by power transmission device, the driving disc of movement pulls rope, and microthorn array is gathered to the center, so that steel nail can hook up the protrusion on the surface of asteroid;Simple structure, mechanism freedom is less.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of deep space exploration, and more specifically, to an adaptive attachment mechanism for asteroid surfaces. Background Technology

[0002] Chang'e-2's flyby of asteroid 4179 Toutatis marks the completion of my country's asteroid exploration mission, moving beyond the orbital phase to include landing and exploration. Asteroids have extremely weak gravity, resulting in very low escape velocities. Whether sampling the asteroid's surface or traversing it, the robot's end effector will inevitably collide with the surface. Therefore, the primary task during asteroid landing and exploration is to ensure the stable attachment of the robot carrying scientific equipment to the asteroid's surface.

[0003] A Chinese patent with publication number CN112061428B discloses an adaptive penetration and deployment attachment device for attaching to the surface of a space target, comprising: a head cone, a spear body frame, a barb shaft, a first barb, a second barb, a baffle sleeve, a limiting rod, a rear end cap, and a torsion spring; the tail of the head cone is installed inside the spear body frame; the barb shaft enters from a pin hole on one side of the spear body frame, passes through the end mounting hole of the second barb, the torsion spring, and the end mounting hole of the first barb, and enters the pin hole on the other side of the spear body frame; the smaller diameter end of the spear body frame is inserted into the baffle sleeve and can slide within the baffle sleeve, and the lug at the end of the baffle sleeve blocks the ends of the first and second barbs; the limiting rod enters from the other end of the baffle sleeve and is installed at the end of the smaller diameter end of the spear body frame, and the rear end cap is installed at the other end port of the baffle sleeve.

[0004] However, existing technologies are complex in structure, large in size and weight, and have high production costs. Therefore, the inventors believe that there is a need to provide a simpler attachment mechanism that can adapt to the surface of asteroids without prior knowledge and has the ability to passively adapt to unstructured complex terrain. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, the purpose of this invention is to provide an adaptive attachment mechanism for asteroid surfaces.

[0006] According to the present invention, an adaptive attachment mechanism for asteroid surfaces includes an attachment mechanism housing, a drive device, a power transmission device, a drive disk, and attachment units. The drive device is mounted on the attachment mechanism housing, and the drive disk is mounted inside the attachment mechanism housing. A plurality of attachment units are distributed circumferentially along the bottom outer edge of the attachment mechanism housing. Each attachment unit includes an array of micro-thorns for hooking protrusions. The drive device is driven to the power transmission device, and the power transmission device is driven to the drive disk. The drive disk is axially movable along the attachment mechanism housing. The drive disk is driven to each attachment unit. The micro-thorn array can move closer to or further away from the bottom center of the attachment mechanism housing.

[0007] Preferably, it further includes a ball joint housing, which is mounted on the attachment mechanism housing. The ball joint housing has a ball joint base, and the ball joint housing is mounted on the robot's foot or the end of the robotic arm via a ball joint.

[0008] Preferably, the ball joint housing is fastened to the attachment mechanism housing by two force sensors with orthogonal axes.

[0009] Preferably, the power transmission device includes a gear, a rack, and a rack guide rail. The gear is mounted on the output shaft of the drive device and is rotatable in the horizontal direction. The rack is vertically mounted on the attachment mechanism housing via the rack guide rail. The gear meshes with the rack, and the rack is movable up and down in the vertical direction. The drive disc is mounted on the bottom of the rack and is movable up and down in the vertical direction.

[0010] Preferably, the attachment mechanism housing includes upper and lower housings, the drive disk is horizontally installed inside the upper housing, and the drive disk cannot be moved outside the upper housing.

[0011] Preferably, the attachment unit further includes an attachment unit housing, a micro-thorn array base, a limiting device, and a lateral restoring spring. One end of the micro-thorn array base is fastened to the drive disc by a rope, and the other end extends into the attachment unit housing and is fastened to the micro-thorn array by the limiting device. The lateral restoring spring is sleeved on the micro-thorn array base inside the attachment unit housing.

[0012] Preferably, the micro-spiky array comprises multiple micro-spiky sheets arranged side by side, and each micro-spiky sheet has a steel nail at the end away from the base of the micro-spiky array. The steel nail is inclined from the end of the micro-spiky sheet toward the base of the micro-spiky array.

[0013] Preferably, each of the micro-spiked sheets has a through hole at one end near the micro-spiked array base, and a mounting plate is provided at one end of the micro-spiked array base extending into the attachment unit housing. The mounting plate has a mounting hole, and mounting grooves are provided on both sides of the attachment unit housing. The limiting device passes through the through hole, the mounting hole, and the mounting groove, and the limiting device can slide along the direction of the groove.

[0014] Preferably, the end of the attachment unit near the attachment mechanism housing is bolted to the bottom of the attachment mechanism housing, and the two cooperate to form a rotating pair.

[0015] Preferably, a longitudinal restoring spring is provided between the end of the attachment unit near the attachment mechanism housing and the attachment mechanism housing.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0017] 1. This invention converts the rotational motion output by the drive device into the linear motion of the drive disc through a power transmission device. The moving drive disc pulls the rope, causing the micro-spiky array to converge towards the center, so that the steel spikes can hook onto the protrusions on the surface of the asteroid. The attachment unit is rotatably installed at the bottom of the attachment mechanism housing. When the terrain of the asteroid surface is relatively complex, the attachment unit can passively adapt to the asteroid surface, thus making it more suitable for asteroid surfaces without prior knowledge. The structure is simple, with fewer degrees of freedom, smaller size and weight, convenient processing, and low production cost.

[0018] 2. This invention uses a ball joint mounted on the foot or end of the robot arm. Two force sensors with orthogonal axes are used to mount the ball joint housing on the attachment mechanism housing, thereby measuring the force between the ball joint and the attachment mechanism housing. This allows the foot or end of the robot arm to adjust its movements in a timely manner, thus better completing the landing and attachment mission on the surface of asteroids in deep space exploration.

[0019] 3. This invention features a longitudinal restoring spring between the attachment unit and the attachment mechanism housing, and a transverse restoring spring inside the attachment unit. When the attachment mechanism is released, the longitudinal restoring spring can push the attachment unit away from the asteroid surface, and the transverse restoring spring can pop out the micro-spiky array base. Through a simple spring structure, the switching between the retractable and extendable states can be achieved. The structure is simple, the operation is convenient, and it helps to improve work efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Other features, objects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0021] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of the adaptive attachment mechanism for asteroid surfaces, which is the main feature of this invention.

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of the attachment mechanism housing, which is the main feature of this invention.

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of the ball joint base, which is the main feature of this invention.

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of the gear, which is the main feature of this invention.

[0025] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the main structure of the rack in this invention;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of the rack and pinion guide rail, which is the main feature of this invention.

[0027] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of the drive disk, which is the main feature of this invention.

[0028] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of the attachment unit, which is the main feature of this invention.

[0029] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of the main unit housing of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of the micro-spiky array base, which is the main feature of this invention.

[0031] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of the micro-spiked sheet, which is the main feature of this invention.

[0032] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of the limiting device, which is the main feature of this invention.

[0033] As shown in the figure:

[0034] Attachment mechanism housing 1, drive device 2, force sensor 3

[0035] 4. Ball joint housing; 5. Gear; 6. Rack

[0036] 7 Drive disk 8 Attachment unit 9 Unit housing

[0037] Micro-barb array base 10 Micro-barb array 11 Limiting device 12

[0038] Lateral restoring spring 13, longitudinal restoring spring 14, ball joint base 15

[0039] 16. Rack and pinion guide; 17. Micro-barbed sheet; 18. Steel nail.

[0040] Bolt 19 Detailed Implementation

[0041] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to specific embodiments. These embodiments will help those skilled in the art to further understand the present invention, but do not limit the invention in any way. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several changes and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention. These all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0042] like Figure 1-12 As shown, an adaptive asteroid surface attachment mechanism according to the present invention includes: an attachment mechanism housing 1, a drive device 2, a power transmission device, a drive disk 7, and attachment units 8. The drive device 2 is mounted on the attachment mechanism housing 1, and the drive disk 7 is mounted inside the attachment mechanism housing 1. Multiple attachment units 8 are distributed circumferentially along the bottom outer edge of the attachment mechanism housing 1. Each attachment unit 8 includes a micro-spiky array 11 for hooking protrusions. The drive device 2 is driven by the power transmission device, and the power transmission device is driven by the drive disk 7. The drive disk 7 can move along the axial direction of the attachment mechanism housing 1. The drive disk 7 is driven by each attachment unit 8. The micro-spiky array 11 can move closer to or further away from the bottom center of the attachment mechanism housing 1.

[0043] This application also includes a ball joint housing 4, which is mounted on the attachment mechanism housing 1. A ball joint base 15 is provided within the ball joint housing 4. Both the ball joint housing 4 and the ball joint base 15 have through holes and are fastened together by bolts 19. The ball joint housing 4 is mounted on the foot or end of the robotic arm via a ball joint, thus enabling this application for asteroid surface landing and attachment missions in deep space exploration.

[0044] The ball joint housing 4 is fastened to the attachment mechanism housing 1 by two force sensors 3 with orthogonal axes. The force sensors 3 can measure the force between the ball joint and the attachment mechanism housing 1. The attachment mechanism housing 1 is machined with columns and grooves for mounting the force sensors 3, and the bottom and side surfaces of the ball joint housing 4 are machined with grooves for mounting the force sensors 3.

[0045] The power transmission device includes a gear 5, a rack 6, and a rack guide rail 16. Gear 5 is mounted on the output shaft of the drive device 2 and can rotate horizontally. Rack 6 is vertically mounted on the attachment mechanism housing 1 via the rack guide rail 16. Gear 5 meshes with rack 6, allowing rack 6 to move vertically up and down. Drive disc 7 is mounted on the bottom of rack 6 and can move vertically up and down. The attachment mechanism housing 1 has a column and groove machined for mounting rack guide rail 16. The attachment mechanism housing 1 consists of upper and lower housings, fastened together with bolts 19. Drive disc 7 is horizontally mounted inside the upper housing and cannot move outside the upper housing. The rotation of the output shaft of the drive device 2 drives gear 5 to rotate, and rack 6, meshing with gear 5, drives drive disc 7 to move vertically up and down along the column of the attachment mechanism housing 1. The downward limit of drive disc 7 is the junction of the upper and lower housings of the attachment mechanism housing 1.

[0046] The attachment unit 8 is mounted on the bottom of the attachment mechanism housing 1 near one end by bolts 19, and the two cooperate to form a rotating pair, allowing the attachment unit 8 to rotate at a small angle. The attachment unit 8 also includes an attachment unit housing 9, a micro-thorn array base 10, a limiting device 12, and a lateral restoring spring 13. One end of the micro-thorn array base 10 is fastened to the drive disc 7 by a rope, and the other end extends into the attachment unit housing 9 and is fastened to the micro-thorn array 11 by the limiting device 12. The lateral restoring spring 13 is sleeved on the micro-thorn array base 10 inside the attachment unit housing 9. When the attachment mechanism is released, the lateral restoring spring 13 can eject the micro-thorn array base 10. The drive disc 7, the attachment mechanism housing 1, and the attachment unit housing 9 all have through holes. One end of a non-elastic rope is fixed to the drive disc 7, and the other end passes through the attachment mechanism housing 1 and the attachment unit housing 9, and is fixed to the micro-thorn array base 10.

[0047] The micro-spiky array 11 includes multiple micro-spiky sheets 17 arranged side by side, preferably nine sheets. A steel nail 18 is provided at the end of each micro-spiky sheet 17 furthest from the micro-spiky array base 10, and the steel nail 18 is inclined from the end of the micro-spiky sheet 17 toward the micro-spiky array base 10. A through hole is formed at the end of each micro-spiky sheet 17 near the micro-spiky array base 10. A mounting plate is provided at the end of the micro-spiky array base 10 extending into the attachment unit housing 9, and mounting holes are provided on the mounting plate. Mounting grooves are provided on both sides of the attachment unit housing 9. A limiting device 12 passes through the through hole, the mounting hole, and the mounting groove, and can slide along the direction of the groove. The limiting device 12 can slide relative to the groove in the attachment unit housing 9, thus both fixing the micro-spiky array 11 to the micro-spiky array base 10 and limiting its range of movement within the attachment unit housing 9.

[0048] A longitudinal restoring spring 14 is provided between the end of the attachment unit 8 near the attachment mechanism housing 1 and the attachment mechanism housing 1. When the attachment mechanism is released, the longitudinal restoring spring 14 can push the attachment unit 8 away from the asteroid surface.

[0049] Gear 5 and rack 6 convert the rotational motion output by drive device 2 into linear motion. The forward rotation of drive device 2 causes rack 6, mounted on rack guide rail 16, to drive drive disk 7 upwards along the column of attachment mechanism housing 1. The moving drive disk 7 pulls the rope, causing the micro-spiky array base 10 to move the micro-spiky array 11 and limiting device 12 towards the center within attachment unit housing 9. At this time, the lateral return spring 13 and longitudinal return spring 14 are compressed. Rigid steel nails 18 are installed at the ends of the elastic micro-spiky sheets 17, which can hook onto protrusions on the asteroid surface. As drive disk 7 continues to rise, the micro-spiky array 11 continues to retract inwards under the pull of the rope. The elastic micro-spiky sheets 17 that have already hooked onto protrusions are stretched, and the remaining micro-spiky sheets 17 continue to retract inwards and hook onto other protrusions.

[0050] Gear 5 and rack 6 convert the rotational motion output by drive unit 2 into linear motion. Reversing drive unit 2 causes rack 6, mounted on rack guide rail 16, to drive drive disk 7 downward along the column of attachment mechanism housing 1. The energy of lateral return spring 13 and longitudinal return spring 14 is released, and the longitudinal spring pushes attachment unit 8 away from the asteroid surface. Lateral return spring 13 pushes out micro-barb sheet 17, causing steel nail 18 to detach from the protrusion on the asteroid surface.

[0051] The attachment units 8 are rotatably mounted on the bottom of the attachment mechanism housing 1. Preferably, 10 attachment units 8 are evenly distributed on the outer edge of the bottom of the attachment mechanism housing 1, that is, the attachment units 8 are distributed in a 36° circumferential pattern. When the asteroid surface topography is complex, the attachment units 8 can passively adapt to the asteroid surface. This application can adapt to asteroid surfaces without prior knowledge, has fewer degrees of freedom in the mechanism, smaller size and mass, and is easy to manufacture.

[0052] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0053] Specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications within the scope of the claims, which do not affect the essence of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be arbitrarily combined with each other.

Claims

1. An asteroid surface self-adapting attachment mechanism, characterized by, The utility model relates to an attachment mechanism, including: The attachment mechanism shell (1) is installed on the drive device (2), the drive disc (7) is installed inside the attachment mechanism shell (1), the bottom outer edge of the attachment mechanism shell (1) is distributed with a plurality of attachment units (8) along the circumference, any attachment unit (8) includes the microthorn array (11) for hooking the protrusion; The drive device (2) is transmission connection with the power transmission device, the power transmission device is transmission connection with the drive disc (7), the drive disc (7) can move along the axial direction of the attachment mechanism shell (1), the drive disc (7) is transmission connection with any attachment unit (8), the microthorn array (11) can be close to or away from the bottom center of the attachment mechanism shell (1); The attachment unit (8) still includes the attachment unit shell (9), the microthorn array base (10), the limiting device (12) and the transverse recovery spring (13), one end of the microthorn array base (10) is fastened connection through the rope with the drive disc (7), the other end extends to the inside of the attachment unit shell (9) and is fastened connection with the microthorn array (11) through the limiting device (12), the transverse recovery spring (13) is set on the microthorn array base (10) inside the attachment unit shell (9); The microthorn array (11) includes a plurality of parallelly arranged microthorn sheets (17), any microthorn sheet (17) is provided with a steel nail (18) away from one end of the microthorn array base (10), the steel nail (18) is obliquely arranged from the end of the microthorn sheet (17) to the direction close to the microthorn array base (10); The attachment unit (8) is provided with the longitudinal recovery spring (14) between one end close to the attachment mechanism shell (1) and the attachment mechanism shell (1); Any microthorn sheet (17) is formed with a through hole close to one end of the microthorn array base (10), one end of the microthorn array base (10) extending to the inside of the attachment unit shell (9) is provided with a mounting plate, the mounting plate is provided with a mounting hole, both sides of the attachment unit shell (9) are provided with mounting grooves, the limiting device (12) passes through the through hole, the mounting hole and the mounting groove, and the limiting device (12) can slide along the groove.

2. The asteroidal surface self-adapting attachment mechanism of claim 1, wherein, It also includes a spherical hinge shell (4), the spherical hinge shell (4) is installed on the attachment mechanism shell (1), the spherical hinge shell (4) is provided with a spherical hinge base (15), and the spherical hinge shell (4) is installed on the foot end of the robot or the end of the mechanical arm through the spherical hinge.

3. The asteroidal surface self-adapting attachment mechanism of claim 2, wherein, The spherical hinge shell (4) is fastened and installed on the attachment mechanism shell (1) through two axis orthogonal force sensors (3).

4. The asteroidal surface self-adapting attachment mechanism of claim 1, wherein The power transmission device includes a gear (5), a rack (6) and a rack guide rail (16), the gear (5) is installed on the output shaft of the drive device (2), and the gear (5) can rotate around the horizontal direction. The rack (6) is vertically installed on the attachment mechanism housing (1) through the rack guide rail (16), the gear (5) is engaged with the rack (6), and the rack (6) can move up and down in the vertical direction. The driving disc (7) is installed at the bottom of the rack (6) and can move up and down in the vertical direction.

5. The asteroidal surface self-adapting attachment mechanism of claim 4, wherein The attachment mechanism housing (1) comprises two upper and lower housings, the driving disc (7) is horizontally installed in the upper housing, and the driving disc (7) cannot move out of the upper housing.

6. The asteroidal surface self-adapting attachment mechanism of claim 1, wherein The attachment unit (8) is installed at the bottom of the attachment mechanism housing (1) through a bolt (19) near one end of the attachment mechanism housing (1), and the two form a rotating pair.

Images