A large tolerance docking capture device for on-orbit payload capture
By designing a high-tolerance docking capture device, utilizing the convex-concave surface cooperation of the active and passive positioning modules, and combining the gripper drive assembly and the power-off brake, rapid and reliable capture and locking of on-orbit loads is achieved. This solves the problems of docking complexity and accuracy in existing technologies, and improves the positioning accuracy and connection stability of on-orbit targets.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510154817.2
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-02-12
- Publication Date
- 2025-11-04
- Estimated Expiration
- 2045-02-12
AI Technical Summary
Existing on-orbit payload capture devices require precise docking during the docking process, which increases the complexity and difficulty of operation. Furthermore, on-orbit payloads are prone to movement when they are not fixed, leading to increased docking time and reduced efficiency.
The device employs a high-tolerance docking and capture system, including a capture and locking mechanism, a positioning mechanism, and an electrical connector. It utilizes the interplay of the concave and convex surfaces of the active and passive positioning modules to achieve precise positioning. The gripper drive assembly enables rapid capture by opening and closing the grippers. A power-off brake is used for final locking, and a miniature camera module observes the target's posture.
It enables rapid and reliable acquisition and locking of on-orbit payloads, reduces the complexity of docking operations, improves the positioning accuracy and connection stability of on-orbit targets, and reduces energy consumption and docking space requirements.
Smart Images

Figure CN119796538B_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of spacecraft on-orbit servicing, and particularly relates to a large-tolerance docking and capturing device for on-orbit load capturing. BACKGROUND
[0002] On-orbit load replacement generally involves steps such as new and old load capturing, placing and the like. The existing on-orbit load capturing device is generally completed by the end effector of a space manipulator, and the operation process includes docking, capturing and locking links in sequence. The docking link is before the capturing link, which increases the complexity of the docking link, especially when the end effector needs to provide electrical and information connection functions after docking and capturing with the target load, which requires precise docking, thereby further increasing the difficulty of the docking link. In addition, the on-orbit load is generally in a non-fixed state, and the end effector will move to the on-orbit load side and generate a thrust to the on-orbit load during docking with the on-orbit load, which causes the on-orbit load to move outward during docking with the end effector. This way of moving while docking not only increases the docking time and reduces the docking efficiency, but also requires a certain docking space. SUMMARY
[0003] In view of this, the present application provides a large-tolerance docking and capturing device for on-orbit load capturing, which can increase the tolerance rate of the docking and locking process of the on-orbit target and the capturing and locking mechanism and reduce the space required for docking and locking.
[0004] The technical scheme adopted by the present application to solve the above technical problems is as follows:
[0005] A large-tolerance docking and capturing device for on-orbit load capturing, comprising a capturing and locking mechanism for capturing an on-orbit target; further comprising a positioning mechanism for positioning the on-orbit target and the capturing and locking mechanism, the positioning mechanism comprising an active positioning module and a passive positioning module, the active positioning module being provided with a first positioning profile, and the passive positioning module being provided with a second positioning profile matched with the first positioning profile, the first positioning profile and the second positioning profile both adopting concave-convex surfaces, the active positioning module being installed on a docking end surface of the capturing and locking mechanism, and the passive positioning module being installed on a docking end surface of the on-orbit target, during the process that the capturing and locking mechanism captures and pulls the on-orbit target to move toward the side of the capturing and locking mechanism, the second positioning profile on the passive positioning module contacts the first positioning profile on the active positioning module and is supported obliquely, and the passive positioning module drives the on-orbit target to rotate circumferentially to realize the positioning of the on-orbit target and the capturing and locking mechanism.
[0006] On the basis of technical solution 1, the capturing and locking mechanism comprises a mounting base, a clamping jaw and a clamping jaw driving assembly, the mounting base is provided with an upper cover and a cover opening, a passive positioning module is mounted outside the upper cover of the mounting base, the clamping jaw driving assembly is mounted in the mounting base, one end of the clamping jaw is inserted into the mounting base through the cover opening, and the other end is outside the mounting base, the clamping jaw driving assembly can drive the clamping jaw to move outward and open to envelope the target on the rail, and the clamping jaw driving assembly can drive the clamping jaw to close and retract to lock and pull the target on the rail to move to the side of the mounting base.
[0007] On the basis of technical solution 2, the clamping jaw driving assembly comprises a driving motor, a central screw, a nut seat, a finger mounting platform, a finger connecting rod, a rotating pin, an elastic connecting piece, a straight guide rod and a limiting pin; the central screw is axially mounted in the mounting base and can rotate, the straight guide rod is mounted in parallel on one side of the central screw, the finger mounting platform is sleeved outside the central screw and the straight guide rod and can move in the direction of the shaft of the mounting base, and the nut seat is screwed on the central screw and sleeved outside the straight guide rod; the nut seat is above the finger mounting platform and connects the finger mounting platform through at least two elastic connecting pieces, and the driving motor can drive the central screw to rotate; the clamping jaw is provided with at least two capturing fingers, one end of the capturing finger in the mounting base is mounted on the finger mounting platform through the rotating pin, and the end of the capturing finger in the mounting base is connected with the nut seat through the finger connecting rod; the limiting pin is provided with at least two, each limiting pin is mounted on the side wall of the mounting base and extends radially, and each limiting pin is above the finger mounting platform to limit the movement of the finger mounting platform.
[0008] On the basis of technical solution 3, the capturing and locking mechanism further comprises a power-off brake, the driving motor adopts a frameless torque motor, the central screw passes through the rotor of the driving motor and is connected with the power-off brake to lock the target on the rail after the capturing and locking mechanism is connected with the target on the rail.
[0009] On the basis of technical solution 3, the elastic connecting piece comprises a tension spring, a locking nut and a hollow stud, the locking nut and the hollow stud are each provided with two, each end of the tension spring corresponds to one locking nut and one hollow stud, at least two first threaded holes are opened in the circumferential direction on the nut seat, at least two second threaded holes are opened in the circumferential direction on the finger mounting platform, the first threaded hole and the second threaded hole correspond to the tension spring one by one, and the end of the tension spring is mounted on the finger mounting platform or the nut seat through the cooperation of the locking nut and the hollow stud.
[0010] On the basis of technical solution 3, one end of the capturing finger arranged in the mounting base is L-shaped, the rotating pin is connected to the inflection point of the end of the capturing finger, and the other end of the capturing finger arranged outside the mounting base is hook-shaped to form an envelope capturing space with other capturing fingers.
[0011] On the basis of technical solution 3, the active positioning module comprises three first positioning blocks, the three first positioning blocks are uniformly arranged along the circumferential direction, two adjacent first positioning blocks form a finger receiving groove and a first positioning convex surface, a first positioning concave surface is arranged on each first positioning block, the first positioning convex surface and the first positioning concave surface form a continuous concave-convex surface to form a first positioning profile of the active positioning module, the finger receiving groove corresponds to the top cover opening of the mounting base one by one and is used for receiving the captured finger; the passive positioning module comprises three second positioning blocks, the three second positioning blocks are uniformly arranged along the circumferential direction, two adjacent second positioning blocks form a second positioning convex surface, a finger clamping groove and a second positioning concave surface are arranged on each second positioning block, the second positioning convex surface and the second positioning concave surface form a continuous concave-convex surface to form a second positioning profile of the passive positioning module, the finger clamping groove on the passive positioning module corresponds to the finger receiving groove on the active positioning module one by one, and the inner diameter of the finger clamping groove in the width direction is greater than the width of the captured finger, so that when the captured finger captures the on-orbit target, the captured finger can be inserted into the finger clamping groove on the passive positioning module to realize large-tolerance capture of the on-orbit target.
[0012] On the basis of technical solution 1, further comprising an electrical connector for electrically connecting the capturing locking mechanism and the on-orbit target, the electrical connector comprises a male electrical connector and a female electrical connector matched with each other; the male electrical connector is installed on the active positioning module, and the female electrical connector is installed on the passive positioning module, after the active positioning module and the passive positioning module are positioned, the male electrical connector and the female electrical connector are electrically connected.
[0013] On the basis of technical solution 8, the male electrical connector and the female electrical connector are both composed of a spring contact pin female seat and a spring contact pin male seat.
[0014] On the basis of technical solution 1, further comprising a miniature camera module for observing the interface position and attitude of the on-orbit target, the miniature camera module is installed on the active positioning module.
[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following beneficial effects:
[0016] 1、The operation process of capturing the on-orbit target of the application is divided into two stages, the first stage is capturing, and the second stage is preliminary locking and positioning. In the capturing stage, the on-orbit target is captured by using the capturing and locking mechanism to lock the position of the on-orbit target so that it cannot move outward, thus avoiding the problem of docking and capturing the on-orbit target while moving outward, and achieving the purpose of capturing the on-orbit target in a small space. In the locking and positioning stage, the capturing and locking mechanism generates a driving force to move the on-orbit target to the side of the space manipulator, and at the same time, precise positioning is achieved under the cooperation of the first positioning profile of the active positioning module and the second positioning profile of the passive positioning module, so that the on-orbit target does not need to adjust the relative position of the on-orbit target and the capturing and locking mechanism before being captured, as long as the first positioning profile of the active positioning module and the second positioning profile of the passive positioning module are in contact, which reduces the complexity of the docking operation before capturing, and realizes large-tolerance docking and capturing. The positioning of the on-orbit target and the capturing and locking mechanism by using the two positioning profiles that cooperate with each other is a pure mechanical positioning mode, which also reduces the complexity of the precise positioning process.
[0017] 2、The capturing finger of the application is provided with a hook-shaped end outside the mounting base, so that the capturing finger can quickly form an envelope capturing space when it transitions from the open state to the closed state, thereby reliably capturing the on-orbit target.
[0018] 3、The application uses a power-off brake to complete the final locking of the on-orbit target, and through the setting of the power-off brake, the locking operation of the low-power capturing and locking mechanism can be realized, avoiding accidental disengagement of the on-orbit target.
[0019] 4、The application designs an electrical / information interface at the end face of the active positioning module and the passive positioning module, integrates the load capturing, electrical / information connection operation into a module, and improves the reliability of space application. At the same time, the electrical connector adopts a female seat and a male seat with spring contact pins, which can save valuable circuit board space, reduce assembly height, withstand multiple mating operations, and be resistant to mechanical impact and vibration. It can be customized according to different circuit boards, and precise positioning can be achieved during installation to ensure stable and reliable connection.
[0020] 5、The miniature camera module of the application adopts an optical anti-shake camera module, which can observe the position and attitude of the on-orbit target interface in real time, and decide whether to capture the on-orbit target load by judging whether the position and attitude of the on-orbit target interface meet the capture tolerance range. The optical anti-shake camera module can to some extent reduce the vibration of the shooting picture when the space manipulator moves, which is conducive to improving the imaging quality and reducing the misjudgment of the position and attitude of the target load modular interface. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0021] The accompanying drawings are part of the present application and serve to provide a further understanding of the application.
[0022] Figure 1 Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a large-tolerance docking capture device for capturing an on-orbit load.
[0023] Figure 2 Fig. 2 is a structural schematic view of the capture locking mechanism without the mounting base.
[0024] Figure 3 Fig. 3 is a structural schematic view of the nut seat and finger mounting platform connected via elastic connecting members.
[0025] Figure 4 Fig. 4 is a structural schematic view of the on-orbit target connected with the passive docking module.
[0026] Figure 5 Fig. 5 is a schematic view of the on-orbit target in a state of being within the envelope capture space of the gripper.
[0027] Figure 6 Fig. 6 is a schematic view of the gripper capturing the on-orbit target.
[0028] Figure 7 Fig. 7 is a schematic view of the on-orbit target being locked.
[0029] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0030] A - capture locking mechanism, B - positioning mechanism, C - electrical connector, D - miniature camera module;
[0031] 1 - mounting base, 11 - upper cover, 12 - cover opening, 2 - gripper, 21 - capture finger, 3 - gripper drive assembly, 31 - drive motor, 32 - central screw, 33 - nut seat, 331 - first threaded hole, 34 - finger mounting platform, 341 - second threaded hole, 35 - finger connecting rod, 36 - rotating pin, 37 - elastic connecting member, 371 - tension spring, 372 - locking nut, 373 - hollow stud, 38 - straight guide rod, 39 - limit pin, 4 - power-off brake, 5 - active positioning module, 51 - first positioning convex surface, 52 - first positioning block, 53 - finger storage groove, 54 - first positioning concave surface, 6 - passive positioning module, 61 - second positioning block, 62 - second positioning convex surface, 63 - finger clamping groove, 64 - second positioning concave surface, 7 - active electrical connector, 8 - passive electrical connector, 9 - on-orbit target. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0032] The present application will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments.
[0033] Figure 1 Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a large-tolerance docking capture device for capturing an on-orbit load. Figure 1As shown, the large-tolerance docking capture device for on-orbit load capture of the embodiment includes a capture locking mechanism A for capturing the on-orbit target 9, which can adopt a jaw structure or a magnetic structure, etc., as long as it can capture the on-orbit target 9. After the capture locking mechanism A captures the on-orbit target 9, the on-orbit target 9 is pulled towards the side of the space mechanical arm to preliminarily lock the on-orbit target 9, avoid the on-orbit target 9 moving away from the side of the space mechanical arm, increase the positioning difficulty, and at the same time, the capture locking mechanism A gives the on-orbit target 9 a certain pulling force during the movement of the on-orbit target 9, to prepare for subsequent positioning. As shown in Figure 1 As shown, the embodiment also includes a positioning mechanism B for positioning the on-orbit target 9 and the capture locking mechanism A, which includes an active positioning module 5 and a passive positioning module 6. The active positioning module 5 is provided with a first positioning profile, and the passive positioning module 6 is provided with a second positioning profile matched with the first positioning profile. Both the first positioning profile and the second positioning profile adopt a concave-convex surface. The active positioning module 5 is installed on the docking end face of the capture locking mechanism A, and the passive positioning module 6 is installed on the docking end face of the on-orbit target 9. Figure 4The first positioning profile of the active positioning module 5 and the second positioning profile of the passive positioning module 6 realize the accurate positioning of the in-orbit target 9 and the capture locking mechanism A. Specifically, the spatial mechanical arm connects the capture locking mechanism A and drives the capture locking mechanism A to move to the side of the in-orbit target 9. When the capture locking mechanism A captures the in-orbit target 9, the in-orbit target 9 is pulled to move to the side of the spatial mechanical arm. When the second positioning profile on the passive positioning module 6 contacts the first positioning profile on the active positioning module 5, the first positioning profile supports the second positioning profile obliquely due to the concave-convex form of the first positioning profile and the second positioning profile, and the capture locking mechanism A does not move outward. Therefore, when the in-orbit target 9 is subjected to the downward pulling force of the capture locking mechanism A, the pulling force is decomposed into a driving force in the circumferential direction and a driving force in the axial direction. The passive positioning module 6 moves to the side of the capture locking mechanism A while rotating circumferentially, so as to adjust the circumferential angle of the in-orbit target 9, thereby realizing the accurate positioning of the in-orbit target 9 and the capture locking mechanism A. As can be seen, the operation process of capturing the in-orbit target 9 in the embodiment includes two stages. The first stage is capturing, and the second stage is preliminary locking and positioning. In the capturing stage, the in-orbit target 9 is captured by the capture locking mechanism A to lock the position of the in-orbit target 9, so that the in-orbit target 9 remains stationary. Thus, the problem of moving outward while docking and capturing the in-orbit target 9 is avoided, and the purpose of in-orbit capturing in a small space is achieved. In the locking and positioning stage, the capture locking mechanism A generates a driving force to move the in-orbit target 9 to the side of the spatial mechanical arm, and the first positioning profile of the active positioning module 5 and the second positioning profile of the passive positioning module 6 cooperate to realize accurate positioning. Therefore, the relative position of the in-orbit target 9 and the capture locking mechanism A does not need to be adjusted before capturing, and only the contact between the first positioning profile of the active positioning module 5 and the second positioning profile of the passive positioning module 6 is required, which reduces the complexity of the docking operation before capturing and realizes large-tolerance docking and capturing. The positioning of the in-orbit target 9 and the capture locking mechanism A by the two positioning profiles in cooperation is a purely mechanical positioning mode, which also reduces the complexity of the accurate positioning process.
[0034] Figure 2 、 Figure 5 、 Figure 6 and Figure 7 The specific structure of the capture locking mechanism A is shown in FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 6, Figure 2 、 Figure 5 、 Figure 6 and Figure 7As shown, the capturing and locking mechanism A of the embodiment comprises a mounting base 1, a clamping jaw 2 and a clamping jaw driving assembly 3, the mounting base 1 is provided with an upper cover 11 and a cover opening 12, the active positioning module 5 is installed outside the upper cover 11 of the mounting base 1, the clamping jaw driving assembly 3 is installed in the mounting base 1, one end of the clamping jaw 2 passes through the cover opening 12 and is inserted into the mounting base 1, and the other end is outside the mounting base 1, the clamping jaw driving assembly 3 can drive the clamping jaw 2 to move outward and open to envelope the in-track target 9, after the clamping jaw 2 envelopes the in-track target 9, the clamping jaw driving assembly 3 can drive the clamping jaw 2 to close and retract to lock and pull the in-track target 9 to move to the side of the mounting base 1. Figure 2As shown, the jaw driving assembly 3 of the embodiment includes a driving motor 31, a central screw 32, a nut seat 33, a finger mounting platform 34, a finger connecting rod 35, a rotating pin 36, an elastic connecting piece 37, a straight guide rod 38 and a limiting pin 39; the central screw 32 is axially installed in the mounting base 1 through two pairs of angular contact ball bearings and can rotate, the straight guide rod 38 is provided with three, the three straight guide rods 38 are uniformly arranged around the central screw 32 and are fixedly connected to the top cover 11, and each straight guide rod 38 is arranged in parallel with the central screw 32. The finger mounting platform 34 is sleeved outside the central screw 32 and the straight guide rod 38 and can move along the axial direction of the mounting base 1, wherein the straight guide rod 38 plays a positioning role on the finger mounting platform 34, so that the jaw 2 is prevented from rotating when capturing the on-orbit target 9 due to the circumferential force, the nut seat 33 is screwed to the central screw 32 and is sleeved outside the straight guide rod 38, can be driven to move along the axial direction of the mounting base 1 when the central screw 32 rotates, is above the finger mounting platform 34 and connects the finger mounting platform 34 through the three elastic connecting pieces 37, so that the finger mounting platform 34 and the jaw 2 can be driven to move upward when the nut seat 33 moves axially, and the driving motor 31 can drive the central screw 32 to rotate; the jaw 2 is provided with three capturing fingers 21, the three capturing fingers 21 are uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction, one end of the capturing finger 21 arranged in the mounting base 1 is L-shaped and is mounted on the finger mounting platform 34 through the rotating pin 36, wherein the rotating pin 36 is connected to the inflection point of the end of the capturing finger 21 to serve as the fulcrum of a lever, and the end of the capturing finger 21 arranged in the mounting base 1 is connected to the nut seat 33 through the finger connecting rod 35, that is, one end of the finger connecting rod 35 is rotatably connected to the lower surface of the nut seat 33 and the other end is rotatably connected to the end of the capturing finger 21; one end of the capturing finger 21 arranged outside the mounting base 1 is hook-shaped, so that the capturing finger 21 can quickly form an envelope capturing space when it transitions from the open state to the closed state, thereby reliably capturing the on-orbit target 9. The limiting pin 39 is provided with three, the three limiting pins 39 are uniformly mounted on the side wall of the mounting base 1 in the circumferential direction and are above the finger mounting platform 34, each limiting pin 39 extends along the radial direction of the mounting base 1 and limits the movement of the finger mounting platform 34. The jaw 2 of the embodiment can form a larger envelope space, facilitating the quick capture of the on-orbit target 9. The embodiment converts the rotary motion of the driving motor 31 into the linear movement of the finger mounting platform 34 through the screw-nut pair, thereby realizing the outward movement and retraction of the capturing finger 21 and simultaneously realizing the opening and closing of the jaw 2 under the action of the elastic connecting piece 37, the finger connecting rod 35 and the limiting pin 39.Specifically, at the initial position, the bottom end surface of the nut seat 33 is in contact with the upper end surface of the finger mounting platform 34, and the elastic connecting piece 37 is in a stretched pre-tightened state. When the driving motor 31 drives the central screw 32 to rotate, the nut seat 33 drives the finger mounting platform 34 to move upward along the axis of the mounting base 1 via the elastic connecting piece 37. Under the pre-tightening force of the elastic connecting piece 37, the distance between the nut seat 33 and the finger mounting platform 34 remains unchanged, and the three capturing fingers 21 are only driven by the upward movement of the finger mounting platform 34. The three capturing fingers 21 move upward together with the finger mounting platform 34. When the finger mounting platform 34 abuts against the limiting pin 39, the finger mounting platform 34 and the capturing fingers 21 cannot move upward and remain stationary. The nut seat 33 continues to move upward under the drive of the central screw 32. At this time, the distance between the nut seat 33 and the finger mounting platform 34 gradually increases, stretching the elastic connecting piece 37, and the nut seat 33 generates a pulling force on the end of the capturing fingers 21 via the finger connecting rod 35. The capturing fingers 21 rotate around the rotating pin shaft 36, and the three capturing fingers 21 open outward to form an envelope space. When the driving motor 31 drives the central screw 32 to rotate in the opposite direction, the nut seat 33 moves downward along the axis of the mounting base 1. Since the elastic connecting piece 37 has been stretched, the finger mounting platform 34 remains stationary under the elastic force of the elastic connecting piece 37 and the action of the limiting pin 39. At this time, the distance between the nut seat 33 and the finger mounting platform 34 gradually decreases, and the nut seat 33 generates a pushing force on the end of the capturing fingers 21 via the finger connecting rod 35. The capturing fingers 21 rotate again around the rotating pin shaft 36, and the three capturing fingers 21 gradually close and envelop the on-orbit target 9, achieving the capturing of the on-orbit target 9. When the bottom end surface of the nut seat 33 again contacts the finger mounting platform 34, it indicates that the three capturing fingers 21 have completely enveloped the on-orbit target 9. The nut seat 33 continues to move downward along the axis of the mounting base 1 under the drive of the driving motor 31, and drives the finger mounting platform 34 to move downward together. The finger mounting platform 34 drives the on-orbit target 9 to move toward the mounting base 1 side via the three capturing fingers 21, achieving the locking of the on-orbit target 9. As can be seen, the driving of the capturing fingers 21 by the clamping jaw driving assembly 3 in this embodiment is achieved through the cooperation of the screw-nut pair, the finger mounting platform 34, the elastic connecting piece 37, the limiting pin 39, and the connection mode of the capturing fingers 21 and the finger mounting platform 34. The opening and closing of the capturing fingers 21 utilizes the lever principle. Before the on-orbit target 9 is captured, the capturing fingers 21 can be driven to move outward and open in advance. When the space mechanical arm moves to the on-orbit target 9 and envelops the on-orbit target 9, the central screw 32 only needs to drive the nut seat 33 to move downward by a small distance to achieve the closing of the capturing fingers 21, realizing the rapid capturing of the on-orbit target 9.When the central lead screw 32 drives the nut seat 33 to continue moving downward, it can achieve the initial locking of the on-orbit target 9, and at the same time provide driving force for the docking of the on-orbit target 9 with the capture and locking mechanism A, so as to realize the circumferential rotation of the on-orbit target 9 to adjust the angle.
[0035] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the specific structure of the elastic connector 37 is shown, as follows: Figure 3 As shown, the elastic connector 37 in this embodiment includes a tension spring 371, a locking nut 372, and a hollow stud 373. There are two locking nuts 372 and two hollow studs 373. Each end of the tension spring 371 corresponds to one locking nut 372 and one hollow stud 373. The nut seat 33 has three first threaded holes 331 along the circumferential direction. The finger mounting platform 34 has three second threaded holes 341 along the circumferential direction. The first threaded holes 331 and the second threaded holes 341 correspond one-to-one with the tension spring 371. The end of the tension spring 371 is mounted on the finger mounting platform 34 or the nut seat 33 through the cooperation of the locking nut 372 and the hollow stud 373. Specifically, the hollow stud 373 has a first upper threaded section and a first lower threaded section. The first upper threaded section of the hollow stud 373 is screwed into the threaded hole of the nut seat 33 or the finger mounting platform 34. The first lower threaded section of the hollow stud 373 is a spring helical groove. The end of the tension spring 371 is wound around the first lower threaded section of the hollow stud 373. The inner ring wall of the locking nut 372 has a second upper threaded section and a second lower threaded section. The second lower threaded section of the locking nut 372 is a helical groove. The locking nut 372 is fitted onto the hollow stud 373 and the threaded connection is achieved by the cooperation of the second upper threaded section and the first upper threaded section of the hollow stud 373. The second lower threaded section of the locking nut 372 locks the end of the tension spring 371 to the first lower threaded section of the hollow stud 373, thereby achieving a fixed connection between the tension spring 371 and the finger mounting platform 34 or the nut seat 33. It should also be noted that the elastic connector 37 is fitted onto the linear guide rod 38 to save installation space for the nut seat 33 and the finger mounting platform 34, thereby reducing their size.
[0036] The on-orbit payload is constantly moving in space. Even after being captured by the capture and locking mechanism A, it still retains a certain amount of inertia. Although the lead screw and nut pair has high transmission efficiency, it lacks self-locking capability. This means that after the on-orbit target 9 is captured and initially locked, the drive motor 31 needs to be continuously powered to maintain the lock on the on-orbit target 9, consuming energy. If the capture and locking mechanism A experiences a power failure or other emergency, it cannot be guaranteed that the capture and locking mechanism A will always remain locked, which can easily lead to the on-orbit target 9 accidentally detaching. This embodiment uses the power failure brake 4 to achieve the final locking of the on-orbit target 9. Specifically, as shown... Figure 2As shown, the capture locking mechanism A further comprises a power-off brake 4, the driving motor 31 adopts a frameless torque motor, the central screw 32 passes through the rotor of the driving motor 31 and is connected with the power-off brake 4, after the docking of the on-orbit target 9 is completed, the driving motor 31 increases the output torque to block the on-orbit target 9 for a short time, the power-off brake 4 is powered off and locks the position of the central screw 32 to keep it from rotating, the driving motor 31 is powered off, and the ultimate locking of the on-orbit target 9 is completed. The locking operation of the capture locking mechanism A with low power consumption can be realized through the setting of the power-off brake 4, and the on-orbit target 9 is prevented from being accidentally separated. In addition, since the overall space of the capture locking mechanism A is limited and the capture locking mechanism A needs high transmission efficiency, the driving motor 31 adopts a frameless torque motor. In addition, the frameless torque motor itself has a simple and compact structure, which is convenient to integrate into the capture locking mechanism A and meets the requirement of compact structure of the capture locking mechanism A.
[0037] Figure 1 The structure schematic diagram of the active positioning module 5 and the passive positioning module 6 is shown as Figure 1As shown, the active positioning module 5 of the embodiment includes three first positioning blocks 52, which are uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction, and a finger receiving groove 53 and a first positioning convex surface 51 are formed between any two adjacent first positioning blocks 52, a first positioning concave surface 54 is arranged on each first positioning block 52, and the first positioning convex surface 51 and the first positioning concave surface 54 form a continuous concave-convex surface to form a first positioning profile of the active positioning module 5, and the finger receiving groove 53 corresponds to the top cover opening 12 of the mounting base 1 one by one and is used for receiving the capture finger 21; the passive positioning module 6 includes three second positioning blocks 61, which are uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction, and a second positioning convex surface 62 is formed between any two adjacent second positioning blocks 61, a finger clamping groove 63 and a second positioning concave surface 64 are arranged on each second positioning block 61, and the second positioning convex surface 62 and the second positioning concave surface 64 form a continuous concave-convex surface to form a second positioning profile of the passive positioning module 6, the finger clamping groove 63 on the passive positioning module 6 corresponds to the finger receiving groove 53 on the active positioning module 5 one by one, and the inner diameter of the finger clamping groove 63 in the width direction is greater than the width of the capture finger 21, so that when the capture finger 21 is captured on the in-orbit target 9, it can be inserted into the finger clamping groove 63 on the passive positioning module 6, and the large-tolerance capture of the in-orbit target 9 is realized. When the capture finger 21 is stretched by the pulling force of the nut seat 33 and the finger connecting rod 35, the capture locking mechanism A moves towards the in-orbit target 9 until the in-orbit target 9 is in the envelope capture space of the three capture fingers 21, the nut seat 33 and the finger connecting rod 35 generate a pushing force on the end of the capture finger 21, and the three capture fingers 21 gradually close. Since the capture finger 21 needs to be inserted into the finger clamping groove 63, if the size of the finger clamping groove 63 is small, the capture locking mechanism A and the in-orbit target 9 need to be positioned before capture, which increases the positioning difficulty. Therefore, the inner diameter of the finger clamping groove 63 in the width direction is designed to be greater than the width of the capture finger 21 in the embodiment, the capture tolerance is increased, and the width of the finger clamping groove 63 can be maximized to reach the limit value, so that the capture locking mechanism A has a large tolerance range when capturing the in-orbit target 9, that is, the capture locking mechanism A can capture the in-orbit target 9 even if there is a large positional and attitude deviation between the interface of the passive positioning module 6 of the in-orbit target 9 and the interface of the active positioning module 5 of the capture locking mechanism A. In addition, the active positioning module 5 and the passive positioning module 6 can adopt the same structure to realize the capture of multiple targets.
[0038] As Figure 1 and Figure 4As shown, the embodiment also includes an electrical connector C for capturing the locking mechanism A and the electrical connection of the on-orbit target 9, the electrical connector C including a male electrical connector 7 and a female electrical connector 8 that cooperate with each other; the male electrical connector 7 is installed on the active positioning module 5, and the female electrical connector 8 is installed on the passive positioning module 6, and the male electrical connector 7 and the female electrical connector 8 are electrically connected after the active positioning module 5 and the passive positioning module 6 are positioned. The male electrical connector 7 and the female electrical connector 8 are both composed of a female socket and a male socket with spring contacts. The embodiment designs an electrical / information interface at the end face of the active positioning module 5 and the passive positioning module 6, integrates the load capturing and electrical / information connection operations into a module, and improves the reliability of space applications. At the same time, the female socket and the male socket with spring contacts used in the electrical connector C can save valuable circuit board space, reduce the assembly height, withstand multiple mating operations, and are resistant to mechanical impact and vibration. The electrical connector C can be customized according to different circuit boards, and the installation can realize precise positioning to ensure stable and reliable connection.
[0039] As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 4 , the embodiment also includes a miniature camera module D for observing the interface position and attitude of the on-orbit target 9. The miniature camera module D adopts an optical anti-shake camera module, and is installed at the center of the upper end face of the active positioning module 5. The miniature camera module D can observe the position and attitude of the interface of the on-orbit target 9 in real time, and determine whether to capture the load of the on-orbit target 9 by judging whether the position and attitude of the on-orbit target 9 meet the capturing tolerance range. The optical anti-shake camera module can reduce the vibration of the photographed picture to a certain extent when the space manipulator moves, which is beneficial to improve the imaging quality and reduce the misjudgment of the position and attitude of the target load modular interface.
[0040] The working process of the present application is further described below to further demonstrate the working principle and advantages of the present application:
[0041] Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 show the whole process of capturing the on-orbit target 9 by the capturing locking mechanism A, as Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7As shown, the driving motor 31 drives the central screw 32 to rotate, the nut seat 33 drives the finger mounting platform 34 to move upward along the direction of the shaft of the mounting base 1 via the elastic connecting piece 37, at this time, the distance between the nut seat 33 and the finger mounting platform 34 remains unchanged, and the three capturing fingers 21 are only driven by the driving force of the upward movement of the finger mounting platform 34, the three capturing fingers 21 move upward together with the finger mounting platform 34, when the finger mounting platform 34 abuts against the limiting pin 39, the finger mounting platform 34 and the capturing fingers 21 cannot move upward and remain stationary, the nut seat 33 continues to move upward under the drive of the central screw 32, at this time, the distance between the nut seat 33 and the finger mounting platform 34 gradually increases, and the elastic connecting piece 37 is stretched, at the same time, the nut seat 33 generates a pulling force on the end of the capturing fingers 21 via the finger connecting rod 35, the capturing fingers 21 rotate around the rotating pin shaft 36, and the three capturing fingers 21 open outward to form an envelope capturing space. Figure 5 The position and posture of the on-orbit target 9 are observed via the miniature camera module D, and the spatial mechanical arm drives the capturing and locking mechanism A to move towards the side of the on-orbit target 9 until the on-orbit target 9 is in the envelope capturing space of the gripper. When the driving motor 31 drives the central screw 32 to rotate reversely, the nut seat 33 moves downward along the direction of the shaft of the mounting base 1, since the elastic connecting piece 37 has been stretched, the finger mounting platform 34 remains stationary under the elastic force of the elastic connecting piece 37, at this time, the distance between the nut seat 33 and the finger mounting platform 34 gradually decreases, and the nut seat 33 generates a pushing force on the end of the capturing fingers 21 via the finger connecting rod 35, the capturing fingers 21 rotate around the rotating pin shaft 36 again and gradually close, and the capturing fingers 21 are inserted into the finger clamping groove 63 of the passive positioning module 6 to achieve the capturing of the on-orbit target 9. When the elastic connecting piece 37 resets, the nut seat 33 continues to move downward along the direction of the shaft of the mounting base 1 and drives the finger mounting platform 34 to move downward together, the finger mounting platform 34 drives the on-orbit target 9 to move towards the side of the mounting base 1 via the three capturing fingers 21 to achieve the preliminary locking of the on-orbit target 9. Figure 6 When the second positioning profile on the passive positioning module 6 contacts the first positioning profile on the active positioning module 5, the first positioning profile supports the second positioning profile obliquely upward, and the on-orbit target 9 is subjected to the downward pulling force of the capturing and locking mechanism A, which is decomposed into a driving force in the circumferential direction and a driving force in the axial direction, the passive positioning module 6 moves towards the capturing and locking mechanism A while rotating circumferentially to adjust the circumferential angle of the on-orbit target 9, thereby achieving the accurate positioning of the on-orbit target 9 and the capturing and locking mechanism A. Figure 7
[0042] It should be pointed out finally that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present application. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions of the present application can be modified or equivalently replaced without departing from the essence and scope of the technical solutions of the present application.
Claims
1. A large tolerance docking capture device for on-orbit payload capture comprising a capture latching mechanism for capturing an on-orbit target; characterized by, The positioning mechanism comprises an active positioning module and a passive positioning module, the active positioning module is provided with a first positioning profile, the passive positioning module is provided with a second positioning profile matched with the first positioning profile, the first positioning profile and the second positioning profile are both concave-convex surfaces, the active positioning module is installed on a butt joint end surface of the capture locking mechanism, the passive positioning module is installed on a butt joint end surface of the on-orbit target, and the second positioning profile on the passive positioning module is contacted with the first positioning profile on the active positioning module and is supported obliquely during movement of the on-orbit target towards the capture locking mechanism side under the capture and pulling of the capture locking mechanism, so that the on-orbit target is rotated circumferentially by the passive positioning module to realize positioning of the on-orbit target and the capture locking mechanism. The capture locking mechanism comprises a mounting base, a clamping jaw and a clamping jaw driving assembly, the mounting base is provided with an upper cover and a cover opening, the passive positioning module is installed outside the upper cover of the mounting base, the clamping jaw driving assembly is installed in the mounting base, one end of the clamping jaw is inserted into the mounting base through the cover opening, and the other end is outside the mounting base, the clamping jaw driving assembly can drive the clamping jaw to move outward and open to envelope the on-orbit target, and the clamping jaw driving assembly can drive the clamping jaw to close and retract to lock and pull the on-orbit target to move to the side of the mounting base. The clamping jaw driving assembly comprises a driving motor, a central screw, a nut seat, a finger mounting platform, a finger connecting rod, a rotating pin, an elastic connecting piece, a straight guide rod and a limiting pin, the central screw is installed axially in the mounting base and can rotate, the straight guide rod is installed in parallel on one side of the central screw, the finger mounting platform is sleeved outside the central screw and the straight guide rod and can move in the direction of the shaft of the mounting base, and the nut seat is screwed on the central screw and sleeved outside the straight guide rod; the nut seat is above the finger mounting platform and connects the finger mounting platform through at least two elastic connecting pieces, the driving motor can drive the central screw to rotate; the clamping jaw is provided with at least two capture fingers, one end of the capture finger in the mounting base is installed on the finger mounting platform through the rotating pin, and the end of the capture finger in the mounting base is connected with the nut seat through the finger connecting rod; the limiting pin is provided with at least two, each limiting pin is installed on the side wall of the mounting base and extends radially, and each limiting pin is above the finger mounting platform to limit the movement of the finger mounting platform.
2. A large tolerance docking capture device for on-orbit payload capture according to claim 1, wherein, The capture locking mechanism further comprises a power-off brake, the driving motor adopts a frameless torque motor, the central screw passes through the rotor of the driving motor and is connected with the power-off brake to lock the on-orbit target after the capture locking mechanism is butt jointed with the on-orbit target.
3. A large tolerance docking capture device for on-orbit payload capture according to claim 1, wherein, The elastic connecting piece comprises a tension spring, a locking nut and a hollow stud, the locking nut and the hollow stud are each provided with two, each end of the tension spring corresponds to one locking nut and one hollow stud, at least two first threaded holes are opened in the circumferential direction on the nut seat, at least two second threaded holes are opened in the circumferential direction on the finger mounting platform, the first threaded hole and the second threaded hole correspond to the tension spring one by one, and the end of the tension spring is installed on the finger mounting platform or the nut seat through the cooperation of the locking nut and the hollow stud.
4. The large tolerance docking capture device for on-orbit payload capture of claim 1, wherein, The capturing fingers arranged in the L shape at one end in the mounting base, the rotating pin shaft is connected to the inflection point of the end of the capturing fingers, and the end of the capturing fingers arranged outside the mounting base is in the hook shape to form an envelope capturing space with other capturing fingers.
5. A large tolerance docking capture device for on-orbit payload capture according to claim 1, wherein, The active positioning module includes three first positioning blocks, the three first positioning blocks are uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction, and a finger receiving groove and a first positioning convex surface are formed between adjacent two first positioning blocks, a first positioning concave surface is arranged on each first positioning block, the first positioning convex surface and the first positioning concave surface form a continuous concave-convex surface to form a first positioning profile of the active positioning module, and the finger receiving groove corresponds to the opening of the top cover of the mounting base one by one and is used for receiving the capturing fingers; the passive positioning module includes three second positioning blocks, the three second positioning blocks are uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction, a second positioning convex surface is formed between adjacent two second positioning blocks, a finger clamping groove and a second positioning concave surface are arranged on each second positioning block, the second positioning convex surface and the second positioning concave surface form a continuous concave-convex surface to form a second positioning profile of the passive positioning module, the finger clamping groove on the passive positioning module corresponds to the finger receiving groove on the active positioning module one by one, and the inner diameter of the finger clamping groove in the width direction is greater than the width of the capturing fingers, so that when the capturing fingers capture the on-orbit target, the capturing fingers can be inserted into the finger clamping groove on the passive positioning module to realize large-tolerance capturing of the on-orbit target.
6. A large tolerance docking capture device for on-orbit payload capture according to claim 1, wherein, The active positioning module includes three first positioning blocks, the three first positioning blocks are uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction, and a finger receiving groove and a first positioning convex surface are formed between adjacent two first positioning blocks, a first positioning concave surface is arranged on each first positioning block, the first positioning convex surface and the first positioning concave surface form a continuous concave-convex surface to form a first positioning profile of the active positioning module, and the finger receiving groove corresponds to the opening of the top cover of the mounting base one by one and is used for receiving the capturing fingers; the passive positioning module includes three second positioning blocks, the three second positioning blocks are uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction, a second positioning convex surface is formed between adjacent two second positioning blocks, a finger clamping groove and a second positioning concave surface are arranged on each second positioning block, the second positioning convex surface and the second positioning concave surface form a continuous concave-convex surface to form a second positioning profile of the passive positioning module, the finger clamping groove on the passive positioning module corresponds to the finger receiving groove on the active positioning module one by one, and the inner diameter of the finger clamping groove in the width direction is greater than the width of the capturing fingers, so that when the capturing fingers capture the on-orbit target, the capturing fingers can be inserted into the finger clamping groove on the passive positioning module to realize large-tolerance capturing of the on-orbit target.
7. A large tolerance docking capture device for on-orbit payload capture according to claim 6, wherein, The active positioning module includes three first positioning blocks, the three first positioning blocks are uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction, and a finger receiving groove and a first positioning convex surface are formed between adjacent two first positioning blocks, a first positioning concave surface is arranged on each first positioning block, the first positioning convex surface and the first positioning concave surface form a continuous concave-convex surface to form a first positioning profile of the active positioning module, and the finger receiving groove corresponds to the opening of the top cover of the mounting base one by one and is used for receiving the capturing fingers; the passive positioning module includes three second positioning blocks, the three second positioning blocks are uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction, a second positioning convex surface is formed between adjacent two second positioning blocks, a finger clamping groove and a second positioning concave surface are arranged on each second positioning block, the second positioning convex surface and the second positioning concave surface form a continuous concave-convex surface to form a second positioning profile of the passive positioning module, the finger clamping groove on the passive positioning module corresponds to the finger receiving groove on the active positioning module one by one, and the inner diameter of the finger clamping groove in the width direction is greater than the width of the capturing fingers, so that when the capturing fingers capture the on-orbit target, the capturing fingers can be inserted into the finger clamping groove on the passive positioning module to realize large-tolerance capturing of the on-orbit target.
8. The large tolerance docking capture device for on-orbit payload capture of claim 1, wherein,
Citation Information
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