Analysis Method of the Capture Tolerance Capability for an Orthogonally Distributed Satellite Capture Device

In this paper, an analysis method is proposed to determine capture tolerance capability of an orthogonal distributed satellite capture device that exhibits characteristics, including modularization, miniaturization, extensibility, and peripheral layout. The verifiable limit poses of the satellite are obtained when the pose error of the satellite reaches the boundary of the tolerance domain of the capture device. A dynamic model of a body combined with a satellite and robotic arm, and a contact dynamic model between the combined body and the capture device are established to lay the foundation for the capture determination of satellites in limit poses. A pose-iteration method is used to predict the pose trajectory of the satellite during the capture process, and the results of the satellite capture in the limit poses are obtained. The tolerance capability of the capture device is obtained on verifying the success or failure of the capturing satellite in limit poses. The tolerance capability of an example is analyzed by utilizing the proposed analysis method and is tested via simulation software. With respect to the four typical limit poses in the tolerance domain, the simulation results indicate that the capture device successfully captures the satellite. The results reveal the accuracy of the obtained tolerance and also validate the effectiveness of the proposed tolerance analysis method. The contact dynamics model is imported into the method of tolerance capability analysis to realize the accurate calculation of the time-varying dynamic tolerance capability of the capture device.