LAUSR

Abstract Using a space-borne tandem arrest mechanism to do spacecraft docking is expected to play an increasingly important role in on-orbit operations. Disturbance and instability of both the capturing mechanism and the free-floating base can be easily caused by impact force incurred by docking. Aiming at the stabilization control problems of an unstable system after capturing, a generalized model for a series-wound flexible capturing mechanism with multi-stage controllable damping was proposed. Furthermore, integrated dynamic equations for the entire system were established using Kane approach. The globally dispersive multi-stage damping forces were modeled as a particle swarm, and an objective fitness function was constructed. Based on the particle swarm optimization (PSO), an optimal stability control scheme was realized. The numerical simulation results of a spatial 12-DOF arrest mechanism showed that the proposed control method can significantly improve dynamic responses and guarantee the entire system to be asymptotically stable. Finally, the capturing test was conducted on the prototype of a planar capturing mechanism with two joints and four-stage damping. The effectiveness of the multi-stage damping stabilization control scheme was verified.