초록 ▼

A boom formed by spring biased telescoping tubes is gimbaled at one end to a docking or probe space vehicle and at the opposite end to an electromagnet probe with the gimbaled joints spring biased to axially align the assembly. A light weight conical drogue fixed to the captive space vehicle mounts

A boom formed by spring biased telescoping tubes is gimbaled at one end to a docking or probe space vehicle and at the opposite end to an electromagnet probe with the gimbaled joints spring biased to axially align the assembly. A light weight conical drogue fixed to the captive space vehicle mounts a passive iron target at the cone apex. The electromagnet guides itself into contact with the target during space coupling. The tubes telescope against springs which dampen impact along with columb dampening created by the telescoping tubes. A switch mounted to the electromagnet automatically energizes the retraction motor upon contact with the passive iron target. A retraction wire functions to initially pivot a plurality of radial rigidizing struts into contact with the circular edge of the light weight drogue cone to automatically align the spacecraft for pitch and yaw. An azimuth drive motor proximate to the inboard gimbal functions to rotate the end of the boom and thus the captive space vehicle about the axis of the boom for roll correction. Further retraction assists in hard-docking of the probe space vehicle to the captive space vehicle.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An improved magnetic soft docking probe for impact free docking of a docking space vehicle to a captive space vehicle, said captive space vehicle comprising: a magnetic target member fixedly carried by captive space vehicle, guide means surrounding said magnetic target member; said docking s

1. An improved magnetic soft docking probe for impact free docking of a docking space vehicle to a captive space vehicle, said captive space vehicle comprising: a magnetic target member fixedly carried by captive space vehicle, guide means surrounding said magnetic target member; said docking space vehicle comprising: a magnetic probe, said probe including; an electromagnet, an extendable and retractable boom, and spring biased gimbals carried at respective ends of said boom and connected to said electromagnet and said docking space vehicle, respectively, such that said spring biased gimbals function to uncage said probe yet act to guide the magnetic probe into contact with the magnetic target by magnetic attraction between said members, and to axially align said electromagnet, said boom and said docking space vehicle to provide proper pitch and yaw alignment between the docking space vehicle and the captive space vehicle, subsequent to said electromagnet contacting said magnetic target member. 2. The docking probe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said guide means comprises a light weight drogue cone and said magnetic target member is carried at the apex of said cone such that said electromagnet seeks the axis of said drogue cone, and wherein said docking space vehicle further comprises a plurality of rigidizing struts pivotably mounted at one end to the side of said boom for pivoting at circumferentially spaced positions thereabout between axially aligned and radial positions, means for spring biasing said struts to generally radial position, and wherein said struts are of a length such that edges thereof contact the circular edge of the light weight drogue cone and wherein said docking space vehicle includes drive means for at least causing said plurality of rigidizing struts to pivot uniformly angularly into contact with the circular edge of the light weight drogue cone against said bias to automatically align the boom in pitch and yaw. 3. The docking probe as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an azimuth drive motor carried by said docking space vehicle and operatively engaging said boom for rotating said boom about its axis and to thereby drive the captive space vehicle, by reaction, about the axis of said boom for roll control of the captive space vehicle relative to the docking space vehicle. 4. The docking probe as claimed in claim 2, further comprising an azimuth drive motor carried by said docking space vehicle and operatively engaging said boom for rotating said boom about its axis and to thereby drive the captive space vehicle, by reaction, about the axis of said boom for roll control of the captive space vehicle relative to the docking space vehicle. 5. The docking probe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said boom comprises telescoping tubes, and said probe further comprises a cylindrical piston assembly for mounting one end of said telescope tubes to said probe space vehicle via one of said spring biased gimbals including a base plate, said cylindrical piston assembly comprises a cylinder projecting outwardly of said base plate, a spring biased piston mounted within said cylinder for rotation about the axis of said cylinder and for axial movement with respect to said cylinder, stops carried by said cylinder and said cylindrical piston for limiting axial movement between said piston and said cylinder, and a compression coil spring interposed between said base plate and the end of said cylindrical piston to absorb impact lateral forces when said uncaged boom bearing said electromagnet, impacts against the magnetic target member carried by said captive space vehicle, and wherein said boom is permitted to rotate about its axis by rotation of said cylindrical piston relative to the cylinder fixed to said base plate. 6. The docking probe as claimed in claim 5, further comprising an azimuth drive motor coupled to said docking space vehicle and operatively engaging said telescoping tube assembly to thereby drive said telescoping tube assembly about its axis and said captive space vehicle, by reaction, about the axis of said telescoping tube assembly for roll control of the captive space vehicle relative to the docking space vehicle. 7. The docking probe as claimed in claim 2, wherein said drive means comprises a retraction cable operatively coupled at one end to said spring biased struts for pivoting said struts against said spring bias means, a retraction drive motor operatively coupled to said cable for initially causing said plurality of rigidizing struts to pivot uniformly angularly into contact with the circular edge of the light weight drogue cone and for subsequently retracting said extensible and retractable boom towards said docking space vehicle, and means for providing constant tension to said retraction cable to maintain automatic boom alignment in pitch and yaw and said captive space vehicle retracted to said docking space vehicle and spaced therebetween, determined by the extent of operation of said retraction drive motor. 8. The docking probe as claimed in claim 4, wherein said drive means comprises a retraction cable operatively coupled at one end to said spring biased struts for pivoting said struts against said spring bias means, a retraction drive motor operatively coupled to said cable for initially causing said plurality of rigidizing struts to pivot uniformly angularly into contact with the circular edge of the light weight drogue cone and for subsequently retracting said extensible and retractable boom towards said docking space vehicle, and means for providing constant tension to said retraction cable to maintain automatic boom alignment in pitch and yaw and said captive space vehicle retracted to said docking space vehicle and spaced therebetween, determined by the extent of operation of said retraction drive motor. 9. The docking probe as claimed in claim 6, wherein a drive means comprising a retraction cable is operatively coupled at one end to said spring biased struts for pivoting said struts against said spring bias means, a retraction drive motor is operatively coupled to said retraction cable for initially causing said plurality of rigidizing struts to pivot uniformly angularly into contact with the circular edge of the light weight drogue cone and for subsequently retracting said extensible and retractable boom towards said docking space vehicle, and said docking probe further comprises means for providing constant tension to said retraction cable to maintain automatic boom alignment in pitch and yaw and said captive space vehicle retracted to said docking space vehicle and spaced therebetween, determined by the extent of operation of said retraction drive motor. 10. The docking probe as claimed in claim 9, wherein one of said telescoping tubes is projectable outwardly from the other of said tubes, said projectable tube bearing said struts, and wherein said projectable tube bears internally and fixedly mounted thereto a spring cartridge, said spring cartridge comprising a cylindrical casing fixed to the interior of said projectable tube, a spring biased piston within said cylindrical casing, a plurality of cables operatively coupled at their one ends to respective, individual struts and at their opposite ends jointly to said piston and a coil spring interposed between said piston and said casing tending to bias said piston towards one end of said casing remote from the end of said casing proximate to said struts, and wherein said retraction cable is operatively coupled at one end to said casing such that initially operation of said retraction motor tends to force the edges of the struts into contact with the peripheral edge of the drogue cone and to thereby align said boom telescoping tubes in pitch and yaw with respect to said captive space vehicle, while subsequently continued retraction of said retraction cable causes said one telescoping tube to retract within the other and to shorten the distance between said space vehicles. 11. An improved magnetic soft docking system for impact free docking of a docking space vehicle to a captive space vehicle, said system comprising: a magnetic target member fixedly carried by said captive space vehicle, guide means surrounding said magnetic target member to guide a magnetic probe into contact with said magnetic target member by magnetic attraction between said members, said docking space vehicle comprising a magnetic probe, said probe including an electromagnet, an extendable and retractable boom, and spring biased gimbals carried at respective ends of said boom and connected to said electromagnet and said docking space vehicle, respectively, whereby said spring biased gimbals function to uncage said probe, yet act to guide said magnetic probe into contact with said magnetic target member by magnetic attraction between said members and to axially align said electromagnet, said boom and said docking space vehicle to provide proper pitch and yaw alignment between said docking space vehicle and said captive space vehicle, subsequent to said electromagnet contacting said magnetic target member. 12. The docking system as claimed in claim 11, wherein said guide means comprises a light weight drogue cone and said magnetic target member is carried at the apex of said cone such that electromagnet seeks the axis of said drogue cone, and wherein said docking space vehicle further comprises a plurality of rigidizing struts pivotably mounted at one end to the side of said boom for pivoting at circumferentially spaced positions thereabout between axially aligned and radial positions, means for spring biasing said strut to general radial position, and wherein said struts are of a length such that edges thereof contact the circular edge of the light weight drogue cone, and wherein said docking space vehicle includes drive means for at least initially causing said plurality of rigidizing struts to pivot uniformly angularly into contact with the circular edge of said light weight drogue cone against said bias to automatically align the boom in pitch and yaw. 13. The docking system as claimed in claim 12, further comprising an azimuth drive motor carried by said docking space vehicle operatively engaging said boom for rotating said boom about its axis and to thereby drive said captive space vehicle by reaction, about the axis of said boom for roll control of said captive space vehicle relative to said docking space vehicle.