An engineering approach to the dynamic control of space robotic on-orbit servicers

Ellery, Alex

doi:10.1243/0954410041321998

Cited by 40 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 91 publications

(127 reference statements)

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“…We have generalised the approach used for a shuttle-mounted manipulator employing attitude control [120,121] to any kinematic configuration [122,123]. This is the freeflyer approach.…”

Section: Freeflyer Manipulator Kinematicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tutorial Review on Space Manipulators for Space Debris Mitigation

Ellery

2019

Robotics

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Space-based manipulators have traditionally been tasked with robotic on-orbit servicing or assembly functions, but active debris removal has become a more urgent application. We present a much-needed tutorial review of many of the robotics aspects of active debris removal informed by activities in on-orbit servicing. We begin with a cursory review of on-orbit servicing manipulators followed by a short review on the space debris problem. Following brief consideration of the time delay problems in teleoperation, the meat of the paper explores the field of space robotics regarding the kinematics, dynamics and control of manipulators mounted onto spacecraft. The core of the issue concerns the spacecraft mounting which reacts in response to the motion of the manipulator. We favour the implementation of spacecraft attitude stabilisation to ease some of the computational issues that will become critical as increasing level of autonomy are implemented. We review issues concerned with physical manipulation and the problem of multiple arm operations. We conclude that space robotics is well-developed and sufficiently mature to tackling tasks such as active debris removal.

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“…We have generalised the approach used for a shuttle-mounted manipulator employing attitude control [120,121] to any kinematic configuration [122,123]. This is the freeflyer approach.…”

Section: Freeflyer Manipulator Kinematicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…From this, we can compute the reaction moment on the spacecraft generated by the manipulator which can be fed forward into the spacecraft attitude control system [120,123]:…”

Section: Freeflyer Manipulator Dynamicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tutorial Review on Space Manipulators for Space Debris Mitigation

Ellery

2019

Robotics

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“…This leads to a series of constraints that a control architecture of a free-floating 32 robotic spacecraft must take into consideration during the operation of its manipulator. The most prominent are (Ellery, 2004):…”

Section: Robotics Modulementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The former instead resides within the robotics module, outside the GNC architecture (see Fig. 9), in order to enhance the computational efficiency of the onboard computer (Ellery, 2004). It uses the calculated off-line solution as an initial guess for the trajectory generation and control of the robotic arm in real time.…”

Section: Robotics Modulementioning

confidence: 99%

GNC architecture for autonomous robotic capture of a non-cooperative target: Preliminary concept design

Janković

Paul

Kirchner

2016

Advances in Space Research

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Recent studies of the space debris population in low Earth orbit (LEO) have concluded that certain regions have already reached a critical density of objects. This will eventually lead to a cascading process called the Kessler syndrome. The time may have come to seriously consider active debris removal (ADR) missions as the only viable way of preserving the space environment for future generations. Among all objects in the current environment, the SL-8 (Kosmos 3M second stages) rocket bodies (R/Bs) are some of the most suitable targets for future robotic ADR missions. However, to date, an autonomous relative navigation to and capture of an non-cooperative target has never been performed. Therefore, there is a need for more advanced, autonomous and modular systems that can cope with uncontrolled, tumbling objects. The guidance, navigation and control (GNC) system is one of the most critical ones. The main objective of this paper is to present a preliminary concept of a modular GNC architecture that should enable a safe and fuel-efficient capture of a known but uncooperative target, such as Kosmos 3M R/B. In particular, the concept was developed having in mind the most critical part of an ADR mission, i.e. close range proximity operations, and state of the art algorithms in the field of autonomous rendezvous and docking. In the end, a brief description of the hardware in the loop (HIL) testing facility is made, foreseen for the practical evaluation of the developed architecture.

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“…12,13 The robotics and sensing is the key technology of capturing satellite. In the robotic missions phase, 14 depending on robotics, 15 capturing and locking the apogee engine nozzle by a capturing device is an effective method to capture a non-cooperative satellite without special interface installed. 16,17 This paper will discuss the pose measurement of apogee nozzle when the berthing servicing satellite is capturing non-cooperative satellite by a capturing device installed in a space robot.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pose measurement of nozzle based on laser range finders for capturing satellite

Sun

Liu

et al. 2015

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part G:

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Sensors system is considered as one of the most indispensable devices to the mission of capturing a satellite for on-orbit servicing in the space. In this paper, in order to measure the pose of nozzle, six laser range finders are installed in the capturing nozzle device for entering into and capturing nozzle, and a Geometric Axis Approximation (GAA) method is proposed to estimate the pose of satellite nozzle. Six laser range finders are arranged in the configuration of emission radiated at two planes of top and bottom. The pose measurement system is composed of the six laser range finders, applicable for real-time measurement of the ranges from inner surface of nozzle. Based on the properties of nozzle shape and finders arrangement, the GAA method is used to estimate the pose of nozzle by a connecting line between two centers of circles in the top and bottom planes. In the pose estimation of GAA method, solving the nonlinear transcendental equations can be avoided and a simple explicit model is built. Therefore, the GAA method is suitable for real time measurement. In this paper, the theoretical error of GAA method is analyzed, and in the capturing nozzle experiment system, the experiments of pose measurement are carried out. The results of experiments prove the efficiency of GAA method in pose estimation to nozzle based on laser range finders.

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An engineering approach to the dynamic control of space robotic on-orbit servicers

Cited by 40 publications

References 91 publications

Tutorial Review on Space Manipulators for Space Debris Mitigation

Tutorial Review on Space Manipulators for Space Debris Mitigation

GNC architecture for autonomous robotic capture of a non-cooperative target: Preliminary concept design

Pose measurement of nozzle based on laser range finders for capturing satellite

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