CN110254755B - Space debris removing device and method and space debris maintenance method - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a space debris removal device, a method and a space debris maintenance method. The device comprises: a carrying mechanism, a telescopic mechanism, a synchronous turntable and a flexible capture mechanism; a carrying mechanism is used for maneuvering to be synchronized with a target debris track; One end of the mechanism is inserted into and limited to the carrying mechanism, and can be set rotatably, and the other end is connected with the flexible catching mechanism; the synchronous turntable is rotatably set on one side of the carrying mechanism, and the synchronous turntable is sleeved on the telescopic mechanism for driving The telescopic mechanism rotates; the flexible catching mechanism is used for catching the target fragments and is in flexible contact with the target fragments. The space debris removal device, method and space debris maintenance method of the present invention can drive the synchronous rotation of the flexible capturing mechanism and the target debris, so as to facilitate capturing the rotating space debris. It can capture space debris of different shapes, and is not easy to collide, has a wide range of applications, and has high stability and safety.

Description

Space debris removal device, method and space debris maintenance method

technical field

The invention relates to the field of aerospace technology, in particular to a space debris removal device, a method and a space debris maintenance method.

Background technique

Space debris is the product left by human space activities, and its scope includes abandoned artificial satellites, debris from fuel tank explosions or impacts, the last stage of launch vehicles, and discards during space missions. Space debris poses a great potential threat to the safety of spacecraft and astronauts, and space debris removal has become an important issue to be solved urgently in the aerospace industry.

The United States, Japan and Western Europe and other aerospace powers are racing to develop new technologies for space debris removal. my country has listed "space debris removal technology" as a major scientific and technological project. Space debris is generally a non-cooperative object, and when it is captured in the microgravity environment of space, it is easy to cause large disturbances due to the transfer of momentum. In addition, if rigid snapping is implemented, secondary debris may be generated due to collisions. Therefore, it is of great theoretical and practical significance to provide a space debris removal device and method to meet the cleaning requirements of various debris (different shapes, materials and different rotation states), and has great application value.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to solve the technical problems existing in the above-mentioned prior art, the present invention provides a space debris removal device, a method, and a space debris maintenance method. The specific technical solutions are as follows:

In a first aspect, a space debris removal device is provided, the device includes: a carrying mechanism, a telescopic mechanism, a synchronous turntable and a flexible grabbing mechanism; the carrying mechanism is used for maneuvering to be synchronized with a target debris track; the telescopic mechanism One end of the mechanism is inserted into and limited to the carrying mechanism, and is rotatably arranged, and the other end is connected with the flexible catching mechanism; the synchronous turntable is rotatably arranged on one side of the carrying mechanism, and the synchronous turntable is The flexible catching mechanism is used for catching the target fragments and is in flexible contact with the target fragments.

In a possible design, the flexible grasping mechanism includes: a base plate and a flexible arm; the other end of the telescopic mechanism is connected to one side surface of the base plate, and a plurality of the flexible arms are connected to the other side of the base plate On one side; the flexible wrist is made of shape memory alloy material, the flexible wrist is set to protrude in an arc shape after heating, and the extension direction of the flexible wrist points to the axis direction of the substrate for wrapping the target fragments .

In a possible design, the flexible catching mechanism is a catching brush, and one side of the catching brush for contacting the target debris is provided with bristles.

In a possible design, the carrying mechanism includes: an attitude and orbit control module for adjusting the attitude and track of the carrying mechanism; and a motion control module for controlling the telescopic mechanism, the synchronous turntable and the flexible grabbing mechanism The satellite service and data tube module; the inter-satellite communication module for data transmission and reception; the power supply module for power supply.

In a possible design, the device further includes a video reconnaissance module, the video reconnaissance module is connected to the satellite service and data management module, and is used for acquiring the video information of the target fragment and sending it to the satellite service and data management module. A tube module, the star service and data tube module controls the movements of the telescopic mechanism, the synchronous turntable and the flexible capture mechanism according to the video information.

In one possible design, the device also includes a magnetic torquer for derotation.

In a second aspect, there is provided a method for removing space debris using any of the above space debris removal devices, the method comprising:

Preparation stage: the carrier mechanism maneuvers to synchronize with the target debris track, and the telescopic mechanism moves to move the flexible capture mechanism to the capture position;

Capture stage: if the target debris rotates, start the synchronous turntable, drive the flexible capture mechanism to rotate synchronously with the target debris through the telescopic mechanism, and then activate the flexible capture mechanism to capture;

Operational phase: the carrier mechanism maneuvers to a lower orbit or to a recovery platform;

Release stage: the flexible capture mechanism acts to release the target fragments.

In a possible design, during the operation stage, if the combination of the target debris and the debris removal device has a rotational angular velocity, the magnetic torquer is activated to perform derotation to stabilize the posture of the combination.

In a possible design, in the preparation stage, after the carrier mechanism is maneuvered to be synchronized with the target debris orbit, the attitude and orbit control module is used to perform extremely close attitude and orbit control to shorten the distance between the carrier mechanism and the target debris.

In a third aspect, there is provided a method for maintaining space debris using any of the above space debris removal devices, the method comprising:

Preparation stage: the carrier mechanism maneuvers to synchronize with the target debris track, and the telescopic mechanism moves to move the flexible capture mechanism to the capture position;

Capture stage: if the target debris rotates, start the synchronous turntable, drive the flexible capture mechanism to rotate synchronously with the target debris through the telescopic mechanism, and then activate the flexible capture mechanism to capture;

Operation stage: the carrier mechanism performs on-orbit maintenance, component replacement, system takeover, and experimental operations on the target fragments;

Release stage: the flexible capture mechanism acts to release the target fragments.

The main advantages of the technical solution of the present invention are as follows:

The space debris removal device, method and space debris maintenance method of the present invention can complete operations such as removal and maintenance of space debris. By arranging a synchronous turntable and a rotatable telescopic mechanism, the catching mechanism and the target debris can be driven to rotate synchronously, so that the rotating space debris can be captured easily. By setting up a flexible capture mechanism, space debris of different shapes (for example, with a complex outreach mechanism) can be captured, and it is not easy to collide, avoiding secondary debris caused by collision, and has a wide range of applications, stability and safety. Sex is higher.

Description of drawings

The accompanying drawings described herein are used to provide further understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, and constitute a part of the present invention. The schematic embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention, and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention. in the attached

In the picture:

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a space debris removal device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Description of reference numbers:

1-carrying mechanism, 2-telescopic mechanism, 3-synchronized turntable, 4-flexible catch mechanism, 41-substrate, 42-flexible arm.

Detailed ways

In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the specific embodiments of the present invention and the corresponding drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, but not all, embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative work fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a space debris removal device, as shown in FIG. Carrier 1 for maneuvering to synchronise with the target debris orbit. One end of the telescopic mechanism 2 is inserted into and limited to the carrying mechanism 1 , and is rotatably arranged, and the other end is connected with the flexible catching mechanism 4 . The synchronous turntable 3 is rotatably arranged on one side of the carrying mechanism 1 , and the synchronous turntable 3 is sleeved on the telescopic mechanism 2 to drive the telescopic mechanism 2 to rotate synchronously. The flexible catching mechanism 4 is used for catching the target fragments, and is in flexible contact with the target fragments.

The working principle of the space debris removal device provided by the embodiment of the present invention is described below:

In use, it consists of a preparation phase, a capture phase, an operation phase, and a release phase, which are performed in sequence. The specific process is as follows. Preparation stage: the carrier mechanism 1 is maneuvered to synchronize with the target debris track, the telescopic mechanism 2 is actuated, and the flexible grabbing mechanism 4 is moved to the grabbing position. Capture stage: if the target debris rotates, start the synchronous turntable 3, drive the flexible capture mechanism 4 to rotate synchronously with the target debris through the telescopic mechanism 2, and then activate the flexible capture mechanism 4 to capture. Operational phase: The carrier 1 maneuvers to a lower orbit or to a recovery platform. Release stage: The flexible capture mechanism 4 acts to release the target fragments. Through the above process, the removal of space debris can be completed. Alternatively, during the operation phase, the carrier mechanism 1 can also perform operations such as on-orbit maintenance, component replacement, system takeover, and experiments on the target debris to complete the maintenance of space debris.

It can be seen that the space debris removal device provided by the embodiment of the present invention can complete operations such as removal and maintenance of space debris. By arranging the synchronous turntable 3 and the rotatable telescopic mechanism 2, the flexible capture mechanism 4 can be driven to rotate synchronously with the target debris, so as to facilitate the capture of the rotating space debris. By setting the flexible capture mechanism 4, space debris with different shapes (for example, with complex outreach mechanisms) can be captured, and collision is not easy to occur, and secondary debris caused by collision can be avoided. High security.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the telescopic mechanism 2 drives the flexible catching mechanism 4 to move through its expansion and contraction. As an example, the telescopic mechanism 2 can be a multi-level telescopic structure formed by gradually nesting multiple pipe fittings, which is convenient to adjust to different lengths .

Wherein, as an example, the flexible capture mechanism 4 may include: a base plate 41 and a flexible arm 42 . The other end of the telescopic mechanism 2 is connected to one side of the base plate 41 , and the plurality of flexible arms 42 are connected to the other side of the base plate 41 . The flexible wrist foot 42 is made of shape memory alloy (Shape Memory Alloy, SMA for short), the flexible wrist foot 42 is set to extend along an arc after heating, and the extension direction of the flexible wrist foot 42 points to the axis direction of the substrate 41, for wrapping the target fragments .

In this way, when heated, the flexible arm feet 42 are bent and elongated, wrapping and adsorbing the target fragments, without rigid collision, and having good flexibility. When it needs to be released, the flexible arms 42 are cooled and reset to release the covering of the target fragments. The contact between the flexible arm 42 and the target fragment is a line contact, which can easily avoid complex overhanging or difficult-to-contact parts, and is well suited for capturing target fragments with complex materials and structures.

Further, the surface of the flexible arm foot 42 may be covered with silicone rubber to further improve the buffering capacity. The silicone rubber has good high temperature stability and ductility, and can be adapted to the expansion and contraction of the flexible arm 42 .

Wherein, the plurality of flexible arms 42 can be evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the base plate 41, so that the target fragments are evenly stressed. For example, the substrate 41 may be a square structure, and the four flexible arms 42 are respectively distributed at four vertices of the substrate 41 . Alternatively, the base plate 41 may be a square, a circle or other structures, the six flexible arms 42 form a circle in the circumferential direction, and the included angle between two adjacent flexible arms 42 is 60 degrees.

As another example, the flexible catching mechanism 4 may be a catching brush, and one side of the catching brush for contacting the target debris is provided with bristles. Through the local surface contact between the capture brush and the target debris, it is easier to avoid the complex overhanging structure on the surface of the target debris. And the hard contact is converted into a soft contact by setting the bristles.

Specifically, the number of capturing brushes may be two or more, when the number of capturing brushes is two, the two capturing brushes are spaced apart from each other; when the number of capturing brushes is multiple, the multiple capturing brushes are uniform along the circumferential direction distributed. This setting makes the distribution of the capture brushes more uniform and improves the capture effect. The capture brush may be a hollow annular structure. By setting the capture brush as a hollow annular structure, on the one hand, for the space debris structure that is generally spherical or approximately spherical, the capture brush of the annular structure can have a larger contact area with the space debris than the plate-like structure, thereby making the Fixed effect and racemic effect are better. On the other hand, the capture brush of the ring-shaped structure can be applied to space debris with complex shape and structure, such as space debris with protrusions or antennas on the surface. The protrusions or antennas can pass through the hollow of the ring structure. The contact of space debris causes great disturbance.

At least two kinds of bristles with different hardness are arranged on the inner wall of the capture brush, and the bristles with different hardness are alternately distributed. By setting the interval distribution of bristles with different hardness, the softer bristles have excellent buffering effect, and the harder bristles can exert greater resistance to improve the racemization efficiency, which can not only have better racemization efficiency, but also avoid the generation of space debris. big impact.

Optionally, in the space debris removal device provided in the embodiment of the present invention, the carrying mechanism 1 includes: an attitude and orbit control module for adjusting the attitude and orbit of the carrying mechanism 1, for controlling the telescopic mechanism 2, the synchronous turntable 3 and the flexible capture. Mechanism 4 acts as the star service and data management module, the inter-satellite communication module for data transmission and reception, and the power supply module for power supply.

Optionally, the space debris removal device provided in the embodiment of the present invention further includes a video reconnaissance module, and the video reconnaissance module is connected to the satellite service and data management module, and is used to obtain video information of the target debris and send it to the satellite service and data management module. The star service and data tube module controls the movement of the telescopic mechanism 2, the synchronous turntable 3 and the flexible capture mechanism 4 according to the video information. The video information of the target debris can be obtained through the video reconnaissance module, and parameters such as the distance to the target debris, the structure of the target debris, and the rotation of the target debris can be obtained, and then the operation of the telescopic mechanism 2, the synchronous turntable 3 and the flexible capture mechanism 4 can be guided.

Optionally, the space debris removal device provided by the embodiment of the present invention further includes a magnetic torquer for derotation. After the capture mechanism grasps the target debris, the rotational moment of the target debris may drive the space debris removal device to rotate with the target debris, activate the magnetic torquer, and use the earth's magnetic field to generate force to eliminate the rotation of the combination of the target debris and the space debris removal device. Among them, the carrying mechanism can be a small satellite platform, and the magnetic torquer is small in mass and volume, does not need to consume propellant, and is well suited for small satellite platforms. For example, for a spherical space debris with a mass of 150kg, a diameter of 1.0m, and a rotational speed of 140rpm, the magnetic torquer can work for 10 hours to achieve damping derotation.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for removing space debris by using any of the above space debris removal devices, the method comprising:

Preparatory stage: the carrier mechanism 1 maneuvers to synchronize with the target debris track, and the telescopic mechanism 2 moves to move the flexible capture mechanism 4 to the capture position.

Capture stage: if the target debris rotates, start the synchronous turntable 3, drive the flexible capture mechanism 4 to rotate synchronously with the target debris through the telescopic mechanism 2, and then activate the flexible capture mechanism 4 to capture.

Operational phase: The carrier 1 maneuvers to a lower orbit or to a recovery platform.

Release stage: The flexible capture mechanism 4 acts to release the target fragments.

In the space debris removal method provided by the embodiment of the present invention, by setting the synchronous turntable 3 and the rotatable telescopic mechanism 2, the flexible capture mechanism 4 can be driven to rotate synchronously with the target debris, so as to facilitate the capture of the rotating space debris. By setting the flexible capture mechanism 4, space debris with different shapes (for example, with complex outreach mechanisms) can be captured, and collision is not easy to occur, and secondary debris caused by collision can be avoided. High security.

Optionally, the method further includes: in the operation stage, if there is a rotational angular velocity in the combination of the target debris and the debris removal device, starting the magnetic torquer to perform derotation to stabilize the posture of the combination.

Optionally, the method further includes, in the preparation stage, after the carrier mechanism 1 is maneuvered to be synchronized with the target debris orbit, performing extremely close attitude and orbit control through the attitude and orbit control module to shorten the distance between the carrier mechanism 1 and the target debris, To further reduce the difficulty of capture.

In a third aspect, there is provided a method for maintaining space debris using any of the above space debris removal devices, the method comprising:

Preparatory stage: the carrier mechanism 1 maneuvers to synchronize with the target debris track, and the telescopic mechanism 2 moves to move the flexible capture mechanism 4 to the capture position.

Capture stage: if the target debris rotates, start the synchronous turntable 3, drive the flexible capture mechanism 4 to rotate synchronously with the target debris through the telescopic mechanism 2, and then activate the flexible capture mechanism 4 to capture.

Operation stage: The carrier mechanism 1 performs on-orbit maintenance, component replacement, system takeover, and experimental operations on the target fragments.

Release stage: The flexible capture mechanism 4 acts to release the target fragments.

The space debris maintenance method provided by the embodiment of the present invention performs various operations after capturing the target debris, which facilitates maintenance of the spacecraft in use or conducts experiments to obtain experimental data, and meets different usage requirements. By arranging the synchronous turntable 3 and the rotatable telescopic mechanism 2, the flexible capture mechanism 4 can be driven to rotate synchronously with the target debris, so as to facilitate the capture of the rotating space debris. By setting the flexible capture mechanism 4, space debris with different shapes (for example, with complex outreach mechanisms) can be captured, and collision is not easy to occur, and secondary debris caused by collision can be avoided. High security.

It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" etc. are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply these There is no such actual relationship or sequence between entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprising", "comprising" or any other variation thereof are intended to encompass a non-exclusive inclusion such that a process, method, article or device that includes a list of elements includes not only those elements, but also includes not explicitly listed or other elements inherent to such a process, method, article or apparatus. In addition, "front", "rear", "left", "right", "upper" and "lower" in this document are all referred to the placement state shown in the accompanying drawings.

Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, but not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that: it can still be The technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments are modified, or some technical features thereof are equivalently replaced; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims (8)

1. A space debris removal device, characterized in that the device comprises: a carrying mechanism, a telescopic mechanism, a synchronous turntable and a flexible capture mechanism; the delivery mechanism for maneuvering to synchronise with the target debris orbit; One end of the telescopic mechanism is inserted into and limited to the carrying mechanism, and is rotatably arranged, and the other end is connected with the flexible catching mechanism; The synchronous turntable is rotatably arranged on one side of the carrying mechanism, and the synchronous turntable is sleeved on the telescopic mechanism to drive the telescopic mechanism to rotate; The flexible catching mechanism is used for catching target fragments, and is in flexible contact with the target fragments; The flexible capture mechanism is a capture brush, the capture brush is a hollow annular structure, the number of the capture brush is two or more, when the number of the capture brush is two, two capture brushes. The intervals are opposite, and when the number of the capture brushes is greater than two, the plurality of capture brushes are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction; At least two types of bristles with different hardnesses are provided on the side of the capture brush for contacting the target debris, and the bristles with different hardnesses are alternately distributed. 2. The space debris removal device according to claim 1, wherein the carrying mechanism comprises: an attitude and track control module for adjusting the attitude and track of the carrying mechanism; A star service and number tube module for controlling the movements of the telescopic mechanism, the synchronous turntable and the flexible capture mechanism; Inter-satellite communication module for data transmission and reception; Power supply module for power supply. 3. space debris removal device according to claim 2, is characterized in that, described device also comprises video reconnaissance module, described video reconnaissance module is connected with described star service and digital tube module, is used for obtaining the video of target debris The information is sent to the star service and data management module, and the star service and data management module controls the movement of the telescopic mechanism, the synchronous turntable and the flexible capture mechanism according to the video information. 4. The space debris removal device of claim 1, further comprising a magnetic torquer for derotation. 5. A method for removing space debris using the space debris removal device according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the method comprises: Preparation stage: the carrier mechanism maneuvers to synchronize with the target debris track, and the telescopic mechanism moves to move the flexible capture mechanism to the capture position; Capture stage: if the target debris rotates, start the synchronous turntable, drive the flexible capture mechanism to rotate synchronously with the target debris through the telescopic mechanism, and then activate the flexible capture mechanism to capture; Operational phase: the carrier mechanism maneuvers to a lower orbit or to a recovery platform; Release stage: the flexible capture mechanism acts to release the target fragments. 6 . The space debris removal method according to claim 5 , wherein, in the operation stage, if the combination of the target debris and the debris removal device has a rotational angular velocity, the magnetic torquer is activated to perform derotation to stabilize the posture of the combination. 7 . . 7 . The space debris removal method according to claim 5 , wherein, in the preparation stage, after the carrier mechanism is maneuvered to be synchronized with the target debris orbit, the attitude and orbit control module is used to perform extremely close attitude and orbit control to shorten the carrying mechanism. 8 . The distance between the agency and the target fragment. 8. A method for maintaining space debris using the space debris removal device according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the method comprises: Preparation stage: the carrier mechanism maneuvers to synchronize with the target debris track, and the telescopic mechanism moves to move the flexible capture mechanism to the capture position; Capture stage: if the target debris rotates, start the synchronous turntable, drive the flexible capture mechanism to rotate synchronously with the target debris through the telescopic mechanism, and then activate the flexible capture mechanism to capture; Operation stage: the carrier mechanism performs on-orbit maintenance, component replacement, system takeover, and experimental operations on the target fragments; Release stage: the flexible capture mechanism acts to release the target fragments.

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