Sensor-based proximity operation of an astronaut reference flying robot

摘要

Proximity operation of an astronaut reference flying robot (ARFR) performing in-orbit servicing in the manner of an astronaut mounted on a propulsion unit is studied by developing a ground experiment model. The ARFR is a sensor-based autonomous robot with triple arms and flying mobility. This paper deals with sensor-based flying maneuvers and manipulation for floating target retrieval. A control system architecture is constructed according to the principle of 'high-level coordination, low-level local action'. A strategy in proximity operation constituting body motion adjustment, arm slew and hand motion adjustment to capture the target is proposed. A simplified arm slew maneuver using a command modifier with inertial sensor feedback is applied to compensate for the disturbance of the robot body. Active limp control is also introduced for capturing with low impact. The effectiveness of the proposed method is shown in a simulation experiment of a satellite retrieval mission on an air-bearing testbed using the ARFR.