Choice of energy accumulator parameters for a new peripheral docking mechanism

Spacecraft docking is a controlled on-orbit mechanical assembly process realized using active and passive docking units. The docking mechanism of the active unit provides capture conditions, attenuation of active spacecraft approach energy, alignment and retraction of the docking units before their hard connection. A kinematical scheme of a new peripheral docking mechanism is considered in this paper. Instead of energy damping, it is based on energy accumulation using springs with controlled recoil blocking. The blocking is activated before docking and keeps the docking mechanism in its initial position. On the first contact signal, the blocking is switched off releasing the energy of compressed springs for quick forward moving of the docking ring and improving capture. The blocking is activated again after capture and approach energy is accumulated by the springs without returning to the mechanical system. Avoiding contacts of docking mechanism links between each other and with the docking unit body is important for peripheral mechanisms due to their design. A procedure for choosing parameters of an energy accumulator that allows attenuating a max permissible energy without link contacts and without exceeding the max permissible value of the axial interface load is considered here.