Patent Document

FIELD 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to mechanisms for capturing spacecraft, and more particularly the present invention relates to a capture device for capturing and rigidising a bracket mounted on a spacecraft. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Grappling free flying target objects in space involves systems which possess the following capabilities: acquiring the location of the target object&#39;s position relative to the capture mechanism, establishing and tracking the relative motion of the target and capture mechanism, effecting a timely reduction in the relative separation between the two objects and then acting to capture the target object fast enough that it is grasped by the capture mechanism before the target moves out of the way on its own or is knocked away by the capture mechanism (an event known as “tip off”). The methods by which the relative positions and motions of the capture mechanism and the target object are established and tracked and the methods by which the capture mechanism is moved into position to capture are not part of this description. In general these may be accomplished through the orbital and attitude control of the captured spacecraft and in some cases augmented with manipulator arms which provide further dexterity and speed in the final stage of approach and positioning of the capture device with respect to the spacecraft which is to be captured. All these techniques are well known to those skilled in the art. 
         [0003]    Capture mechanisms do, however, play a part in how large the relative movement can be between the target object and the capture mechanism. The faster the capture mechanism can perform an initial capture, the greater the relative motion can be between the two objects. This is because if the mechanism acts quickly enough, the target will have less time to move out of the way. For a given mechanism, the faster it works, the faster the relative motions can be between target object and capture mechanism. Providing a capture mechanism that permits a greater relative motion between the capture mechanism and the target object has significant benefits in potentially simplifying the design of the capture spacecraft if not the client spacecraft. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    The capture mechanism disclosed herein is designed with a view to capturing several of the standard spacecraft Marman clamp flange interfaces (see attached interface documents for specific variations), frequently called Launch Adapter Rings. The vast majority of satellites launched for Western customers, both commercial and military, use this interface due to its heritage and reliability. That said, the capture mechanism disclosed herein can be used to quickly capture other client spacecraft protrusions, the key criteria being the ability of the mechanism jaws to close on the protrusion from both sides and that, when closed, at least one side of the target protrusion has an extended profile that at least one part of the two sets of jaws can get behind with which to contain the target. Examples of potentially suitable target profiles would include, but not be limited to, personnel handles and grab rails, I-beams and C-channels, T-fittings, pipes, structural members, etc. As used herein the word “profile” refers to the cross sectional shape of the capture feature. 
         [0005]    An embodiment of a system for system for capturing a capture feature on a free flying spacecraft comprises: 
         [0006]    a capture mechanism including
       i) a quick grasp mechanism mounted for movement in a housing, said quick grasp mechanism including at least two spaced pairs of grasping jaws and a closing/opening mechanism connected to said at least two pairs of grasping jaws for closing/opening each pair of grasping jaws, said quick grasp mechanism being configured for forcing said at least two pairs of spaced grasping jaws together around said capture feature to grasp the capture feature when the capture feature is in close proximity to, and triggers, said quick gasp mechanism to soft capture the capture feature;   ii) said at least two pairs of grasping jaws including structural features configured to accommodate local variations in size and shape of the capture feature at at least two locations on the capture feature being grasped by said at least two pairs grasping jaws; and   ii) a rigidizing mechanism including a rigidizing contact feature, said rigidizing mechanism being configured to force said at least two spaced grasping jaws further together to a closed position and at the same time driving said rigidizing contact feature into contact with said capture feature within said at least two grasping jaws to secure said capture feature within said closed grasping jaws between said rigidizing contact and said closed grasping jaws, to rigidize the capture feature and the spacecraft.       
 
         [0010]    In another embodiment there is provided a capture mechanism for capturing a capture feature on a free flying spacecraft, comprising: 
         [0011]    i) a quick grasp mechanism mounted for movement in a housing, said quick grasp mechanism including a pair of opposed grasping jaws and a closing/closing mechanism connected to said opposed grasping jaws for closing/opening said pair of grasping jaws, said quick grasp mechanism being configured for forcing said pair of grasping jaws together around said capture feature to grasp the capture feature; 
         [0012]    ii) at least one grasping jaw of said pair of grasping jaws including one or more distal end portions which are flexibly mounted to a remainder of the at least one grasping jaw, and are shaped and sized to accept a range of capture feature shape profiles; 
         [0013]    iii) a rigidizing mechanism including a rigidizing contact feature, said rigidizing mechanism being configured to force said pair of grasping jaws further together to a closed position and at the same time driving said rigidizing contact feature into contact with said capture feature within said at least two grasping jaws to secure said capture feature within said closed grasping jaws between said rigidizing contact and said closed grasping jaws, to rigidize the capture feature and the spacecraft. 
         [0014]    The system may include 
         [0015]    a) a positioning device attached to the capture mechanism capable of positioning the capture mechanism into close proximity to the feature to trigger the quick grasp mechanism; and 
         [0016]    b) a sensing system for ascertaining a relative position and motion of the capture mechanism and the feature to be captured 
         [0017]    c) a sensing system for ascertaining the relative or absolute positions of various elements within the capture mechanism. 
         [0018]    In addition, the system may include a computer control system connected to said sensing system and programmed to position the capture mechanism in close proximity to said feature to be captured to trigger said quick grasp mechanism. 
         [0019]    There is also disclosed herein a servicer satellite for capturing a capture feature on a free flying client satellite, comprising: 
         [0020]    a) propulsion and guidance systems; 
         [0021]    b) a capture mechanism, the capture mechanism comprising
       ii) said at least two pairs of grasping jaws including structural features configured to accommodate local variations in size and shape of the capture feature at at least two locations on the capture feature being grasped by said at least two pairs grasping jaws; and   ii) a rigidizing mechanism including a rigidizing contact feature, said rigidizing mechanism being configured to force said at least two spaced grasping jaws further together to a closed position and at the same time driving said rigidizing contact feature into contact with said capture feature within said at least two grasping jaws to secure said capture feature within said closed grasping jaws between said rigidizing contact and said closed grasping jaws, to rigidize the capture feature and the spacecraft       
 
         [0024]    c) a positioning mechanism releasably attached to the capture mechanism capable of positioning the capture mechanism to a desired proximity to the capture feature to trigger the quick grasp mechanism; 
         [0025]    d) a sensing system for ascertaining a relative position of the capture mechanism and the capture feature; and 
         [0026]    e) a communication system configured to provide communication between a command and control system and a remote operator for remote teleoperator control, supervised autonomous control, or fully autonomous control of all servicer satellite operations and operation of said capture mechanism between the servicer spacecraft and the client satellite. 
         [0027]    In an embodiment there is provided a method for capturing a capture feature on a free flying spacecraft, comprising: 
         [0028]    a) maneuvering a servicer satellite in proximity to a free flying spacecraft; 
         [0029]    b) positioning a capture mechanism mounted on the servicer satellite into proximity to a capture feature located on the free flying spacecraft, the capture mechanism including
       i) a quick grasp mechanism mounted for movement in a housing, said quick grasp mechanism including at least two spaced pairs of grasping jaws and a closing/closing mechanism connected to said at least two pairs of grasping jaws for closing/opening each pair of grasping jaws, said quick grasp mechanism being configured for forcing said at least two spaced grasping jaws together around said capture feature to grasp the capture feature;   ii) said at least two pairs of grasping jaws including structural features configured to accommodate local variations in size and shape of the capture feature at at least two locations on the capture feature being grasped by said at least two pairs grasping jaws; and   ii) a rigidizing mechanism including a rigidizing contact feature, said rigidizing mechanism being configured to force said at least two spaced grasping jaws further together to a closed position and at the same time driving said rigidizing contact feature into contact with said capture feature within said at least two grasping jaws to secure said capture feature within said closed grasping jaws between said rigidizing contact and said closed grasping jaws, to rigidize the capture feature and the spacecraft;       
 
         [0033]    c) once the capture mechanism is in proximity to said capture feature, advancing the capture mechanism until quick grasp mechanism is in position and triggering the quick grasp mechanism to close said at least two pairs of grasping jaws to soft capture the capture feature, activating the rigidizing mechanism to rigidize the capture feature and the free flying spacecraft; and 
         [0034]    d) after servicing the free flying spacecraft, disengaging the capture mechanism from the capture feature and maneuvering a servicer satellite away from the free flying spacecraft. 
         [0035]    A further understanding of the functional and advantageous aspects of the disclosure can be realized by reference to the following detailed description and drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0036]    Embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings, in which: 
           [0037]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of the capture mechanism of the present invention in the open position as if approaching a bracket located on a spacecraft; 
           [0038]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the capture mechanism of  FIG. 1A  in the open position; 
           [0039]      FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of the capture mechanism of  FIG. 1  but from a different perspective than shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0040]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view similar to  FIG. 1  but with the bracket being grasped by the capture mechanism which is in the closed position; 
           [0041]      FIG. 5  is a partial cross sectional of the capture mechanism in the open position taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 8 ; 
           [0042]      FIG. 6  is a partial cross sectional of the capture mechanism in the closed position taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 8  except the jaws are in the closed position; 
           [0043]      FIG. 7  is a top view of the capture mechanism taken along arrow  4  of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0044]      FIG. 8  is a view of the front of the capture mechanism with the clamping jaws in the open position; 
           [0045]      FIG. 9  is a view of the back of the capture mechanism with the clamping jaws in the open position; 
           [0046]      FIG. 10  is a section view of the capture mechanism taken along the line  10 - 10  in  FIG. 9 ; 
           [0047]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the cross sectional view in  FIG. 10 ; 
           [0048]      FIG. 12  is a close up of  FIG. 11  showing the gear box drive for the lead screw. 
           [0049]      FIG. 13  is a close up of the trigger mechanism in the armed condition with several structural elements of the capture mechanism not shown for clarity; 
           [0050]      FIG. 14  is a repeat of  FIG. 13  except showing a partial cross section of the trigger reset pawl and how it interacts with the trigger reset cam rod 
           [0051]      FIG. 15  is a repeat of  FIG. 13  except showing a partial cross section of the trigger reset arrangement showing how the trigger reset cam transfers motion to the trigger reset rod. 
           [0052]      FIG. 16  is a repeat of  FIG. 13  except showing a partial cross section of the trigger mechanism showing how the trigger bar rests upon the trigger cam and how the trigger roller holds the trigger cam in place; 
           [0053]      FIG. 17  is a close up of the electromagnetic solenoid trigger actuator and how it interacts with the trigger mechanism; 
           [0054]      FIG. 18  is a sectional view through the lines  18 - 18  in  FIG. 9  showing the guide shaft, carriage, trigger and how the ball screw interacts with the carriage to force the jaw rods forwards; 
           [0055]      FIGS. 19A to 19E  are partial sectional views similar to  FIG. 5  illustrating the bracket capture sequence,  FIG. 19A  shows the mechanism at the moment the trigger mechanism is activated,  FIG. 19B  shows the jaws closed to the soft capture position just as the rigidisation starts,  FIG. 19C  shows the bracket fully captured and seated within the jaws but without any preload applied,  FIG. 19D  shows the mechanism fully preloaded within the mechanism,  FIG. 19E  shows the optional locking latch engaged to restrain the bracket within the jaws. 
           [0056]      FIG. 20  is a partial sectional view along the line  11 - 11  of  FIG. 9  showing the installation of the shock absorbers within the carriage. 
           [0057]      FIG. 21  is a partial exploded view of the main housing showing installation of the shaft  111  and ball screw  120 . 
           [0058]      FIG. 22  showing details of the shuttle  114  and the trigger bar  130 . 
           [0059]      FIG. 23  showing details of the trigger mechanism. 
           [0060]      FIG. 24  is a partial exploded view showing elements of the vision system  602 . 
           [0061]      FIG. 25  showing details of the trigger-actuating solenoid  161 . 
           [0062]      FIG. 26  is a partial exploded view showing installation of the shuttle plungers  170 . 
           [0063]      FIG. 27  showing details of the actuator  180  and associated gearing. 
           [0064]      FIG. 28  showing details of the draw bars  116 . 
           [0065]      FIG. 29  showing details of the clamp jaw assembly  200 . 
           [0066]      FIG. 30  showing details of the variable clamp jaw assembly  210 . 
           [0067]      FIG. 31  showing details of how the clamp jaw assembly  200  is free to move within the main housing  110 . 
           [0068]      FIG. 32  showing details of the mechanism that restrains rotary motion of the clamp jaw assembly  200 . 
           [0069]      FIG. 33  showing details of the cam follower assembly  240 . 
           [0070]      FIG. 34  showing details of the locking jaw assembly  230 . 
           [0071]      FIG. 35  is a block diagram showing a servicing satellite equipped with the present capture mechanism for capturing a satellite. 
           [0072]      FIG. 36  is a block diagram showing constituent parts of an exemplary computer control system which may be used for controlling the process of capturing the client satellite. 
           [0073]      FIG. 37  is an overall view of an alternate embodiment of the tool that has been fitted with a mechanical trigger for the mechanism in addition to the solenoid trigger method shown in  FIGS. 13 and 17 . 
           [0074]      FIG. 38  is a sectional view taken in the same plane as the section for  FIG. 18  as shown in  FIG. 9 . It shows how the pusher plate  650  is connected by rod  653  to the trigger pin  670  which then contacts the Trigger  140 . 
           [0075]      FIG. 39  is a detail showing how the trigger pin  670  acts to contact the trigger  140  and release the sear  141  to activate the mechanism. 
           [0076]      FIG. 40  is an overall view of an alternate embodiment of the tool showing the general arrangement of the shock absorber system from the front of the tool. 
           [0077]      FIG. 41  is an overall view of an alternate embodiment of the tool showing the general arrangement of the shock absorber system from the back of the tool. 
           [0078]      FIG. 42  is a section showing the arrangement of the shock absorber system taken along the line  42 - 42  of  FIG. 9 . 
           [0079]      FIG. 43  is a general arrangement an alternate embodiment of the tool equipped with a jaw adjustment system  800  that both coordinates the motion of the two clamp jaw assemblies  200  and allows the clamp jaw assemblies  200  to be adjusted to capture launch adapter rings  502  or other features of varying diameters. 
           [0080]      FIG. 44  is a detail view showing how a linear actuator  801  is integrated within the jaw adjustment system  800   
           [0081]      FIG. 45  is a detail that shows how the jaw compliance mechanism  810  is integrated within the jay adjustment system  800   
           [0082]      FIG. 46  is a section through the jaw compliance mechanism  810 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0083]    Various embodiments and aspects of the disclosure will be described with reference to details discussed below. The following description and drawings are illustrative of the disclosure and are not to be construed as limiting the disclosure. The drawings are not necessarily to scale. Numerous specific details are described to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of the present disclosure. However, in certain instances, well-known or conventional details are not described in order to provide a concise discussion of embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         [0084]    As used herein, the terms, “comprises” and “comprising” are to be construed as being inclusive and open ended, and not exclusive. Specifically, when used in this specification including claims, the terms, “comprises” and “comprising” and variations thereof mean the specified features, steps or components are included. These terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components. 
         [0085]    As used herein, the term “exemplary” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration,” and should not be construed as preferred or advantageous over other configurations disclosed herein. 
         [0086]    As used herein, the terms “about” and “approximately”, when used in conjunction with ranges of dimensions of particles, compositions of mixtures or other physical properties or characteristics, are meant to cover slight variations that may exist in the upper and lower limits of the ranges of dimensions so as to not exclude embodiments where on average most of the dimensions are satisfied but where statistically dimensions may exist outside this region. It is not the intention to exclude embodiments such as these from the present disclosure. 
         [0087]    As used herein, the phrase “rigidized” refers to a joint, union or contact between two items where a predetermined amount of stiffness has been achieved between the two items. The term “rigidizing” refers to the process of achieving this condition. 
         [0088]    The capture device disclosed herein has been conceived to address two types of spacecraft/space object capture. In general, it is for capturing “non-prepared” objects. This refers to a class of client spacecraft which were not designed with purpose-made features that would be used for later capture by a servicing spacecraft once the client spacecraft was in orbit. The capture device has been designed to capture through a grasping action of natural features like launch adapter rings which are present on most spacecraft for the purposes of attachment to the launch vehicle prior to release on-orbit. Other natural features such as rails would also be applicable. 
         [0089]    A secondary feature of these non-prepared spacecraft for which this proposed capture device is intended is non-cooperative spacecraft. These are client spacecraft which are no longer under standard attitude control with the spacecraft no longer held in a stable attitude, but are instead are tumbling, i.e. rotating in one or more axis with respect to their desired pointing direction. In non-tumbling capture, the rendezvousing servicer spacecraft generally is moving relative to the client on a single axis of motion. In capturing a tumbling spacecraft, the servicer spacecraft and/or its manipulator arm must close the separation between it and the client in a number of axes. This puts a premium on the capture device being able to quickly grasp the tumbling spacecraft in what is a much narrower capture zone time, generally limited by the responsiveness of the spacecraft attitude and orbital control system and the responsiveness and peak rates of the manipulator arm. 
         [0090]    The pool of viable clients will increase with the capture mechanism&#39;s ability to more quickly capture a mechanical feature on the client over a larger range of relative motion. In addition, the spacecraft carrying the capture mechanism will not have to control its own position as precisely, which will result in less propellant being needed and less complex avionics being required resulting in lower overall mission costs. 
         [0091]    This premium on quickly grasping the client which is potentially tumbling presents a challenge for typical robotic grippers. They first must quickly close trapping or soft capturing the mechanical feature, and then very quickly produce a sufficiently high applied gripping load to ensure that the captured spacecraft remains grasped while resisting the forces and moments that develop at the interface as the servicer spacecraft and manipulator arrest the relative motion of the client. This presents a challenge for typical single action gripping devices which generally use some sort of gearing or transmission in the clamping action. In space systems, this gearing is needed because there is a need for lightweight actuators. As the gearing is increased to compensate for the low torque of the actuator, the penalty is a lower closure rate. This design trade-off in single action robotic grippers is a primary motivation for the two-stage, capture device disclosed. 
         [0092]    As discussed above, the spacecraft being captured are generally moving relative to one another and the physical grasping of one spacecraft by another is a principle method of cancelling out the relative motions between the two spacecraft. Once a rigid grasp has been obtained upon the client spacecraft it is then necessary that the grasp between the two spacecraft be strong enough to absorb the forces and moment generated as the disparate motions between the two spacecraft are absorbed by the positioning mechanism and capture mechanisms now connecting the vehicles. Even with small relative motions between spacecraft, significant forces can be generated at the grasp points and within the capture mechanism. Spreading out the stance of the grasp reduces many of the internal forces permitting the mechanism to be lighter and achieve a better grasp with lower forces. 
         [0093]    Broadly speaking, there is disclosed herein a system for capturing a rail and or flange feature (herein all referred to as a “capture feature”) on a free flying spacecraft. The system includes a capture mechanism which includes what may be characterized as a quick grasp mechanism mounted for movement in a housing with the quick grasp mechanism including at least one pair of grasping jaws. The quick grasp mechanism is configured to grasp the capture feature when the capture feature is in sufficiently close proximity, the trigger mechanism is initiated causing the the at least one pair of grasping jaws to quickly close to soft capture the capture feature. The capture mechanism includes an opening/closing mechanism which force the grasping jaws of the quick grasp mechanism further together to a closed position. The capture mechanism also includes a rigidizing contact. After the grasping jaws have been quickly closed to soft capture the capture feature, the rigidizing contact is driven into contact with the capture feature within the grasping jaws to secure the capture feature between the rigidizing contact and the closed grasping jaws, thereby to rigidize the capture feature and hence spacecraft within the capture mechanism. 
       PARTS LIST 
       [0094]    This embodiment of the capture mechanism tool is comprised of the following parts: 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
             
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 Number 
                 Part Description 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 100 
                 Capture Mechanism 
               
               
                 110 
                 Main Housing 
               
               
                 111 
                 Guide Shaft 
               
               
                 112 
                 Guide Shaft Bearing 
               
               
                 113 
                 Guide shaft Bearing Spacer 
               
               
                 114 
                 Shuttle 
               
               
                 115 
                 Guide Shaft Retainer 
               
               
                 116 
                 Draw Bar 
               
               
                 117 
                 Microswitch 
               
               
                 120 
                 Ball Screw Shaft 
               
               
                 121 
                 Ball Screw Thrust Bearing 
               
               
                 122 
                 Ball Screw Tail Bearing 
               
               
                 123 
                 Bearing Cover 
               
               
                 124 
                 Ball Screw Nut 
               
               
                 125 
                 Shock Absorber 
               
               
                 126 
                 Shock Absorber Mount Plate 
               
               
                 127 
                 Nut Plate 
               
               
                 130 
                 Trigger Bar 
               
               
                 131 
                 Trigger Bar Support 
               
               
                 132 
                 Trigger Housing 
               
               
                 133 
                 Trigger Guide Rod 
               
               
                 134 
                 Sear Support Rod 
               
               
                 135 
                 Trigger Reset Pawl 
               
               
                 136 
                 Trigger Reset Lever 
               
               
                 137 
                 Spring Retaining Pin 
               
               
                 138 
                 Spring Retaining Pin 
               
               
                 139 
                 Sear Spring 
               
               
                 140 
                 Trigger 
               
               
                 141 
                 Sear 
               
               
                 142 
                 Trigger Spring 
               
               
                 143 
                 Sear Reset Rod 
               
               
                 144 
                 Trigger Roller Axle 
               
               
                 145 
                 Trigger Roller 
               
               
                 146 
                 Trigger Lever Return Spring 
               
               
                 147 
                 Trigger Lever Stop 
               
               
                 150 
                 Camera 
               
               
                 151 
                 Line-Producing Laser 
               
               
                 152 
                 Situational Camera Assembly 
               
               
                 153 
                 Light Curtain Support 
               
               
                 154 
                 Forward Light 
               
               
                 155 
                 Aft Light 
               
               
                 156 
                 Forward Receiver 
               
               
                 157 
                 Aft Receiver 
               
               
                 160 
                 Solenoid Mounting Plate 
               
               
                 161 
                 Solenoid 
               
               
                 162 
                 Solenoid Lever 
               
               
                 163 
                 Solenoid Pin 
               
               
                 164 
                 Lever Pin 
               
               
                 165 
                 Trigger Striker 
               
               
                 170 
                 Plunger 
               
               
                 171 
                 Plunger Spring 
               
               
                 172 
                 Spring Housing 
               
               
                 173 
                 Plunger Retaining Nut 
               
               
                 180 
                 Actuator 
               
               
                 181 
                 Idler Axle 
               
               
                 182 
                 Actuator Mounting 
               
               
                 183 
                 Gearbox Cover 
               
               
                 184 
                 Motor Output Gear 
               
               
                 185 
                 Idler Gear 
               
               
                 186 
                 Ball Screw Input Gear 
               
               
                 200 
                 Clamp Jaw Assembly 
               
               
                 201 
                 Clamp Housing 
               
               
                 202 
                 Bearing Cover Plate 
               
               
                 203 
                 Clamp Housing Bearing 
               
               
                 204 
                 Hinge Pin 
               
               
                 205 
                 Jaw Bearing Plate 
               
               
                 206 
                 Journal Bearing 
               
               
                 207 
                 Jaw Hinge Springs 
               
               
                 210 
                 Variable Jaw Assembly 
               
               
                 211 
                 Jaw Hinge 
               
               
                 212 
                 Clamp Hinge Plate 
               
               
                 213 
                 Spring Mount 
               
               
                 214 
                 Variable Jaw 
               
               
                 215 
                 Clamp Hinge Pin 
               
               
                 216 
                 Spring 
               
               
                 217 
                 Contact Plunger 
               
               
                 218 
                 Contact Spring 
               
               
                 219 
                 Spring Housing 
               
               
                 220 
                 Plunger Retaining Nut 
               
               
                 221 
                 Plunger Mounting Plate 
               
               
                 230 
                 Locking Jaw Assembly 
               
               
                 231 
                 Jaw Hinge 
               
               
                 232 
                 Contact Rods 
               
               
                 233 
                 Clamp Plate 
               
               
                 234 
                 Lock Hinge Pin 
               
               
                 235 
                 Lock 
               
               
                 236 
                 Lock Spring 
               
               
                 240 
                 Cam Follower Assembly 
               
               
                 241 
                 Housing 
               
               
                 242 
                 Contact Shaft 
               
               
                 243 
                 Guide Pin 
               
               
                 244 
                 Shaft Retaining Nut 
               
               
                 245 
                 Contact Spring 
               
               
                 246 
                 Contact 
               
               
                 247 
                 Contact Housing 
               
               
                 248 
                 Cam Roller 
               
               
                 249 
                 Spacer 
               
               
                 250 
                 Roller Axle 
               
               
                 251 
                 Link 
               
               
                 252 
                 Lock Roller 
               
               
                 260 
                 Compliance Spring 
               
               
                 261 
                 Clamp Retainer 
               
               
                 262 
                 Journal Bearing 
               
               
                 263 
                 Shaft Retainer Nut 
               
               
                 281 
                 Bracket 
               
               
                 282 
                 Link 
               
               
                 283 
                 Spring 
               
               
                 284 
                 Torque Rod 
               
               
                 285 
                 Rod Retainer Nut 
               
               
                 286 
                 Link Pin 
               
               
                 287 
                 Link Pin Nut 
               
               
                 300 
                 Forward Light Beam 
               
               
                 301 
                 Aft Light Beam 
               
               
                 302 
                 Jaw Cam Surface 
               
               
                 303 
                 Lock Cam Surface 
               
               
                 304 
                 Trigger Pawl Surface 
               
               
                 305 
                 Lever Slot 
               
               
                 306 
                 Trigger Surface 
               
               
                 307 
                 Trigger Bar Surface 
               
               
                 308 
                 Ball Screw Nut Slot 
               
               
                 500 
                 Servicer Spacecraft 
               
               
                 501 
                 Robotic Arm 
               
               
                 502 
                 Launch Adapter Ring 
               
               
                 503 
                 Client Spacecraft 
               
               
                 504 
                 Communication Signal 
               
               
                 505 
                 Earth 
               
               
                 506 
                 Communications Antenna 
               
               
                 600 
                 Computer System 
               
               
                 601 
                 Computer Control System 
               
               
                 602 
                 Vision System 
               
               
                 603 
                 Central Processor 
               
               
                 604 
                 Internal Storage 
               
               
                 605 
                 Communications Interface 
               
               
                 606 
                 Power Supply 
               
               
                 607 
                 Memory 
               
               
                 608 
                 Input/Output Devices and Interfaces 
               
               
                 609 
                 Data Network 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0095]    The structure of the capture mechanism will first be described and particular reference is made to a feature on most spacecraft named a Marman flange which is used as a launch adapter ring between the launching booster and the client spacecraft but it will be understood the present capture mechanism can be configured to capture any available similar feature on a spacecraft not necessarily intended to be grasped. 
         [0096]    Referring to  FIGS. 35 and 36 , using known methods not part of this disclosure the servicer spacecraft  500  approaches the client spacecraft  503  and manoeuvres within the reach of the robotic arm  501  attached to the client spacecraft  500 . The robotic arm  501  manoeuvres the capture device to within a prescribed distance from the launch adapter ring  502  on the client spacecraft  503  either by autonomous control from the computer system  600  or with partial or full control by human operators located either on the servicer spacecraft or at a remote location. Once the capture mechanism  100  is at the prescribed distance, the computer system  600  assumes automatic control of the final grasping and rigidisation actions. Providing position information to the computer system  600 , the vision system  602  receives input from the cameras  150  within the mechanism as well as other sensors on the servicer spacecraft  500 . The computer system  600  uses these inputs to calculate requited motions needed to manoeuvre the robotic arm  501  and the capture mechanism  100  into the final positions near the launch adapter ring  502  while tracking any motions of the client spacecraft  503 . At the proper moment, the computer system  600  directs the robotic arm  501  to advance the capture mechanism  100  into contact with the launch adapter ring  502 . It will be appreciated that if the servicer spacecraft is particularly maneuverable, an arm may not be required or needed at all and the spacecraft attitude and orbital control system (AOCS) could be used to manoeuvre the capture tool  100  into the proper relative position with respect to the client spacecraft launch adapter ring  502 . 
         [0097]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of the capture mechanism  100  of the present invention in the open position as if approaching a bracket such as a rail and or a flange feature on a free flying spacecraft, or any other part that can be grasped, collectively referred to as a capture feature located on a free flying spacecraft to be captured. 
         [0098]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the capture mechanism of  FIG. 1  in the open position.  FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of the capture mechanism  100  of  FIG. 1  but from a different perspective than shown in  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 4  is a perspective view similar to  FIG. 1  but with a capture feature (in this case a bracket, rail or launch adapter ring  502  located on the free flying spacecraft) being grasped by two clamp jaw assemblies  200  forming part of the capture mechanism  100 , which is shown in the closed position. While  FIGS. 1 ,  3  and  4  show a pair of clamp jaw assemblies  200  pivotally mounted on the main housing  110 , it will be appreciated that the capture mechanism  100  may have only one clamp jaw assembly  200  or may have more than two clamp jaw assemblies  200 . 
         [0099]    As best seen in  FIGS. 1 and 4 , forward and rear light sources  154  and  155  respectively are mounted on one end of a light curtain support  153  and produce front and rear light beams  300  and  301  respectively. Front and rear detectors  156  and  157  are mounted on the other end of light curtain support  153  and located to receive the beams  300  and  301  respectively. The light sources  154  and  155  and their associated detectors  156  and  157  are positioned on light curtain supports  153  with respect to the clamp jaw assemblies  200  so that when capture feature  502  on the free flying spacecraft is in close proximity to the clamp jaw assemblies  200  the beams of light  300  and  301  are broken which triggers the clamp jaw assembly  200  to close around capture feature  502 , discussed in more detail below. The collection of light sources and receivers and the appropriate circuitry (including in this embodiment the computer  600 ) comprise the optical initiator. 
         [0100]    Each clamp jaw assembly  200  includes a variable jaw assembly  210  pivotally mounted with respect to a locking jaw assembly  230  which will be discussed in great detail hereinafter. 
         [0101]      FIG. 5  is a partial cross sectional view of the clamp jaw assembly  200  in the open position taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 8 . The combination of the local shape of the jaw cam surfaces  302  and the location of the cam rollers  248  allow the variable jaw assembly  210  and the locking jaw assembly  230 , rotating about hinge pins  204  to be biased apart by the jaw hinge springs  207 . 
         [0102]      FIG. 6  is a partial cross sectional view of the capture mechanism in the closed and locked position taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 8  except the jaws are in the closed position. In this view the cam follower assembly  240  has been moved forward (to the left in the figure) and as the cam rollers  248  move along the contours of the jaw cam surfaces  302 , they force the variable jaw assembly  210  and the locking jaw assembly  230  together against the forces of the jaw hinge springs  207  (see also  FIG. 5 ). The capture feature  502  has been pressed down into the contact plunger  217  compressing the contact spring  218  which is within the spring housing  219 . At the same time, the contact feature  246  has been pressed into the face of the capture flange  502  compressing the contact spring  245  contained within the contact housing  247 . The combination of compressed spring  245  and compressed contract spring  218  act together to hold the capture flange  502  against the fixed elements of the clamp jaw assembly  200  with the desired level of security or contact stiffness. The cam follower assembly  240  has advanced to its furthest forward limit and the lock roller  252  has forced the lock  235  inwards against the capture feature  502  thereby mechanically securing the capture flange  502  in place. 
         [0103]      FIG. 7  is a top view of the capture mechanism  100  taken along arrow  7  of  FIG. 2 . This view shows how the shuttle  114  is linked to the draw bars  116  which are flexibly connected to associated contact shafts  242  that serve to advance their associated cam follower assemblies  240 . 
         [0104]      FIG. 8  is a view of the front of the capture mechanism  100  with the clamping jaw assemblies  200  in the open position and illustrates the relative positions of the cameras  150 , line-producing lasers  151  and the clamp jaw assemblies  200 . It also shows how the situational camera assembly  152  can be positioned to oversee the operation of the capture mechanism  100 . 
         [0105]      FIG. 9  is a view of the back of the capture mechanism  100  with the clamping jaw assemblies  200  in the open position. 
         [0106]      FIG. 10  is a section view of the capture mechanism taken along the line  10 - 10  in  FIG. 9  and shows how the guide shaft bearings  112  and guide shaft bearing spacer  113  act to support the guide shaft  111 . It also shows how the shuttle  114  is connected to the draw bars  116 . 
         [0107]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the cross sectional view in  FIG. 10 . It shows how the plunger springs  171  acts upon the spring housings  172  and the plungers  170  to force the draw bars  116  forward. The spring housings  172  are attached to the main housing  110 . 
         [0108]      FIG. 12  is a close up of  FIG. 11  with gearbox cover  183  removed showing the arrangement of gears  184 ,  185  and  186  that transmit torque from the actuator  180  to the ball screw shaft  120 . 
         [0109]      FIG. 13  is a close up of the trigger mechanism in the armed condition with several structural elements of the capture mechanism not shown for clarity. 
         [0110]      FIG. 14  is a repeat of  FIG. 13  except showing a partial cross section of the trigger reset pawl  135  and how it is mounted to the trigger reset lever  136  and how the trigger reset pawl relates to the trigger pawl surface  304  on the trigger bar support  131 . It also shows how the trigger bar  130  sits within the trigger bar support  131  and how the sear  141  is biased by the sear spring  139  acting upon the spring retaining pin  138 . 
         [0111]      FIG. 15  is a repeat of  FIG. 13  except showing a further partial cross section of the trigger reset arrangement showing how, when the trigger reset lever  136  is rotated when the trigger pawl surface  304  moves the trigger reset pawl  135  it causes the sear reset rod  143  to rotate the sear  141 . It also shows how the motion of the trigger reset lever  135  is limited in the aft direction by the trigger lever stop  147  and how the motion of the trigger bar  130  is restrained by the contact with the sear  141  along the trigger bar surface  307 . 
         [0112]      FIG. 16  is a repeat of  FIG. 13  except showing a further partial cross section of the trigger mechanism showing how the trigger bar  130  rests upon the sear  141  and how the trigger roller  145  holds the sear  141  in place. 
         [0113]      FIG. 17  is a close up of the solenoid  160  and how it interacts with the trigger mechanism with the reciprocating motion of the solenoid  160  being transmitted and the force amplified by the solenoid lever  162  which forces the trigger striker  165  into contact with the trigger  140  forcing it to rotate. 
         [0114]      FIG. 18  is a sectional view through the lines  18 - 18  in  FIG. 9  showing the guide shaft  111 , shuttle  114 , and how the ball screw shaft  120  interacts with the shuttle  114  via the ball screw nut  124  and shock absorber mount plate  126  to force the shuttle  114  and therefore the draw bars  116  and the contact shaft  242  forwards. 
         [0115]      FIGS. 19A to 19E  are partial sectional views similar to  FIG. 5  illustrating the bracket  502  capture sequence when viewed in alphabetical order.  FIG. 19A  shows the capture mechanism  200  at the moment the trigger  140  is struck and the sear  141  is free to rotate releasing the trigger bar  130  allowing the shuttle  114  to move.  FIG. 19B  shows the jaw assembly  200  closed to the soft capture position just as the rigidisation starts. The plunger springs  171  are at minimum compression and, via the plungers  170 , have driven the draw bars  116  and contact shafts  242  as far forward as they can.  FIG. 19C  shows the cam follower assembly  240  having been pushed further forward by the action of the ball screw shaft  120  on the ball screw nut  124  with the bracket  502  fully captured and seated within the jaws  210  and  230  but without any preload applied,  FIG. 19D  shows the clamp jaw assembly  200  fully preloaded with the forward motion of the cam rollers  248  forcing the jaw cam surfaces  302  together forcing the bracket  502  into the contact plunger  217  and the contact  246 . This motion is resisted by spring  216  and contact spring  245  creating a connection of known rigidity between the bracket  502  and the capture mechanism  100 .  FIG. 19E  shows the cam follower assembly  240  even further forward where the lock roller  252  has pushed the optional lock  235  into position against the bracket  502  to restrain the bracket  502  within the jaws  210  and  230 . 
         [0116]      FIG. 20  is a partial sectional view along the line  21 - 21  of  FIG. 2  showing the installation of the shock absorbers  125  attached to the shock absorber mount plate  126  which is then attached to the nut plate  127  capturing the ball screw nut  124  between them. The three assembled items  125 ,  126  and  127  are then free to move within the ball screw nut slot  308  in the shuttle  114 . 
         [0117]      FIG. 21  is a partial exploded view of the main housing  110  showing installation of the shaft  111  and ball screw  120 . The shock absorbers  125  are attached to the shock absorber mount plate  126  which is then attached to the nut plate  127  capturing the ball screw nut  124  between them. The shuttle  114  moves back and forth guided by the guide shaft  111  with friction being reduced by the guide shaft bearings  112  that are spaced appropriately by the guide shaft bearing spacer  113 . The ball screw shaft  120  is secured to the main housing  110  by the ball screw thrust bearing  121  and stabilised by the ball screw tail bearing  122  which is secured by the bearing cover  123 . 
         [0118]      FIG. 22  shows details of the shuttle  114 , the trigger bar  130  and the trigger bar supports  131  that secure the trigger bar  130  to the shuttle  114 . The ball screw nut slot  308  is sized such that with the ball screw nut  124  in the ready-to-latch position as shown in  FIG. 20 , the free play in the slot permits the shuttle  114  to advance very rapidly under the influence of the plunger springs  171  without requiring the ball screw shaft  120  to rotate. This permits the rapid soft capture action of the capture mechanism  100 . 
         [0119]      FIG. 23  shows details of the trigger mechanism. The trigger mechanism is comprised of three parts, the trigger reset lever  136 , the sear  141  and the trigger  140  all mounted such that they are free to rotate and yet biased into preferred positions by the trigger lever return spring  146 , the sear spring  139  and the trigger spring  142 , respectively. The trigger reset pawl  135  transmits motion from the trigger bar support  131  to the trigger reset lever  136 , which then moves the trigger reset rod  143  which rotates the sear  141  out of the way permitting the trigger  140  to return to the armed position driven by the trigger spring  140 . 
         [0120]      FIG. 24  is a partial exploded view showing the optical elements of the vision system  602  showing the positions of the cameras  150 , and the line-producing lasers  151  mounted on the main housing  110 . 
         [0121]      FIG. 25  showing details of the trigger-actuating solenoid subassembly. The solenoid  161 , mounted to the solenoid mounting plate  160 , acts when commanded by the computing system  600 . The shaft of the solenoid retracts into the body of the solenoid  161  when activated, which causes the solenoid lever  162  to rotate. This solenoid lever  162  is connected to the solenoid  161  by the solenoid pin  163  and to the solenoid mounting plate  160  by the lever pin  164 . The trigger striker  165  is mounted to the solenoid lever  162  such that it forces the trigger  140  to rotate sufficiently to activate the capture mechanism  100 . 
         [0122]      FIG. 26  is a partial exploded view showing installation of the shuttle plungers  170 . Microswitches  117  are mounted to the main housing  110  such that as they open or close, they provide desired information on the location of the shuttle  114  to the computer system  600 . Guide shaft retainer  115  secures the guide shaft  111  to the main housing  110 . The plungers  170  are free to move reciprocally within the spring housings  172  which are secured to the main housing  110 . The forward end of the plungers  170  butt against the aft face of the draw bars  116  (not shown). The aft motion of the plungers  170  is constrained by the plunger springs  171 , which in the armed condition, are compressed sufficiently to propel the plungers  170  forward forcing the draw bars  116  and cam roller assemblies  240  to complete the soft capture action. The plungers  170  are contained within the spring housings  172  by the retainer nuts  173 . 
         [0123]      FIG. 27  shows details of the actuator  180  and associated gearing. The actuator  180  is secured to the motor output gear  184  which rotates the idler gear  185 , secured by the idler axle  181  to the actuator mounting  182  which is attached to the main housing  110 . The idler gear  185  rotates the ball screw input gear  186  which is secured to the ball nut shaft  120  rotating the ball nut shaft  120  and transmitting the actuator  180  torque to the ball nut shaft  120 . 
         [0124]      FIG. 28  shows how the draw bars  116  assemble into the shuttle  114  and how the plungers  170  interfaces with the draw bars  114 . It also shows the relationship between the stereo pair of cameras  150 , situational cameras  152 , the solenoid mounting plate  160 , the microswitches  117  and the main housing  110 . 
         [0125]      FIG. 29  is an exploded view showing details of the clamp jaw assembly  200 . The variable jaw assembly  210  and the locking jaw assembly  230  are flexibly mounted to the clamp housing  201  by hinge pins  204  and biased to a preferred position by jaw hinge springs  207 . Bearing cover plate  202  secures the clamp housing bearing  202  to the clamp jaw assembly  200 . The cam rollers  248  and lock roller  252  are secured to the cam follower assembly  240  but free to rotate by the roller axles  250  and located by the spacers  249 . The links  251  maintain the correct spacing between the cam rollers  248  when under load during the rigidising action. The jaw bearing plate  205 , in conjunction with the clamp housing bearing  203 , permits the clamp jaw assembly  200  to rotate with respect to the main housing  110  while being axially and laterally supported in the main housing  110 . The journal bearing  206  permits the cam follower assembly to move axially with respect to the rest of the clamp jaw assembly  200 . 
         [0126]      FIG. 30  showing details of the variable clamp jaw assembly  210 . The clamp hinge plate  212  is secured to the jaw hinge  211 . The spring mounts  213  permit jaw hinge springs  207  (not shown) to be mounted to the assembly. The variable jaw  214  is attached to the clamp hinge plate  212  by the clamp hinge pin  215 , but is free to rotate. The position of the variable jaw  214  is biased to a preferred position by the spring  216 . The contact plungers  217  are secured to the spring housing  219  by the plunger retaining nuts  220  such that they may move axially and trap the contact springs  218 . The spring housings  219  are attached to the variable jaws  214  by the plunger mounting plate  221 . 
         [0127]      FIG. 31  shows details of how the clamp jaw assembly  200  is free to move within the main housing  110 . The jaw bearing plate  205  is fastened to the main housing  110  which, in concert with the clamp housing bearing  203  permits the clamp jaw assembly  200  to rotate with respect to the main housing  110 . The contact shaft  242  is secured to the draw bar  116  using the clamp retainer  261 . The compliance spring  260  and the journal bearing  262  permit the draw bar  116  to move axially with respect to the clamp jaw assembly  200  reducing the chances of damage at the end of draw bar  116  travel. 
         [0128]      FIG. 32  shows details of the mechanism that restrains rotary motion of the clamp jaw assembly  200 . With the brackets  281  secured to the main housing  110 , the torque rod  284  is placed with a slot in the bracket  281 . A spring  283  is placed over each end of the torque rod  284  such that the bracket  281  is sandwiched between them. The springs  283  are secured by a rod retainer nut  285  on the interior end and by a link  282  on the external end. The hole in the link  282  is secured to a clevis in the clamp housing  201  by a link pin  286  and a link pin nut  287 . The torque rod  284  is free to move within the slot in the bracket  281  yet is centred by the opposing actions of the springs  283  thus centring the position of the clamp jaw assembly  200  with respect to the main housing  110 . 
         [0129]      FIG. 33  shows details of the cam follower assembly  240 . The contact shaft  242  is attached to the housing  241  by the shaft retaining nut  244 . The contact housing  247  is fastened to the housing  241  permitting the contact  246  to move axially within it constrained by the contact spring  245 . Guide pins  243  are fastened to the housing  241  and engage axial slots on the clamp housing  201  to prevent the cam follower assembly  240  from rotating about the axis of the clamp shaft  242  while permitting it to move freely axially with respect to the clamp housing  201 . 
         [0130]      FIG. 34  showing details of the locking jaw assembly  230 . The clamp plate  233  is secured to the jaw hinge  231 . The spring mounts  213  permit jaw hinge springs  207  to be mounted to the assembly. The lack  235  is attached to the clamp plate  233  by the lock hinge pin  234 , but is free to rotate. The position of the lock  235  is biased to a preferred position by the lock spring  236 . Contact rods  232  are secured to the clamp plate  233  and the jaw hinge  231  and provides a hard contact surface that the feature  502  can abut to. 
         [0131]      FIG. 37  is an overall view of an alternate embodiment of the tool  900  that has been fitted with a mechanical trigger for the mechanism in addition to the solenoid trigger method shown in  FIGS. 13 and 17 . In this embodiment a pusher plate  650  has been arranged such that it is a back-up activating method and thus is not engaged unless the electronic triggering method fails. It will be understood that should it be required, this arrangement can be reversed so that the mechanical trigger is the primary method and the electronic triggering method is the back-up method. 
         [0132]    The pusher plate  650  is connected to a rod  653  that transmits the contact force via the trigger pin  670  to the trigger  140  (best seen in  FIG. 39 ). The rod  653  is supported at the front by support  652  and at the rear by bushing block  656  which is fastened to the main housing  110 . The rod  653  is guided by bushings  651  and terminates in a pin support  671 . 
         [0133]      FIG. 38  is a sectional view taken in the same plane as the section for  FIG. 18  as shown in  FIG. 9 . It shows how the pusher plate  650  is connected by rod  653  to the trigger pin  670  which then contacts the trigger  140 . The motion of the pusher plate  650  and rod  653  are controlled by spring  655 , the effect of which is adjusted by securing collar  654  at various points along the rod  653 . A second collar  654  prevents the rod  653  from extending too far out of the tool  900 . Depending upon the final purpose to which the tool  900  will be put, the adjustability of the securing collar  654  may be limited to establishing the correct performance of the tool  900  by being adjusted only during manufacture or, in an alternate embodiment not shown, by the use of an additional actuator(s) to vary the position of the securing collar  654  on the rod  653  thus varying the performance of the spring  655  and the performance of the mechanical triggering portion of the tool  900  as a whole. 
         [0134]    A slot  658  in rod  653  is engaged by a pin  657  that is secured within the bushing block  656  and keeps the trigger pin  670  properly aligned by preventing the rod  653  from rotating around its long axis. 
         [0135]      FIG. 39  is a detailed view showing how the trigger pin  670  acts in parallel with and independently of the trigger striker  165  to contact the trigger  140  and release the sear  141  to activate the mechanism. Aftward motion of the rod  653  forces the trigger pin  670  against the surface of trigger  140 . Pin support  671  is threaded for trigger pin  670  and the exact timing of when the trigger pin  670  strikes the trigger  140  is set by advancing or retarding the position of the trigger pin  670  within the pin support  671 . 
         [0136]    An alternate embodiment of the tool, as shown generally at  940  in  FIG. 40 , includes a shock absorber system to reduce the internal forces generated by the powerful plunger spring  171  when the mechanism is activated. These forces can cause damage to tool or impose shock loads on the servicer spacecraft  500  or the client spacecraft  503 . 
         [0137]      FIG. 41  is an overall view of the alternate embodiment of the tool  940  fitted with a shock absorber system  702  showing the general arrangement from the back of the tool. When the mechanism is activated the draw bars  116  are forced forward by the plunger springs  171  acting upon the plungers  170 . In this embodiment the plungers  171  are connected together by the connector plate  700  which transfers some of the plunger spring  171  forces to the shock absorbers  702  through the pistons  701  (best seen in  FIG. 42 ). The shock absorbers  702  slow the motion of the draw bars  116  and reduce the internal forces acting upon the housing  110  to decelerate the mechanism at the end of its stroke. The drag caused by the shock absorbers  702  and the spacing  707  (shown in  FIG. 42 ) between the connector plate  700  and the pistons  701  can be varied to fine tune the timing and forces required by the tool  100  to perform successfully. 
         [0138]      FIG. 42  is a section showing the arrangement of the shock absorber system taken along the line  42 - 42  of  FIG. 9 . The shock absorber  702  is secured to the housing  110  by mounting plate  704 . Both mounting plate  704  and the exterior of the shock absorbers  702  are threaded such that the axial position of the shock absorber  702  can be varied to set the spacing  707 . Once located correctly, nut  703  is tightened securing the shock absorber  702  in the correct position. Bumper  706  acts to spread the load from plunger  170  to the draw bars  116 . 
         [0139]    An additional alternate embodiment of the tool  980  equipped with a jaw adjustment mechanism  800  for altering the angular position, also known as the pose, of the clamp jaw assemblies  200  is shown in  FIG. 43 . The jaw adjustment system  800  both coordinates the motion of the two clamp jaw assemblies  200  and allows the clamp jaw assemblies  200  to be adjusted to capture launch adapter rings  502 , or other features, of varying diameters. The jaw adjustment system  800  also incorporates features that provide compliance to the individual clamp jaw assemblies  200  to accommodate small misalignments and client satellite  503  movements. 
         [0140]    The coordinated motion function is accomplished by the combination of components, drive gear  809 , idler gear  805  and bell crank  807 . A rotational input, in this case affected by the linear actuator  801 , to one clamp jaw assembly  200  (the left side, for example) will cause the clamp jaw assembly  200  to rotate about the clamp housing bearing  203  (best seen in  FIG. 5 ). This will move the arm securing the link  282  (best seen in  FIG. 32 ) or jaw compliance mechanism  810  to the link pin  286 . The jaw compliance mechanisms  810  are free to rotate about either the link pin  286  or the pin  806  at either end. Movement of the jaw compliance mechanism  810  moves the moment arm  803  connected to the idler  805 . Rotation of the idler  805  rotates the drive gear  804 , but in the opposite direction, which then moves the connected moment arm  803 . That moment arm  803  is connected to the shaft  802  and the linear actuator  801  each of which has a pin that is free to rotate at the end. For embodiments where varying the nominal capture radius of the tool is unnecessary, the linear actuator  801  and shaft  802  may be replaced with a single rigid component fitted with free rotating pins on either end (not shown in this embodiment). Rigid motion of the linear actuator  801  causes the bell crank  807  to rotate about axle  809  causing the second jaw compliance mechanism or link to be rotated and then transfer the rotation to the sending clamp jaw assembly  200 , but with an opposite and coordinated rotation. 
         [0141]      FIG. 44  is a detail view showing how a linear actuator  801  is integrated within the jaw adjustment system  800  of  FIG. 43 . When it is desired to vary the radius of curvature that the clamp jaw assemblies  200  can accommodate the linear actuator  801  can extend or contract the shaft  802 . As configured in  FIG. 43 , extending the shaft  802  will enable the clamp jaw assemblies  200  to grasp a smaller radius feature through the motion of the gears  804  and  805 , bell crank  807  and compliance mechanisms  810  as described above. Retracting the shaft  802  will enable the clamp jaw mechanisms to grasp a larger radius feature, adjusting their pose or rotational position relative to their link pin axes  286  on the main housing  110 . The axles  809  are mounted rigidly to the bracket  808  which is rigidly mounted to the housing  110 . Different arrangements of gears  804  and  805  and bell cranks  807  can be created to change the motion parameters of the system. 
         [0142]    In addition, as an alternate method of adjusting the grasp radius, the linear actuator  801  can be replaced by a rigid shaft and a rotary actuator or motor connected rigidly to the axle  809  of either gear  804  or  805 . 
         [0143]      FIG. 45  is a detail that shows how the jaw compliance mechanism  810  ( FIG. 43 ) is integrated within the jaw adjustment system  800  ( FIG. 43 ). Undesirable motion variances of the individual clamp jaw assemblies  200  can be accommodated through the introduction of compliance between the two clamp jaw assemblies  200  and between the two clamp jaw assemblies  200  and any actuator  801  used to adjust the nominal clamping radius of curvature. An un-commanded motion of the clamp housing  201  will apply a force on one end of the housing  811  of the jaw compliance mechanism  810  through link pin  286 . Springs  814  within the jaw compliance mechanism  810  (see  FIG. 45 ) permit the exterior components of the jaw compliance mechanism  810  to move relative to the compliance shaft  813  which is connected to the rest of the jaw adjustment system  800 . The strength and configuration of the springs  814  within the jaw compliance mechanism  810  determine the compliance performance of the jaw compliance mechanism  810 . 
         [0144]      FIG. 46  is a section through the jaw compliance mechanism  810 . In this example, the jaw compliance mechanism consists of housing  811  connected by a link pin  286  to the clamp housing  201  part of the clamp jaw assembly  200 . The parts internal to the jaw compliance mechanism  810  are secured by a cap  812 . The housing  811  contains a piston  813  with a central stop  815  and springs  814  that act upon the central stop and upon the housing  811  at one end and upon the cap  812  on the other end. The opposing springs  814  act to centralise the piston  813 , returning the mechanism to a preset neutral position if perturbed. The details of each spring  814  may be varied to provide specified piston performance to suit the desired overall requirements of the tool. In addition, a damping element, not shown in this embodiment, may be added to the mechanism to further customise its performance. Piston  813  is then connected to the rest of the jaw adjustment system  800  through pin  806  connected to moment arm  803 . 
         [0145]    An alternate embodiment, not shown, may omit the actuator  801  and any linkage between the bell crank  807  and the idler gear  805  and add actuators to drive the bell crank  807  and idler gear  805  independently of one another. This would further increase the capability of the tool  980  to grasp capture features of varying shapes. 
         [0146]    It will be understood that the alternate embodiments described above may be incorporated in the tool  100  of  FIG. 1  singly or in any combination depending upon the demands of the purpose for which the tool  100  is being used. The exact alternate embodiments described above are also exemplary, there being other arrangements of mechanical triggers, shock absorbers and actuators that will perform the same functions as those listed above. 
         [0147]    The operation of clamping mechanism  100  of  FIG. 1  will now be described but it will be understood that this description applies also to the embodiments shown in  FIGS. 37 to 46 , noting that the operation of the additional features shown in these Figures have been largely described above. 
         [0148]    In operation, referring to  FIGS. 1 and 4 , when the launch adapter ring  502  breaks the forward light beam  300  formed between the forward light  154  and the forward receiver  156  a signal is sent to and interpreted by the computer system  600 . Any differences in the signals sent by the forward receivers  156  on each clamp jaw assembly  200  (shown in more detail in  FIG. 29 ) are interpreted as errors by the computer system  600  and may be used, as part of a broader control system, to correct the position of the capture mechanism  100  in real time. 
         [0149]    The capture mechanism  100  continues to be advanced over the launch adapter ring  502  until the aft light beams  301  formed by the aft lights  155  and the aft receivers  157  are broken by the launch adapter ring  502 . If the two forward light beams  302  remain broken and at least one of the aft light beams  301  is broken, the capture mechanism is configured to be in an acceptable position to grasp the launch adapter ring  502 . This prompts the optical initator&#39;s activation of the trigger  140  whereby the computer system  600  generates a signal that causes the solenoid  161  ( FIG. 17 ) to activate, causing the solenoid lever  162  ( FIGS. 17 and 25 ) to rotate and forcing the trigger striker  165  to contact the trigger  140  causing it to rotate.  FIG. 25  shows an exploded view of the solenoid assembly which includes solenoid  161 , solenoid lever  162 , trigger striker  165 , a lever pin  164 , solenoid pin  163  and solenoid mounting plate  160 . 
         [0150]    An alternate embodiment to initiating the motion of the trigger  140  would be to introduce a mechanical initiator that is activated by physical contact of the capture mechanism with the launch adapter ring  502  or other bracket to be grasped. This mechanical initiator would include a contact rod secured to the main housing  110  in such a way that the contact force as the rod strikes the client bracket is transmitted directly to the trigger  140 . The use of sliding bearings, bell cranks and other methods of mechanical force transmission well known in the art, permit the location of the contact rod to be optimised to the client bracket and the design of the rest of the capture mechanism  100 . This mechanical contact means of initiating the trigger  140  could be the primary trigger initiation method or act as a secondary or back-up to the electromechanical trigger initiation method. 
         [0151]    A second alternative embodiment for initiating the rotation of the trigger  140  would involve replacing the optical light curtain with inductive sensing means which detected when the launch adapter ring  502  is sufficiently aligned over the inductive sensors. 
         [0152]    Once the trigger  140  rotates, the trigger roller  145  ( FIGS. 13 ,  14 ,  15  and  17 ) rolls up the face of the sear  141 , the trigger roller  145  acting to reduce friction and ensuring a smooth and repeatable release.  FIG. 26  is a partial exploded view showing installation of the shuttle plungers  170 . Referring to  FIGS. 11 and 26 , the plunger springs  171  and plungers  170  push against the draw bars  116  attached to the shuttle  114  and apply a force that attempts to move the shuttle  114  forward. 
         [0153]    The sear  141  is in contact with the trigger bar  130  ( FIG. 15 ) attached to the shuttle  114  preventing the shuttle  114  from moving forward. See  FIGS. 13 ,  14 ,  15  and  16  that illustrate how the trigger  140  and sear  141  resist the motion of the trigger bar  130 . When the trigger roller  145  has moved far enough that it no longer restricts the rotation of the sear  141 , the sear  141  is rotated by the forces generated by the plunger springs  171  and the shuttle  114  and draw bars  116  are free to move forward very quickly. Referring to  FIG. 10 , as the shuttle  114  moves forward it is guided by sliding on the guide shaft  111 , friction being reduced by the use of the guide shaft bearings  112 , appropriately spaced by the guide shaft bearing spacer  113 . 
         [0154]    Should the capture mechanism  100  be triggered in error or fail to capture the client spacecraft  503  the shuttle  114  may continue too far forward striking the ball screw nut  124  ( FIG. 9 ). To prevent damage in such a condition, the ball screw nut  124  is fitted with two shock absorbers  125  that will absorb the impact of the shuttle  114  from a failed capture. 
         [0155]    Referring to  FIGS. 19A and 33 , the forward motion of the draw bars  116  also forces the cam follower assembly  240  forward. The cam follower  240  assembly is connected to the main housing  110  by journal bearings  206  and  262  ( FIGS. 29 and 31 ) that restrict lateral movement but permit rotational and axial movement and by a compliance spring  260  that prevents damage at the extremes of motion which is contained by the clamp retainer  261  which is bolted to the main housing  110 . 
         [0156]      FIG. 19A  shows the configuration of the clamp jaw assembly  200  at the instant the shuttle  114  begins to move. The launch adapter ring  502  is in the correct position to be grasped. As the cam follower assembly  240  moves forward the cam rollers  248  move along a predetermined jaw cam surface  302  ( FIG. 5 ) and force the variable jaw assembly  210  and the locking jaw assembly  230  closer towards each other overcoming the biasing effect of the jaw hinge springs  207 .  FIG. 19B  shows the clamp jaw assembly  200  at the end of the plunger spring  171  stroke with the variable jaw assembly  210  and the locking jaw assembly  230  closed sufficiently such that the launch adapter ring  502  cannot escape, yet there is no actual contact with the launch adapter ring  502 . The launch adapter ring  502  is now considered “soft captured” and the first, automatic step of the two-step capture is complete. 
         [0157]    Referring to  FIGS. 11 ,  11 ,  26 ,  27  and  28 , microswitches  117  ( FIG. 11 ) within the capture mechanism  100  are closed as the shuttle  114  passes by them providing a signal to the computer system  600  that soft capture has been achieved. The computer system  100  then commands the actuator  180  to rotate such that the torque is transmitted from the motor output gear  184  through the idler  185  and to the ball screw input gear  186  causing the ball screw  120  to rotate. The ball screw  120  rotates within and is connected to the main housing  110  by the ball screw thrust bearing  121  and the ball screw tail bearing  122  ( FIG. 21 ). As shown in  FIG. 21 , Ball screw  120  also rotates within the ball nut  124  which is fixed within the shuttle  114  by the shock absorber mount plate  126  and the nut plate  127 . Because the ball nut  124  is constrained from rotating within the shuttle  114 , the actuator  180  torque results in an axial force on the shuttle  114  forcing the shuttle to continue to move forward also driving the two cam follower assemblies  240  further forward. During the rotation of actuator  180  during the capture sequence, the rotation location of the actuator shaft may be continuously monitored and stored in the computer  600 . Alternatively, calibration during assembly will reveal the number of rotations of the actuator shaft of actuator  180  required to perform the capture sequence and hence the reset sequence. 
         [0158]    As the cam follower assembly  240  moves further forward, the shape of the jaw cam surfaces  302  forces the variable jaw assembly  210  and the lock jaw assembly  230  closer together, as shown in  FIG. 19C . Part of the cam follower assembly  240  is the contact  246 . in the position defined as “seated”, shown in  FIG. 19C , the jaws  210  and  230  are closed to the point that they just about touch the outer and inner diameters of the launch adapter ring  502  and the contact  246  almost touches the face of the launch adapter ring  502 . As the actuator  180  continues to apply torque the cam follower continues to move forward and the variable jaw assembly  210  and the lock jaw assembly  230  continue to get closer together. The launch adapter ring eventually contacts the contact rods  232  on the locking jaw assembly  230 , the contact plungers  217  on the variable jaw assembly  210  and the contact  246  on the cam follower assembly  240 . 
         [0159]    The actuator  180  continues to force the cam follower assembly  240  further forward and, as shown in  FIG. 19C , the shape of the jaw cam surface  302  forces the variable jaw assembly  210  and the lock jaw assembly  230  even closer together. In doing so, the contact rods  232  ( FIG. 34 ) force the launch adapter ring  502  down onto the contact plungers  217  compressing the contact springs  218  ( FIG. 30 ). At the same time the contact  246  in  FIG. 33  is pushed into the face of the launch adapter ring  502  compressing the contact spring  245  in  FIG. 33 . When the desired level of force is generated in the contact springs  218  and  245  the launch adapter ring  502  is considered fully preloaded to the point where the attachment between the capture mechanism  100  and the launch adapter ring  502  has achieved the desired level of stiffness (i.e. has been “rigidised”) to permit the attachment to resist loads generated during spacecraft stabilisation and other servicing tasks. This condition is shown in  FIG. 19D . 
         [0160]    In order to provide a further lock between the two spacecraft, the locking jaw assembly  230  in  FIG. 34  is equipped with a lock that physically prevents the launch adapter ring  502  from being removed from the capture mechanism  100 . As shown in  FIG. 19E , when the cam follower assembly  240  has reached the position where the full preload has been developed, it is advanced still further. The combination of the cam rollers  248  and the jaw cam surface  302  do not act to compress the jaws  210  and  230  further, but the lock roller  252  now engages with the lock cam surface  303  on the back of the lock  235  and overcomes the biasing effect of the lock spring  236  (shown in  FIG. 34 ) to force the lock  235  into a position where it prevents the movement of the launch adapter ring  502 . The capture mechanism  100  and the launch adapter ring  502  are now preloaded and locked together completing the second stage of the two-stage capture sequence. 
         [0161]    Referring again to  FIGS. 19E to 19A , to permit the servicing of several spacecraft or to permit additional attempts to capture a client spacecraft that might not have been captured on the first attempt, the capture mechanism  100  can be unlatched and reset to its initial condition. To do so generally amounts to running the actuator  180  in the opposite direction and causing the cam follow assembly  240  to move aft, moving the cam rollers  248  in the reverse direction down the lock cam surface  302  and the jaw cam surface  301  which, in sequence allows the lock  235  to be biased away from the launch adapter ring  502  and then unloads the contact  246  and the contact plungers  217 . The jaw hinge springs then can bias the jaws  210  and  230  away from the launch adapter ring  502 . At any point between  FIGS. 19B and 19A  it is possible for the capture mechanism to be maneuvered away from the launch adapter ring  502  by the robotic arm  501 . 
         [0162]    To fully reset the capture mechanism  100 , the trigger  140  must be reset in its initial position. To do so, the actuator  180  continues to force the shuttle  114  aftwards within the capture mechanism  100  until the trigger reset pawl  135 , see  FIG. 15 , located on the trigger reset lever  136 , contacts the trigger pawl surface  304  on the trigger bar support  131 . The trigger reset lever  136  is biased in the untriggered position by the trigger lever reset spring  146  and prevented from rotating too far by the trigger lever reset stop  147  as shown in  FIG. 15 . As the shuttle  114  is pushed aft, the contact between the trigger reset pawl  135  and the trigger pawl surface  304  rotates the trigger reset lever  136 . The sear reset rod  143  contacting the back of the lever slot  305  then forces the sear  141  to rotate along with the trigger reset lever  135 . The trigger  140  and trigger roller  145  are flexibly secured within the trigger housing  132  and biased to the untriggered position by the trigger spring  142 . As the trigger roller  145  is moved out of the way by the motion of the sear  141 , the trigger  140  rotates until the trigger roller  145  passes over the top of the sear  141  and then starts to contact the trigger surface  306 , see  FIG. 16 . Prior knowledge of how many actuator  180  turns are required to reset the trigger  140  allows the computer system  600  or a human operator to know when the trigger  140  has been reset. Alternately, a position sensor (not shown in the embodiment) may be used to determine when the sear  141  had returned to the untriggered state. The trigger spring  142  biases the trigger  140  into the correct position against the trigger surface  306  on the sear  141 . 
         [0163]    The rotation of the actuator  180  is once again reversed to drive the shuttle  114  forward. As the shuttle  114  moves forward the trigger bar  130  contacts the trigger bar surface  307  on the sear  141 . The trigger mechanism is now reset, however the ball screw nut  124  continues to be driven forward in the ball screw nut slot  308 , ( FIGS. 22 and 24 ) leaving the shuttle  114  to be retained by the trigger mechanism. The ball screw nut  124  has been moved forward sufficiently that when the capture mechanism  100  is triggered the shuttle  114  can move forward far enough to attain the soft capture state without being restricted by the shuttle  114  prematurely striking the ball nut screw  124 . The capture mechanism  100  is now completely reset and ready for another capture. 
         [0164]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , in order to service a wider range of clients and to accommodate variations in bracket size and position, the capture mechanism  100  may include additional features. To accommodate differences in launch adapter ring  502  diameter, the two clamp jaw assemblies  200  are mounted on clamp housing bearings  203  as shown in  FIG. 29 . These bearings  203  permit the clamp housing  201  to rotate about the axis of the cam follower assembly  240  with respect to the main housing  110 . In this embodiment the two clamp jaw assemblies  200  are free to rotate independently. To keep the clamp jaw assemblies  200  in their nominal positions, each assembly  200  is connected to a torque rod  284  ( FIG. 32 ) by a link  282  and then connected to the main housing  110  by a bracket  281 . To keep the torque rod  284  centred on the bracket  281  a spring  283  is located on either side of the bracket  281 . Rotations of the clamp jaw assembly  200  are accommodated by the sliding of the torque rod  284  within a slot in the bracket  281  which compresses one or the other spring  283  which generates a righting moment that returns the clamp jaw assembly  200  to the nominal position. 
         [0165]    As shown in  FIG. 30 , to accommodate launch adapter rings  502  of differing profile shape the variable jaw assembly  210  incorporates a two-part jaw with a fixed clamp hinge plate  212  connected flexibly to a variable jaw  214  by a clamp hinge pin  215 . Rotation of the variable jaw  214  is limited to a desired range by features machined into the variable jaw  214  and the clamp hinge plate  212  and the variable jaw  214  is biased to any desired position relative to the clamp hinge plate  212  by the spring  216 . When the variable jaw assembly  210  is closed over varying profiles within a known range of shapes, the shape and flexible position of the variable jaw  214  permits the entire clamp jaw assembly  200  to correctly grasp varying shapes within a predetermined range. 
         [0166]    An alternate embodiment can incorporate a linking mechanism that coordinates the rotation of the two clamp jaw assemblies  200  so that a wider range of launch adapter ring  502  diameters can be accommodated. To further increase the range of launch adapter ring  502  diameters, each bracket  281  can be connected to an actuator that changes the nominal position of the bracket, and therefore the changes nominal diameter of launch adapter ring  502  being grasped. 
         [0167]    An alternate embodiment has the entire capture mechanism  100  as a separate tool that the robotic arm  501  may releasably grip to permit the robotic arm to perform additional functions. The separate tool embodiment would include a releaseable interface between the robotic arm  501  and the capture mechanism  100  such that mechanical forces, electrical power and sensor signals can be transmitted across the interface. Several such interfaces exist in prior art and they are not part of this invention. 
         [0168]    An alternate embodiment would delete the vision system  602 , and the line producing lasers  151  and rely exclusively upon human control to maneuver the capture mechanism  100  and upon mechanical contact to actuate the trigger mechanism per the alternate embodiment above. 
         [0169]    The capture mechanism disclosed herein is very advantageous over the spacecraft capture mechanism disclosed in US Patent Publication 2013-0249229-A1 published Sep. 26, 2013, (hereinafter &#39;229), for the following reasons. The capture mechanism disclosed in &#39;229 has a very limited range of objects that it can optimally grasp, while the mechanism disclosed herein is designed for a much greater range of objects that it can optimally grasp and that adjustment can be varied during the use of the tool to greatly increase the utility of the tool. As one example of this, the pairs of grasping jaws include structural features configured to accommodate local variations in size and shape of the capture feature at the two locations on the capture feature being grasped by the two pairs grasping jaws. 
         [0170]    Further, mechanism disclosed in &#39;229 has a single set of grasping members, or jaws, which results in larger forces within the entire capture mechanism during the rigidising operation thereby requiring members of greater size and mass to withstand those forces. Larger and more massive members not only reduce response time, but also lead to a higher overall mechanism size and mass which is highly undesirable for spacecraft systems. 
         [0171]    The single set of grasping members in &#39;229 is manufactured to optimally grasp features of a limited range of sizes. This range cannot be changed once the grasping members are manufactured and installed in the mechanism. To increase its adjustability and utility, the mechanism in the current disclosure has multiple grasping mechanisms which may be adjusted in service to optimally grasp a much wider range of features and that may be changed for each grasping operation to greatly increase the utility of the tool. 
         [0172]    In addition, the individual grasping members or pairs of grasping jaws of the capture mechanism disclosed herein also have adjustability designed into them to allow each of the grasping members to optimally contact and grasp objects with their anticipated relative motion with respect to the capture mechanism. This greatly enhances the tool&#39;s ability to accommodate varying objects to be grasped and increases the utility of the tool. 
         [0173]    As an example of this, at least one grasping jaw of each pair of grasping jaws has a distal end locking portion which is flexibly mounted to a remainder of the grasping jaw and includes a cam surface which when in contact with an associated cam follower is forced into a locking position to lock the feature within the grasping jaws. In addition the present capture mechanism includes positioning mechanisms connected to each of the pairs of grasping jaws configured to vary a pose of each pair of grasping jaws with respect to the capture feature being grasped prior to being grasped. The quick grasp mechanism is configured such that each pair of grasping jaws is positioned independently of all other pairs of grasping jaws. 
         [0174]    It will be understood that while the above discussion relates to an embodiment with at least two pairs of grasping jaws spaced from each other, it will be understood that more than two pairs of grasping jaws may be used, as the present disclosure is not meant to be limited to two pairs. In addition, the present disclosure may encompass an embodiment where only one pair of grasping jaws are needed. As the grasping jaws disclosed herein have various structure features that allow them to be adjusted for various sizes and shapes of capture features. This would be beneficial when the satellite being captured is very small and the capture feature is such that it is more amenable to grasping by one pair of grasping jaws. 
         [0175]    In addition, a satellite may be produced with the capture system as part of the satellite. 
         [0176]    Referring again to  FIG. 35 , a block diagram showing those items pertaining to the capture of a client spacecraft  503  in addition to the capture mechanism  100 . These include the servicer spacecraft  500 , the client spacecraft  503  with launch adapter ring  502  to be captured, a robotic arm  501  to which the capture mechanism  100  is interfaced and a communication system  506  to provide a two-way radio link  504  to Earth  505  (or space station or mother ship, whichever is the location of the teleoperation control). 
         [0177]    In addition, the servicer spacecraft  500  includes an onboard computer control system  600  (see  FIG. 36 ) which may be interfaced with the capture mechanism  100 , so that it can coordinate all the components that are involved in the capture process, including the vision system  602 , robotic arm(s)  501  (if more than one capture mechanism  100  is used). This control system  600  is also interfaced with any sensors used to determine the position and loading state of the soft capture or rigidise mechanisms. These sensors may include contact or non-contact sensors used to trigger the quick grasp mechanism (in lieu of the plunger) and position sensors to determine the degree of closure of the mechanisms using continuous means (encoders or resolvers) or discretely (using limit switches). With the presence of the computer system  600  interfaced with the capture mechanism  100 , the capture process may be autonomously controlled by a local mission manager or may include some levels of supervised autonomy so that in addition to being under pure teleoperation there may be mixed teleoperation/supervised autonomy. 
         [0178]    Referring again to  FIG. 36 , an example computing system  600  forming part of the servicing system is illustrated. The system includes a computer control system  601  configured, and programmed to control movement of the robotic arm  501  during the entire procedure of capturing launch adapter ring  502  on the client satellite  503 . 
         [0179]    The command and control system is also configured to control movement of the robotic arm  501  and for controlling the action of the capture mechanism  100 . This may be the same command and control system that is interfaced with the capture mechanism  100 , for example a computer mounted on the servicer spacecraft which is programmed with instructions to carry out all operations needed to be performed by the servicer satellite during approach, capture/docking with the client satellite and refueling operations. It may also be a separate computer system. 
         [0180]    Communication system  506  is interfaced with the robotic arm  501  and configured to allow remote operation (from the Earth  505  or from any other suitable location) of the vision system  602  (which may include one or more cameras), the robotic arm  501  and hence the capture mechanism  100 . The vision system  602  may include distinct markers mounted on the capture mechanism  100 . The communication system allows local automatic or autonomous control, and may send
       a) vision system information robot control computer on spacecraft, where it processes visual information to determine relative pose and allow the arm/positioning device to position the capture mechanism relative to the capture  500 ; and/or   b) capture tool information/telemetry including the light beam state and trigger information.
 
Alternatively, it may be under teleoperated control from a remote location (earth) where the vision system information and other telemetry is provided to the operator to make decisions and control the action of the positioning device (arm) and the capture tool.
       
 
         [0183]    In one form, the vision system  602  may include one or more video cameras. To improve depth perception, it may be augmented with a range finding device, such as a laser range finder or radar. The cameras of vision system  602  may be used within a telerobotic control mode where an operator controlling the servicing actions on earth or from some other remote location views distinct views of the worksite on display screens at the command and control console. In an alternative mode, the position of elements of the capture mechanism  100  or launch adapter ring  502  may be determined by either a stereo camera and vision system which extracts  3   d  points and determines position and orientation of the capture mechanism  100  or other relevant features on the ring  502 , client spacecraft  503  or capture mechanism  100  from which the robotic arm  501  can be driven to desired locations according the sensed 6 degree-of-freedom coordinates. It should be noted that the term position in the context of the positioning of the servicing spacecraft with respect to the spacecraft to be captured includes the orientation of the object as well as the translation vector between the two objects, i.e. the overall relative pose of the capture feature on the client spacecraft with respect to servicer spacecraft. 
         [0184]    The stereo camera could also be replaced with a scanning or flash lidar system from which desired 6 degree-of-freedom coordinates could be obtained by taking measured 3-D point clouds and estimating the pose of desired objects based on stored CAD models of the desired features or shapes on the refueling worksite. For those applications where the spacecraft was designed with the intention to be serviced, a simple target such as described in Ogilvie et al. (Ogilvie, A., Justin Allport, Michael. Hannah, John Lymer, “Autonomous Satellite Servicing Using the Orbital Express Demonstration Manipulator System,” Proc. of the 9th International Symposium on Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Automation in Space (i-SAIRAS &#39;08), Los Angeles, Calif., Feb. 25-29, 2008) could be used in combination with a monocular camera on the servicing robotics to locations items of interest. Finally, the robotic arm or device used to position the capture mechanism  100  may include a sensor or sensors capable of measuring reaction forces between the capture tool and the bracket being captured. These can be displayed to the operator to aid the operator in teleoperation control or can be used in an automatic force-moment accommodation control mode, which either aids a tele-operator or can be used in a supervised autonomous control mode. 
         [0185]    As mentioned above, computer control system  603  is interfaced with vision system  602  and robotic arm  501 . Previously mentioned communication system  506  is provided which is interfaced with the robotic arm  501  and configured to allow remote operation (from the Earth  506  or from any other suitable location) of the vision system  602  (the robotic arm  501  and capture mechanism  100 . A system of this type is very advantageous particularly for space based systems needing remote control. 
         [0186]    The robotic arm  501  possesses its own embedded processor and receives commands from the servicing spacecraft computer. The robotic arm  501  also passes power and data from the central computer through to the capture mechanism  100  in the event there are sensors of any type, gauges or other power requiring devices 
         [0187]    Some aspects of the present disclosure can be embodied, at least in part, in software. That is, the techniques can be carried out in a computer system or other data processing system in response to its processor, such as a microprocessor, executing sequences of instructions contained in a memory, such as ROM, volatile RAM, non-volatile memory, cache, magnetic and optical disks, or a remote storage device. Further, the instructions can be downloaded into a computing device over a data network in a form of compiled and linked version. Alternatively, the logic to perform the processes as discussed above could be implemented in additional computer and/or machine readable media, such as discrete hardware components as large scale integrated circuits (LSI&#39;s), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC&#39;s), or firmware such as electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM&#39;s). 
         [0188]      FIG. 37  provides an exemplary, non-limiting implementation of computer control system  601 , forming part of the command and control system, which includes one or more processors  603  (for example, a CPU/microprocessor), bus  609 , memory  607 , which may include random access memory (RAM) and/or read only memory (ROM), one or more internal storage devices  604  (e.g. a hard disk drive, compact disk drive or internal flash memory), a power supply  606 , one more communications interfaces  605 , and various input/output devices and/or interfaces  608 . 
         [0189]    Although only one of each component is illustrated in  FIG. 37 , any number of each component can be included in computer system  600 . For example, a computer typically contains a number of different data storage media. Furthermore, although bus  609  is depicted as a single connection between all of the components, it will be appreciated that the bus  609  may represent one or more circuits, devices or communication channels which link two or more of the components. For example, in personal computers, bus  609  often includes or is a motherboard. 
         [0190]    In one embodiment, computer control system  601  may be, or include, a general purpose computer or any other hardware equivalents configured for operation in space. Computer control system  601  may also be implemented as one or more physical devices that are coupled to processor  603  through one of more communications channels or interfaces. For example, the computer control system  601  can be implemented using application specific integrated circuits (ASIC). Alternatively, computer control system  601  can be implemented as a combination of hardware and software, where the software is loaded into the processor from the memory or over a network connection. 
         [0191]    The computer control system  601  may be programmed with a set of instructions which when executed in the processor causes the system to perform one or more methods described in the present disclosure. Computer control system  601  may include many more or less components than those shown. 
         [0192]    While some embodiments have been described in the context of fully functioning computers and computer systems, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various embodiments are capable of being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms and are capable of being applied regardless of the particular type of machine or computer readable media used to actually effect the distribution. 
         [0193]    A computer readable medium can be used to store software and data which when executed by a data processing system causes the system to perform various methods. The executable software and data can be stored in various places including for example ROM, volatile RAM, non-volatile memory and/or cache. Portions of this software and/or data can be stored in any one of these storage devices. In general, a machine readable medium includes any mechanism that provides (i.e., stores and/or transmits) information in a form accessible by a machine (e.g., a computer, network device, personal digital assistant, manufacturing tool, any device with a set of one or more processors, etc.). Examples of computer-readable media include but are not limited to recordable and non-recordable type media such as volatile and non-volatile memory devices, read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), flash memory devices, floppy and other removable disks, magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media (e.g., compact discs (CDs), digital versatile disks (DVDs), etc.), among others. The instructions can be embodied in digital and analog communication links for electrical, optical, acoustical or other forms of propagated signals, such as carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals, and the like. 
         [0194]    The present system is also configured for full autonomous operation. A fully autonomous system is a system that measures and responds to its external environment; full autonomy is often pursued under conditions that require very responsive changes in system state to external conditions or for conditions that require rapid decision making for controlling hazardous situations. The implementation of full autonomy is often costly and is often unable to handle unforeseen or highly uncertain environments. Supervised autonomy, with human operators able to initiate autonomous states in a system, provides the benefits of a responsive autonomous local controller, with the flexibility provided by human teleoperators.

Technology Category: b