TETHERING AUTOMATIC CONTROL SYSTEM Russian patent published in 1998 - IPC

FIELD: docking cooperated space vehicles. SUBSTANCE: tethering automatic control system consists of device for measuring error angle of active ship relative to sighting line, devices for measuring range and closure rate, as well as angular velocity output unit, stabilization units, actuating members, orientation setting unit mounted on board passive vehicle; system includes also actuating members, orientation control unit, center-of-mass motion control unit, closure rate control unit, devices for visual measurement of error angles of active space vehicle relative to sighting line, orientation setting unit, active space vehicle angle and angular velocity output unit, three adders, two storage units, three switching units, error angle computer unit, sighting line angular velocity computer unit, control panel, command sending unit, orientation control sticks, change-over command sending unit, motion control sticks and motion control unit found on active space vehicle. Proposed system is used for effecting the tethering process at simultaneous correction of lateral motion of center of mass of active space vehicle by calculated angle of position of sighting line relative to selected system of coordinates whose present magnitude is determined taking into account measurements of error angle of active space vehicle relative to sighting line. Orientation of active and passive space vehicles is effected to the same coordinate system, thus ensuring parallelism of their body axes in space. Parallel misalignment of axes of active and passive space vehicles is corrected by means of tethering manual control system, thus eliminating probable error in orientation of active and passive space vehicles and errors of setting of device used for measuring error angle of active space vehicle relative to sighting line. EFFECT: enhanced efficiency. 3 cl, 5 dwg