Research on Ground Microgravity Simulation System Based on Parallel Mechanism

This paper presents a reconfigurable satellite ground microgravity simulation system based on a parallel mechanism, which allows cxsfor adjustable gravity coefficients and can simulate three-dimensional space movement with fast response and high accuracy. Firstly, the parallel motion platform and parallel six-dimensional force sensor designed specifically for the microgravity simulation system serve as the mechanical structure of the system. Secondly, a control system for simulating microgravity has been proposed, which includes a data acquisition component and a motion control component. Thirdly, a novel microgravity simulation algorithm, which can adjust the gravity coefficient and is based on the constant variation method, was proposed to establish the mapping relationship between the six-dimensional external force and displacement. Finally, the six-dimensional force sensor is statically calibrated and demonstrated excellent measurement performance. After implementing gravity compensation through surface polynomial fitting, the motion platform for microgravity simulation can react within 0.15 s upon detection of a force signal by the sensor, with a response error of less than 3%. The ground microgravity simulation system based on parallel mechanisms has been successfully applied to test the tolerance capability of reconfigurable satellite docking interfaces.