Contact Behavior Analysis for Space Debris Capture by Space Robots Considering Non-smoothness

This research describes the contact behavior during the grasping and capturing of space debris using a robotic arm. Space debris refers to defunct artificial satellites orbiting the Earth, and its existence is a cause for concern due to the potential risk of collisions with newly launched satellites. However, many proposed methods for space debris capture have not been practically implemented due to concerns about grasping stability and increased costs. This research analyzes the condition of capturing a target satellite assumed to be space debris using a grasping mechanism attached to the tip of the robotic arms. The main objective of this research is to analyze the contact behavior during rotating debris grasping, considering simultaneous multi-point contacts and friction effects, to achieve system design optimization. Thus, this research models and analyzes the behavior involving contact between a rotating circular object and the grasping mechanism based on a non-smooth dynamic method. This research also derived a contact force calculation method, considering sliding friction for circular objects in non-smooth dynamics, and developed motion equations for creating contact analysis models of the chaser satellite and the target satellite. With the developed analysis models, this research calculates the behavior of the objects during contact and the resulting force impulses generated during the capture process to assess the impact of non-smooth behavior on contact forces and their influence on the chaser satellite during space debris capturing.