Design and Stability of Operating Mechanism for a Spacecraft Hatch

This article introduces the working principles of a spacecraft hatch including its operating process and moving trajectory. On this basis, an operating mechanism is designed to execute automatic open and close action of the hatch and measure the operating torques. Analysis on the mechanism's configuration and topological structure of each phase of movement proves that it is a typical variable freedom mechanism. The mechanism manipulates the hatch in accordance with the moving trajectory requirements through configuration transformation. Kinematic analysis and simulation of some typical configurations show that the velocity differences among mechanism components themselves and the components and their abutting components could exert influences on its working stability during configuration transformation. To solve the problem, stability conditions of configuration transformation are proposed. Appropriate control models are established for the output velocity curves of the driving servo motor and solved based on the stability conditions and rules of movement. Results from another simulation demonstrate that the proposed control models ensure smooth configuration transform and stable operation.