Pre-contact Configuration Optimization for Space Dual-arm Capture Considering Contact and Collision Effects

Addressing the critical issue of contact collisions during the capture of large-inertia tumbling targets by dual-arm space robot, which can easily lead to structural damage in the manipulators and even mission failure in the space environment, this paper proposes a pre-capture configuration optimization method for dual-arm robot that explicitly considers the impact of contact collisions. Firstly, the kinematic and dynamic models of the dual-arm space robot system are established. Secondly, contact collision analysis is performed based on the concept of virtual collision mass. Next, considering the large-inertia characteristic of the target, the manipulability under closed-chain constraints is analyzed. Subsequently, a pre-capture configuration optimization model is constructed with the objectives of minimizing the absolute value of the collision force and maximizing the closed-chain inertia matching ellipsoid (IME). Finally, simulation experiments are conducted to validate the proposed method. The results demonstrate that this method effectively generates pre-capture configuration characterized by the minimum pre-impact force and maximum closed-chain manipulability. This significantly reduces collision risks and enhances post-capture operational capability, providing strong support for the safe and reliable execution of dual-arm space capture tasks.