Design of Chuck-Type Docking Mechanism Based on the Archimedean Spiral

Abstract In response to the demand for rapid and stable docking and separation of unmanned ground vehicles during specific tasks, a single-drive chuck-type docking mechanism based on the Archimedean spiral is proposed. This mechanism enables docking and separation between vehicles, features multidirectional docking capability, utilizes single-drive operation, and allows for certain initial angular or displacement errors. First, the spherical-spherical joint mechanism is designed based on the spherical joint, and the chuck spiral is designed based on the Archimedean spiral. The chuck-block mechanism, composed of the opening–closing mechanism, the rigid-flexible block mechanism, and the docking rod, is designed, and then the modular single-drive docking mechanism is obtained. Second, by analyzing the opening-closing and rigid-flexible block mechanisms, the docking and separation motion characteristics are obtained. This process includes six stages: docking preparation, docking fine tuning, flexible connection-I, rigid connection, flexible connection-II, and separation, which collectively complete the docking and separation of the vehicles. Finally, simulations are conducted in Adams to verify the docking process, and a prototype is manufactured to validate the feasibility of the mechanism.