US 12,269,616 B2
Capturing device and spacecraft
Daiki Higashiyama, Tokyo (JP); Kazuhide Kodeki, Tokyo (JP); Kazuhiko Fukushima, Tokyo (JP); and Naoki Imamura, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 18/574,088
Filed by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Jul. 6, 2021, PCT No. PCT/JP2021/025503
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 26, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2023/281632, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 12, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2024/0359828 A1, Oct. 31, 2024
Int. Cl. B64G 1/10 (2006.01); B64G 1/22 (2006.01)
CPC B64G 1/1081 (2023.08) [B64G 1/2229 (2023.08)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A capturing device to be installed in a spacecraft to capture an artificial space object, the capturing device comprising:
a tethering member having an elongated shape, the tethering member being stable in a first shape having a curved section orthogonal to a linear extending direction of the tethering member;
two retaining members to each retain a corresponding end of ends of the tethering member;
a housing including an opening, the housing being configured to accommodate at least a part of the tethering member and the two retaining members;
one or more driving mechanisms to spread the tethering member to an outside of the housing through the opening, or retract the tethering member to an inside of the housing;
a deformer to deform a part of the tethering member in a direction of expanding an area surrounded by the tethering member, while the tethering member is being spread by the one or more driving mechanisms; and
driving mechanism controlling circuitry to cause the one or more driving mechanisms
to spread the tethering member to the outside of the housing by a target spread length defined by at least a shape and a size of the artificial space object, and
to retract, when the artificial space object is located in the area surrounded by the tethering member, the tethering member to the inside of the housing until at least a part of the tethering member comes into contact with the artificial space object.