Terminal guidance sensor system

Abstract

A system is described for guiding a claw to the proper distance and into the proper orientation in yaw and pitch, to engage a grappling fixture. The system includes four proximity sensors on the claw, that are arranged at corners of an imaginary square, which sense the distance to the top surface of the grappling fixture. If a pair of sensors at opposite corners of the square sense a different distance to the top surface of the grappling fixture, then it is known that the claw is rotated about a corresponding axis with respect to the plane of the grappling fixture.