Satellite servicing

In a remote manipulator system in which a television camera is mounted at a free end of a manipulator arm to relay a target image to a monitor having image alignment markings thereon, a plurality of complementary components releasably mounted on a support structure, said components being selectively engageable by said end effector so as to be mounted on or released from said support structure, the improvement of;

• (a) a plurality of end effector alignment targets, at least one of said targets being associated with each complementary component, each target being disposed in a direct line of vision of said camera when said end effector is axially aligned with the coupling component which is associated with it, each target having a mounting site remote from its associated complementary component, each target being proportioned that its image viewed at the monitor is coextensive with the image alignment markings of the monitor when said end effector is operably positioned with respect to the complementary component associated with the target which is in the line of vision of the camera.

In a remote manipulator system in which a television camera is mounted at a free end of a manipulator arm to relay a target image to a monitor having image alignment markings thereon, a plurality of complementary components releasably mounted on a support structure, said components being selectively engageable by said end effector so as to be mounted on or released from said support structure, the improvement of:

• (a) a plurality of end effector alignment targets, at least one of said targets being associated with each complementary component, each target being disposed in a direct line of vision of said camera when said end effector is axially aligned with the coupling component which is associated with it, each target having a mounting site remote from its associated complementary component, each target being proportioned such that its image viewed at the monitor is coextensive with the image alignment markings of the monitor when said end effector is operably positioned with respect to the complementary component associated with the target which is in the line of vision of the camera, said target mounting sites being located at at least two different distances from the focal point of the camera when said end effectors are operably located with respect to the complementary components associated therewith.

In a remote manipulator system in which a television camera is mounted at a free end of a manipulator arm to relay a target image to a monitor having image alignment markings thereon, the manipulator arm having an end effector located at the free end thereof, the improvement of:

• (a) a complementary component releasably mounted on a support structure, said complementary component being adapted to be releasably secured to said end effector which axially aligned therewith,
• (b) a target mounted at a site on said support structure remote from said complementary component in a direct line of vision of said camera when said end effector is axially aligned with said complementary component and said complementary component is mounted on said support structure, said target being proportioned such that its image viewed at the monitor is coextensive with the image alignment markings of said monitor when said end effector is operably positioned to mount or release said complementary component with respect to its associated support structure.

In a remote manipulator system in which a television camera is mounted at a free end of a manipulator arm to relay a target image to a monitor having image alignment markings thereon, the improvement of:

• (a) a support structure,
• (b) first and second components releasably mounted on said support structure, said first component being releasably engageable by said manipulator arm and said second component being releasably engageable by said first component,
• (c) first and second alignment targets located on said support structure remote from said first and second components, said first target being disposed in a direct line of vision of said camera when the free end of the manipulator arm is axially aligned with said first component and being proportioned such that its image, viewed at the monitor is coextensive with the image alignment markings of the monitor when the free end of the manipulator is operably located with respect to the first component to secure the first component to the manipulator arm, said second target being disposed in a direct line of vision of said camera when said first component is axially aligned with said first component, said second target being larger than said first target and proportioned to be coextensive with the imaging markings on the monitor when the first component is operably positioned with respect to the second component.