Hauler Docking and Charging Station
Robotic Hauler Docking Interface with Inductive / Conductive Charge
The hauler docking and charging station is a multi-dock robotic interface that captures incoming autonomous haulers, recharges their batteries, and actuates hauler beds to a 45° tilt for gravity-assisted regolith unloading. Operating in the abrasive lunar surface environment, where fine regolith fouls exposed electrical contacts and mechanical joints, the station utilizes non-contact inductive coupling at 85% transfer efficiency to deliver primary charge power without exposed metallic mating surfaces. Mechanical funnel ramps with tungsten-carbide overlays resist dust wear while correcting hauler navigation offsets of up to 10 centimeters down to millimeter alignment, supplemented by a 100 Mbps data uplink for vehicle telemetry.
Robotic docking station near L3-ISR-TRANS-HOP that mechanically guides haulers into precise position for unloading, recharges their batteries via inductive or conductive interface, and provides data uplink for telemetry and software updates.
Purpose
Eliminate the need for high-precision navigation on every hauler arrival by providing physical alignment features, and enable the hauler fleet to continuously operate by handling recharging without manual intervention.
Context
Located at the plant intake near L3-ISR-TRANS-HOP. Multiple docks (2-4) allow parallel hauler servicing. Power supplied by L1-PDM. Coordination handled by L3-ISR-CTRL-SCHED to avoid collisions and queue management.
Principles
- ▸Mechanical funnel guides hauler into precise alignment despite navigation uncertainty (~10 cm input → mm output)
- ▸Inductive charging: AC magnetic coupling across air gap — no metallic contact, no dust intrusion issue, ~85% efficiency at 1 kW
- ▸Conductive charging: direct contact via robotic-mate connector — higher efficiency (>95%) but more complex mating
- ▸Dump tilt actuation lifts hauler bed to 45° for gravity-assisted unloading
- ▸Data uplink via short-range RF or contact-pad
- ▸Health-check protocols verify hauler readiness before release back to duty
Typical implementations
- ▸Industrial AGV (automated guided vehicle) docking stations (terrestrial)
- ▸Tesla / Audi inductive EV charging concepts
- ▸ISS Soyuz / Crew Dragon docking interfaces (heritage robotic mate)
- ▸NASA Resource Prospector / VIPER charging concepts
- ▸Mining haul-truck autonomous docking (Caterpillar, Komatsu autonomous trucks)
Lunar considerations
- ▸Dust intrusion to mechanical alignment features mitigated by self-cleaning ramp design
- ▸Inductive coupling preferred for primary chargers — no dust-sensitive contacts
- ▸Robotic-mate connector as backup high-rate charge (e.g., for emergency cases)
- ▸Long-life mechanical features (cleats, guides) made of hardened aluminum with TWC overlay
- ▸Power transfer rate: 5-10 kW typical, allowing 1-2 hour full charge of hauler battery
- ▸Multiple docks for fleet redundancy and parallel servicing
Specifications
Functional
| primary function | Dock, unload, and recharge haulers |
| inputs | Incoming hauler from L3-ISR-TRANS-VEH, Power from L1-PDM, Dispatch commands from L3-ISR-CTRL-SCHED |
| outputs | Recharged hauler released to duty, Regolith dumped into L3-ISR-TRANS-HOP, Dock state telemetry |
| docks per station | 4 |
| charge power kw | 5 |
| max charge time hr | 2 |
| inductive coupling efficiency percent | 85 |
| mechanical alignment tolerance mm | 10 |
| dump tilt angle deg | 45 |
| data uplink rate mbps | 100 |
Physical
| mass kg per dock | 50 |
| total mass kg | 200 |
| dimensions per dock | 2.5 × 2.0 × 1.0 m |
| materials | Aluminum 6061-T6 dock structure, Tungsten-carbide-coated alignment ramps, Inductive charging coil with ferrite core, Stainless 316L mechanical actuators (tilt arm), Robotic-mate connector (backup conductive charge), Dust seals and sweep brooms |
| operating temperature c | -180, 130 |
| vacuum compatibility | True |
| ultimate load g | 4 |
Operational
| power consumption w per dock | 5500 |
| thermal range c | -180, 130 |
| lifetime years | 25 |
| mtbf hours | 50000 |
Interfaces
Provides
- Battery recharge at 5 kW
- Dumped regolith via tilt mechanism
- Dock state and hauler health uplink
Requires
- 5-10 kW per active dock
- Dispatch and queue management
Cite this entry
Lunar Ark Codex. "Hauler Docking and Charging Station" (L3-ISR-TRANS-DOCK). Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://lunarark.com/entry/L3-ISR-TRANS-DOCK
Licensed CC-BY-SA 4.0. You may reuse and adapt this entry with attribution, under the same licence.