uavusr_emulator

Small ROS publisher to output dummy data in the form of images, pose messages, and sensor readings

Installing Dependencies

Before any steps can be made towards setting up the emulator, some packages must first be installed:

sudo apt install ros-kinetic-nav-msgs ros-kinetic-geometry-msgs ros-kinetic-image-transport ros-kinetic-std-msgs ros-kinetic-mavros-msgs ros-kinetic-sensor-msgs

Compiling

cd ~/catkin_ws/src
git clone https://github.com/qutas/uavusr_emulator
cd ~/catkin_ws
catkin_make
source ~/catkin_ws/devel/setup.bash

Updating

roscd uavusr_emulator
git pull
cd ~/catkin_ws
catkin_make

Running

Emulator

roslaunch uavusr_emulator emulator.launch

Additionally, a unique UAV name can be used when launching the emulator (replace UAVNAME with the desired name, defaults to "emulated_uav"):

roslaunch uavusr_emulator emulator.launch uav_name:=UAVNAME

Additional settings (such as position tracking speed and update rates) can be changed by editing the launch file itself (located in uavusr_emulator/launch/emulator.launch):

Waypoint Example

While the emulator itself does not come with an easy interface to control the current position with, the additional ROS package contrail can be used to perform all sorts of waypoint and tracking tasks. It is recommended that you refer to the contrail documentation for further reference.

Some examples waypoints have been provided:

• uavusr_emulator/movements/home.yaml: a simple hover goal
• uavusr_emulator/movements/land.yaml: a simple landing goal
• uavusr_emulator/movements/square.yaml: a complex square path with changing heading

To run the waypoint tracking (replace PATHNAME with the desired waypoints, e.g. home):

roslaunch uavusr_emulator guidance.launch wp_name:=PATHNAME

Note, if you set a custom UAVNAME, you must also specify it with uav_name:=UAVNAME when running the waypoint guidance.

Tuning the Simulation

Two files can be used to test the performance of tuning parameters:

• uavusr_emulator/launch/emulator.launch:
  • model_mass: Sets the weight of the model
  • single_motor_thrust: Sets the thrust (N) that a single motor can generate (quadrotor X4)
• uavusr_emulator/config/mavel_params.yaml: Refer to the mavel documentation for more details.

Subscribed Topics

• Deploy Red Payload (std_msgs/Empty): /UAVNAME/drop/red
• Deploy Blue Payload (std_msgs/Empty): /UAVNAME/drop/blue

Published Topics

UAV Information

• Autopilot State (mavros_msgs/State): /UAVNAME/state
• Battery Reading (sensor_msgs/BatteryState): /UAVNAME/battery
• Current Position (geometry_msgs/PoseStamped): /UAVNAME/pose
• Current Odometery (nav_msgs/Odometry): /UAVNAME/odom

Flight Area

• Realistic Map (nav_msgs/OccupancyGrid): /grid/real
• Test Map (nav_msgs/OccupancyGrid): /grid/random

Payload Feedback

• Red Deployment Position (geometry_msgs/PoseStamped): /UAVNAME/drop/red/pose
• Blue Deployment Position (geometry_msgs/PoseStamped): /UAVNAME/drop/blue/pose

Imagery

• Raw Image (sensor_msgs/Image): /UAVNAME/image
• Compressed Image (sensor_msgs/CompressedImage): /UAVNAME/image/compressed