# Testing with DDS/micro-Ros ## Architecture Ardupilot contains the DDS Client library, which can run as SITL. Then, the DDS application runs a ROS2 node, an EProsima Integration Service, and the MicroXRCE Agent. The two systems communicate can communicate over serial or UDP. ```mermaid --- title: UDP Loopback --- graph LR subgraph Linux Computer subgraph Ardupilot SITL veh[sim_vehicle.py] <--> xrceClient[EProsima Micro XRCE DDS Client] xrceClient <--> port1[udp:2019] end subgraph DDS Application ros[ROS2 Node] <--> agent[Micro ROS Agent] agent <-->port1[udp:2019] end loopback end ``` ```mermaid --- title: Hardware Serial Port Loopback --- graph LR subgraph Linux Computer subgraph Ardupilot SITL veh[sim_vehicle.py] <--> xrceClient[EProsima Micro XRCE DDS Client] xrceClient <--> port1[devUSB1] end subgraph DDS Application ros[ROS2 Node] <--> agent[Micro ROS Agent] agent <--> port2[devUSB2] end port1 <--> port2 end ``` ## Installing Build Dependencies While DDS support in Ardupilot is mostly through git submodules, another tool needs to be available on your system: Micro XRCE DDS Gen. - Go to a directory on your system to clone the repo (perhaps next to `ardupilot`) - Install java ```console sudo apt install default-jre ```` - Follow instructions [here](https://micro-xrce-dds.docs.eprosima.com/en/latest/installation.html#installing-the-micro-xrce-dds-gen-tool) to install the latest version of the generator using Ardupilot's mirror ```console git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/ardupilot/Micro-XRCE-DDS-Gen.git cd Micro-XRCE-DDS-Gen ./gradlew assemble ``` - Add the generator directory to $PATH. ```console # Add this to ~/.bashrc export PATH=$PATH:/your/path/to/Micro-XRCE-DDS-Gen/scripts ``` - Test it ```console cd /path/to/ardupilot microxrceddsgen -version # openjdk version "11.0.18" 2023-01-17 # OpenJDK Runtime Environment (build 11.0.18+10-post-Ubuntu-0ubuntu122.04) # OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM (build 11.0.18+10-post-Ubuntu-0ubuntu122.04, mixed mode, sharing) # microxrceddsgen version: 1.0.0beta2 ``` > :warning: **If you have installed FastDDS or FastDDSGen globally on your system**: eProsima's libraries and the packaging system in Ardupilot are not determistic in this scenario. You may experience the wrong version of a library brought in, or runtime segfaults. For now, avoid having simultaneous local and global installs. If you followed the [global install](https://fast-dds.docs.eprosima.com/en/latest/installation/sources/sources_linux.html#global-installation) section, you should remove it and switch to local install. ### Serial Only: Set up serial for SITL with DDS On Linux, creating a virtual serial port will be necessary to use serial in SITL, because of that install socat. ``` sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install socat ``` ## Setup ardupilot for SITL with DDS Set up your [SITL](https://ardupilot.org/dev/docs/setting-up-sitl-on-linux.html). Run the simulator with the following command. If using UDP, the only parameter you need to set it `DDS_ENABLE`. | Name | Description | | - | - | | DDS_ENABLE | Set to 1 to enable DDS | | SERIAL1_BAUD | The serial baud rate for DDS | | SERIAL1_PROTOCOL | Set this to 45 to use DDS on the serial port | ```bash # Wipe params till you see "AP: ArduPilot Ready" # Select your favorite vehicle type sim_vehicle.py -w -v ArduPlane --console -DG --enable-dds # Enable DDS (both for UDP or Serial) param set DDS_ENABLE 1 # Only for Serial param set SERIAL1_BAUD 115 # See libraries/AP_SerialManager/AP_SerialManager.h AP_SerialManager SerialProtocol_DDS_XRCE param set SERIAL1_PROTOCOL 45 ``` Because `DDS_ENABLE` requires a reboot, stop the simulator with ctrl+C and proceed to the next section. ## Setup ROS 2 and micro-ROS Follow the steps to use the microROS Agent - Install ROS Humble (as described here) - https://docs.ros.org/en/humble/Installation/Ubuntu-Install-Debians.html - Install geographic_msgs ```bash sudo apt install ros-humble-geographic-msgs ``` - Install and run the microROS agent (as descibed here). Make sure to use the `humble` branch. - Follow [the instructions](https://micro.ros.org/docs/tutorials/core/first_application_linux/) for the following: - Do "Installing ROS 2 and the micro-ROS build system" - Skip the docker run command, build it locally instead - Skip "Creating a new firmware workspace" - Skip "Building the firmware" - Do "Creating the micro-ROS agent" - Source your ROS workspace Until this [PR](https://github.com/micro-ROS/micro-ROS.github.io/pull/401) is merged, ignore the notes about `foxy`. It works on `humble`. ## Using the ROS2 CLI to Read Ardupilot Data After your setups are complete, do the following: - Source the ros2 installation ```bash source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash ``` Next, follow the associated section for your chosen transport, and finally you can use the ROS 2 CLI. ### UDP (recommended for SITL) - Run the microROS agent ```bash cd ardupilot/libraries/AP_DDS ros2 run micro_ros_agent micro_ros_agent udp4 -p 2019 -r dds_xrce_profile.xml ``` - Run SITL (remember to kill any terminals running ardupilot SITL beforehand) ```bash sim_vehicle.py -v ArduPlane -DG --console --enable-dds ``` ### Serial - Start a virtual serial port with socat. Take note of the two `/dev/pts/*` ports. If yours are different, substitute as needed. ```bash socat -d -d pty,raw,echo=0 pty,raw,echo=0 >>> 2023/02/21 05:26:06 socat[334] N PTY is /dev/pts/1 >>> 2023/02/21 05:26:06 socat[334] N PTY is /dev/pts/2 >>> 2023/02/21 05:26:06 socat[334] N starting data transfer loop with FDs [5,5] and [7,7] ``` - Run the microROS agent ```bash cd ardupilot/libraries/AP_DDS # assuming we are using tty/pts/2 for DDS Application ros2 run micro_ros_agent micro_ros_agent serial -b 115200 -r dds_xrce_profile.xml -D /dev/pts/2 ``` - Run SITL (remember to kill any terminals running ardupilot SITL beforehand) ```bash # assuming we are using /dev/pts/1 for Ardupilot SITL sim_vehicle.py -v ArduPlane -DG --console --enable-dds -A "--uartC=uart:/dev/pts/1" ``` ## Use ROS 2 CLI - You should be able to see the agent here and view the data output. ```bash $ ros2 node list /Ardupilot_DDS_XRCE_Client $ ros2 topic list -v Published topics: * /ap/battery/battery0 [sensor_msgs/msg/BatteryState] 1 publisher * /ap/clock [rosgraph_msgs/msg/Clock] 1 publisher * /ap/geopose/filtered [geographic_msgs/msg/GeoPoseStamped] 1 publisher * /ap/navsat/navsat0 [sensor_msgs/msg/NavSatFix] 1 publisher * /ap/pose/filtered [geometry_msgs/msg/PoseStamped] 1 publisher * /ap/tf_static [tf2_msgs/msg/TFMessage] 1 publisher * /ap/time [builtin_interfaces/msg/Time] 1 publisher * /ap/twist/filtered [geometry_msgs/msg/TwistStamped] 1 publisher * /parameter_events [rcl_interfaces/msg/ParameterEvent] 1 publisher * /rosout [rcl_interfaces/msg/Log] 1 publisher Subscribed topics: * /ap/joy [sensor_msgs/msg/Joy] 1 subscriber $ ros2 topic hz /ap/time average rate: 50.115 min: 0.012s max: 0.024s std dev: 0.00328s window: 52 $ ros2 topic echo /ap/time sec: 1678668735 nanosec: 729410000 --- ``` The static transforms for enabled sensors are also published, and can be recieved like so: ```console ros2 topic echo /ap/tf_static --qos-depth 1 --qos-history keep_last --qos-reliability reliable --qos-durability transient_local --once ``` In order to consume the transforms, it's highly recommended to [create and run a transform broadcaster in ROS 2](https://docs.ros.org/en/humble/Concepts/About-Tf2.html#tutorials). ## Contributing to AP_DDS library ### Adding DDS messages to Ardupilot Unlike the use of ROS 2 `.msg` files, since Ardupilot supports native DDS, the message files follow [OMG IDL DDS v4.2](https://www.omg.org/spec/IDL/4.2/PDF). This package is intended to work with any `.idl` file complying with those extensions. Over time, these restrictions will ideally go away. To get a new IDL file from ROS2, follow this process: ```console cd ardupilot source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash # Find the IDL file find /opt/ros/$ROS_DISTRO -type f -wholename \*builtin_interfaces/msg/Time.idl # Create the directory in the source tree if it doesn't exist similar to the one found in the ros directory mkdir -p libraries/AP_DDS/Idl/builtin_interfaces/msg/ # Copy the IDL cp /opt/ros/humble/share/builtin_interfaces/msg/Time.idl libraries/AP_DDS/Idl/builtin_interfaces/msg/ # Build the code again with the `--enable-dds` flag as described above ``` ### Development Requirements Astyle is used to format the C++ code in AP_DDS. This is required for CI to pass the build. See [Tools/CodeStyle/ardupilot-astyle.sh](../../Tools/CodeStyle/ardupilot-astyle.sh). ```console ./Tools/CodeStyle/ardupilot-astyle.sh libraries/AP_DDS/*.h libraries/AP_DDS/*.cpp ``` Pre-commit is used for other things like formatting python and XML code. This will run the tools automatically when you commit. If there are changes, just add them back your staging index and commit again. 1. Install [pre-commit](https://pre-commit.com/#installation) python package. 1. Install ArduPilot's hooks in the root of the repo, then commit like normal ```console cd ardupilot pre-commit install git commit ```