PX4 Dev Call: June 16, 2021

rroche · June 9, 2021, 5:00pm

June 16, 2021

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Agenda

Community Q&A
Roadmap
High priority queue
Release
In-Depth discussions

Community Q&A

@david_s5 is waiting for his pr to get merged. It passes all tests, it was reviewed, merged. Thanks for the contribution!

github.com/PX4/PX4-Autopilot

Non-Version Specific changes for Future NuttX upgades

PX4:master ← PX4:pr-nuttx-upgrade-prep

opened 03:48PM - 03 Jun 21 UTC

davids5

+995 -816

In the 10.1.0 Of Nuttx this changes will be needed. This PR preps the current PX…4 code base for theses structural changes. Using inttypes - will be enforced in 10.1.0 as will type checking. getops interface will be Thread safe and accesors will be macros that collide the cli.getops interface. The change here in uses mixed case to avoid the collisions, STM32 Timers will be based on the Basic timer defines and advanced Includes for debug/syslog/assert/schedule will only be public API and not layerd.

Cristian has issues with obstacle avoidance flying:

We need to forward the issue to an insider to get the right answer. A log of a failing takeoff on https://logs.px4.io/ would be very useful.

github.com/PX4/PX4-Avoidance

Can not fly with avoidance on a real drone

opened 02:56PM - 16 Jun 21 UTC

Cristian-wp

Hello, I am working with avoidance (master branch). In simulation all works, bu…t now I am trying to make it work on a real UAV. The UAV is a DJI flamewheel 450 with a Holybro pixhawk and an Intel NUC as companion computer mounted on it. The camera is a IntelRealsense D450i mounted on it with a 3D print gimball (connected with an usbC->usbC cable to the NUC, in this way I can avoid the USB3.0 noise). As distance sensor I use a Garmin lidar lite. I have manage to generate the launch file (attached to this thread), and the topic are correctly published and in rviz I can see the pointcloud in /local_poincloud topic and I can see the tree paths generated. I have also compile in release mode, but I can not manage to make it work. In QGC I set my mission (COM_OBST_AVOID=1) waypoint and start the mission, the problem is that sometime the UAV does not take off, but when it does, It hover and do not do anything....It can not even reach the takeoff height, since is fix at 3m but it fly at 1.5~2.5m and stop. Can someone help me to solve this problem? ``` <launch> <arg name="ns" default="/"/> <arg name="fcu_url" default="/dev/ttyACM0:57600"/> <arg name="gcs_url" default="" /> <arg name="tgt_system" default="1" /> <arg name="tgt_component" default="1" /> <node pkg="tf" type="static_transform_publisher" name="tf_depth_camera" args="0.25 0 0.12 0 0 0 fcu camera_link 10"/> <group ns="$(arg ns)"> <include file="$(find mavros)/launch/node.launch"> <arg name="pluginlists_yaml" value="$(find mavros)/launch/px4_pluginlists.yaml" /> <arg name="config_yaml" value="$(find avoidance)/resource/px4_config.yaml" /> <arg name="fcu_url" value="$(arg fcu_url)" /> <arg name="gcs_url" value="$(arg gcs_url)" /> <arg name="tgt_system" value="$(arg tgt_system)" /> <arg name="tgt_component" value="$(arg tgt_component)" /> </include> </group> <include file="$(find realsense2_camera)/launch/rs_d435_camera.launch" > </include> <env name="ROSCONSOLE_CONFIG_FILE" value="$(find local_planner)/resource/custom_rosconsole.conf"/> <arg name="pointcloud_topics" default="[/camera/depth/color/points]"/> <node name="local_planner_node" pkg="local_planner" type="local_planner_node" output="screen" required="true" > <param name="goal_x_param" value="0" /> <param name="goal_y_param" value="0"/> <param name="goal_z_param" value="4" /> <rosparam param="pointcloud_topics" subst_value="True">$(arg pointcloud_topics)</rosparam> </node> <node name="rqt_param_toggle" pkg="local_planner" type="rqt_param_toggle.sh" /> </launch> ``` [frames.pdf](https://github.com/PX4/PX4-Avoidance/files/6664036/frames.pdf)

Eren Ipek (Maxwell Innovations) is waiting for his distance sensor driver to be reviewed:

@JulianOes Accelerometer calibration can get stuck: Accel calibration gets stuck · Issue #17769 · PX4/PX4-Autopilot · GitHub These should be actual failure cases e.g. sensor dropouts, bad state that is now properly catched and slipped through before.
Kevin is new to PX4 and he’s trying to run the simulation. He’s wondering what the role of gazebo and ROS is in the project.
There’s two reasons why ROS is mentioned together with ROS:
- We integrate with the gazebo simulator see GitHub - PX4/PX4-SITL_gazebo: Set of plugins, models and worlds to use with OSRF Gazebo Simulator in SITL and HITL.
- We have two ways to control a PX4 drone through ROS see mavros (ROS1) and rtps bridge (ROS2)
So PX4 is independent from ROS but they can be used together.
Kevin’s second question: Is uORB the internal protocol and MAVLink the external communication.
Correct, uORB is used to communicate between PX4 internal modules and for autopilot logging purposes. MAVLink is used as API for external components like ground station, companion computer, … to command and get information from PX4.
Kevin’s third question: Is it possible to get an FPV stream from the simulation? Yes e.g. in gazebo with the Typhoon H480 model.
Gazebo Vehicles | PX4 User Guide
Gazebo Vehicles | PX4 User Guide
Quicker but less featurerich way to get an FPV picture: You can start a jMAVsim simulation and press the “F” key in the simulator window.

Release

Release blocker board: v1.12 Release Coordination · GitHub

PWM default disarmed values e.g. 900us get applied to servos as well as main ESC outputs. This was found when looking into V 1.12 vtol pwm limits get always lost with transition to fw · Issue #17485 · PX4/PX4-Autopilot · GitHub. The issue is probably that the PWM_OUT numbers which are set in the airframe configured which outputs have the global group defaults before. We should restore this for the release and then switch that
There is an issue with a USB connected autopilot related to joystick usage which @JulianOes had QGC param download broken · Issue #17767 · PX4/PX4-Autopilot · GitHub. Sounds like a known problem reported here: Loss of MAVLink transmission when enabling joystick · Issue #9022 · mavlink/qgroundcontrol · GitHub
From testing it looks like it’s a QGC issue and also happens with PX4 1.11 so it’s not a release blocker but we need to debug: check if it’s reproducible with virtual joystick, what’s going on on the USB communication.

Roadmap

Discussion based on board: Roadmap · GitHub

High priority queue

Discussion based on board: High-Priority Queue · GitHub

In-Depth discussions

For smaller groups expanding technical discussions, stay until the end and follow up.

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