RBF GNSS INS Driver

Overview

The ROBINS/GNSS INS System ROS2 driver is a software component designed to interface with a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) module combined with an Inertial Navigation System (INS). The driver enables ROS2-based applications to access and utilize the raw GNSS and INS data for localization, navigation, and other related tasks.

Author: Robeff Technology

Maintainer: Robeff Technology

Table of Contents

• Features
• Installation
  • Prerequisites
  • Install the RBF GNSS INS ROS2 Driver
• Configuration File
• Usage
• Customizing Configuration
• Troubleshooting
• Custom Messages
• Standard Messages
• Subscribed Topic
• Contributing
• License

Features

• ROS2 Compatibility: Fully compatible with the ROS2 (Robot Operating System 2) ecosystem.
• GNSS Data: Reads raw data from the GNSS module, including satellite positions, timestamps, position, velocity, and other relevant information.
• INS Data: Retrieves data from the Inertial Navigation System, such as roll, pitch, and yaw angles.
• 6-DOF IMU Data: Provides data from the built-in ADIS16470 6-DOF IMU.
• Fused Output: Fuses GNSS and INS data using sensor fusion techniques (e.g., Extended Kalman Filter) for robust localization estimates.
• Configurable Parameters: Allows customization of various parameters to adapt to different GNSS/INS modules and user requirements.

Installation

Prerequisites

Before proceeding with the installation, ensure you have the following prerequisites:

1. ROS2 Humble: Ensure you have a working ROS2 Humble installation. Follow the official installation instructions if needed.
2. Build Tools: Ensure you have the necessary build tools and dependencies installed on your system.

Install the RBF GNSS INS ROS2 Driver

1. Clone the Repository: Clone the repository into your ROS2 workspace's source directory:

   cd /path_to_your_ros2_workspace/src
   git clone https://github.com/Robeff-Technology/rbf_gnss_ins_driver.git

   Clone ntrip driver Repository(Optional):

   git clone https://github.com/Robeff-Technology/rbf_ntrip_driver.git

2. Instal Dependencies: Use rosdep to install the required dependencies for the project:

   cd /path_to_your_ros2_workspace
   rosdep install --from-paths src --ignore-src -r -y

3. Build the Workspace: Navigate to your ROS2 workspace and build the packages:

   cd /path_to_your_ros2_ws
   colcon build --packages-select rbf_gnss_ins_driver

4. Source the Workspace: Source your ROS2 workspace to make the newly built RBF GNSS INS driver node available:

   source /path_to_your_ros2_ws/install/setup.bash

   Configuration File

The rbf_gnss_ins_driver.param.yaml configuration file allows customization of the driver's behavior. Below is a table explaining each parameter:

Parameter	Description	Default Value
working_frequency	The working frequency of the driver.	200
serial_config
├─ port	Current port name of the device	/dev/ttyUSB0
└─ baudrate	Current baudrate of the device	460800
topic_config
├─ rtcm_topic	RTCM topic name	/sensing/gnss/ntrip/rtcm
├─ imu_topic	IMU topic name	robins/ros/imu
├─ nav_sat_fix_topic	NavSatFix topic name	robins/ros/gps_nav_sat_fix
├─ twist_topic	TwistWithCovarianceStamped topic name	robins/ros/twist_with_covariance_stamped
└─ temperature_topic	Temperature topic name	robins/ros/temperature
frame_config
├─ gnss_frame	GNSS frame name	gnss_ins_link
└─ imu_frame	IMU frame name	imu_link
time_config
└─ use_ros_time	Use ROS time if true (not recommended)	false
odometry_config
├─ use_odometry	Use odometry if true	false
├─ odometry_topic	Odometry topic name	robins/ros/odometry
└─ odometry_frame	Odometry frame name	odom
origin_config
├─ latitude	Latitude of the origin	0.0
├─ longitude	Longitude of the origin	0.0
└─ altitude	Altitude of the origin	0.0
altitude_config
└─ altitude_mode	Altitude mode (0: orthometric, 1: ellipsoid)	0

Usage

1. Launch the RBF GNSS INS Driver Node: Start the RBF GNSS INS driver node using the provided launch file. Run the following command:

   ros2 launch rbf_gnss_ins_driver gnss_ins_driver.launch.xml

   This will start the driver node and configure it based on the default parameters.

2. Verify Data: After launching the driver, verify that the GNSS and INS data are being published to the correct topics using tools like ros2 topic echo.

Customizing Configuration (Optional)

To customize the behavior of the GNSS/INS driver:

1. Locate the Configuration File: The gnss_ins.param.yaml configuration file is in the package's config directory.
2. Customize Parameters: Edit the configuration file to modify the driver's behavior. Adjust parameters such as communication settings, INS settings, and output topics.
3. Launch with Custom Configuration: Launch the driver node with the updated configuration:

     ros2 launch rbf_gnss_ins_driver gnss_ins_driver.launch.xml

4. Launch with 'rbf_ntrip_driver: This driver works in coordination with the rbf_ntrip_driver to provide RTCM correction data via NTRIP. You can launch it using:

   ros2 launch rbf_gnss_ins_driver gnss_ins_driver_with_ntrip_client.launch.xml

Troubleshooting

• Build Errors: Ensure all dependencies are properly installed and sourced.
• Permissions: Ensure the user has the necessary permissions to access the GNSS/INS module (e.g., /dev/ttyUSB0).
• Driver-specific Issues: Refer to the documentation or contact the developer for specific issues.

Custom Messages

ECEF

• Position and velocity in ECEF.

GnssStatus

• Reports several status indicators, including differential age.

GnssVel

• Best available GNSS velocity without INS, including status indicators.

Heading

• Heading information of the receiver in motion.

ImuStatus

• IMU status indicator.

Ins

• Integrated navigation results and deviations.

RTCMStatus

• Status of RTCM topic for debugging.

Standard Messages

imu/Temp sensor_msgs/Temperature

• Temperature of the IMU. Requires RAWIMU.

TwistWithCovarianceStamped geometry_msgs/TwistWithCovarianceStamped

• Velocity of the vehicle calculated with EKF. Requires INSPVAX.
• /raw/ecef_twist: Velocity of the vehicle in ECEF. Requires ECEF.

NavSatFix sensor_msgs/NavSatFix

• Position of the vehicle calculated with EKF. Requires INSPVAX.
• /raw/nav_sat_fix: Position of the vehicle without EKF. Requires ECEF.

Imu sensor_msgs/Imu

• IMU data calculated with EKF. Requires RAWIMU, INSPVAX.
• /raw/imu: IMU data without EKF. Requires RAWIMU.

Odometry nav_msgs/Odometry

• Odometry data. Requires INSPVAX.

Subscribed Topic

RTCM mavros_msgs::msg::RTCM

• RTCM data for RTK. For more information, see ntrip_client.

Contributing

If you would like to contribute to this project, please contact Robeff Technology or submit a pull request on the GitHub repository.

License

This project is licensed under the Apache 2.0 License - see the LICENSE file for details.