AU Robot Servers

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Contents

Download

The tar ball (packed) versions are here: http://server.elektro.dtu.dk/ftp/jca/mobotware/

and a few comments for the releases in Release notes

Latest version (other than tarball above):

On Nyquist/SMRs: (in /usr/local/smr/) is 2.1353 (as of 12 feb 2011).

On SVN: is version 2.1353 (as of 12 feb 2011).

Base Documentation

Programming API documentation

AU Robot servers (AURC)

AURS class documentation http://server.elektro.dtu.dk/ftp/jca/mobotware/doc/html/index.html

Open CV

OpenCV (1.0) general documentation http://server.elektro.dtu.dk/www/jca/opencv/

OpenCV (1.0) CXCORE documentation http://server.elektro.dtu.dk/www/jca/opencv/ref/opencvref_cxcore.htm

OpenCV (1.0) CV documentation http://server.elektro.dtu.dk/www/jca/opencv/ref/opencvref_cv.htm

Most of the openCV-2.1 is available too: http://opencv.willowgarage.com/documentation/cpp

Camera server

The camera server ucamserver is pre-configured for camera related functionality.

Laser scanner server

The laser scanner server ulmsserver is optimized for functions using laser scanner data.

Client for monitoring (auclient)

A data monitoring client auclient is a server pre-configured to display graphics on an x-console. It can be started on computers with X installed, i.e. not on the robots. The auclient uses openCV (highgui) to display the data.

Other servers

An empty server userver is intended for functionality not related to camera and laser scanners

A server stub auservertest is a port server that just shows messages from connected clients - with a timestamp. This can be used to replace the MRC to verify the messages intended for the MRC.

Server module tester uservermoduletester is a special server, where most of the available plug-ins are compiled staticly into the server, and thus available in the >> module help list for direct creation. This server is intended for debug only.

Modules (plug-ins)

Descriptions

Not all plug-in modules has a description on these pages (yet).

Coordinate systems

The three Coordinate systems are available as static: odometry (odoPose), UTM (utmPose) and Map (mapPose)

How to make a plugin

plug-in structure

Variables (global variables and functions across plugins)

Interface description

MOBOTWARE is a set of socket servers, each server has 1 port and allows up to 10 simultaneous clients (port numbers used are from 24919 to 24930).

XML consist of tags and text, a tag is in brackets “<” and “>” and may be split into an open tag and a close tag, with some text imbetween e.g. <tagname> some tekst </tagname>. The open tag may have attributes and may have an implicit close tag (named a full tag), e.g.: <tagname info=”low on power” device=”gps”/>. Attributes must have a value, the value must be in quotes (or apostrophes).

Connect

When a client connects to a server the server sends an XML opening sequence of XML tags – something like: 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>\n
<camServer name="ucamcomp" version="2.182">\n

where “\n” is a “newline character ( ) - all commands and replies are terminated with a newline (handy when decoding commands and when debugging).

The client will replay with a similar sequence, something like: 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<marg name="paroll client" version="1267">

This is mandatory to comply with the XML standard (open a “document”).

At the end of the communication there should be a matching close tag: 

</marg>\n     from MARG

or 

</camServer>\n    from the camera server

This “end of document” tag has never been mandatory in either MARG nor in our MOBOTWARE servers.

Value exchange

The client has to initiate any data transfer.

To get a value of some variable, a data request is send to the server: 

<var mappose.pose=””/>\n

The server will reply in this format: 

<var name="odoPose.pose" typ="pose" size="4" value="1.531 -21.912 -2.026 1286376207.8752" x="1.531" y="-21.912" th="-2.026"/>\n

or 

<var warning="not found - try: var help" name="odoPose.poser"/>

or (if the command keyword is misspelled or unknown) 

<vur warning="Unsupported function keyword"/>

The return tag name (here var) is the same as in the command.

The important attribute names are: warning=”” is a general warning to be used if a command can not be executed (other general types are info=”” (debug info) and error=”” (fatal errors).

name=”” is the name of the variable, a “.” indicates that the name prior to the “.” is a structure name, i.e. odoPose is a structure, and pose is a variable name in that structure. Variable names are not case sensitive.

typ=”pose” is the type of a variable, relevant types are “d” (a single or array of double), “pose” a 2D pose (x,y,th), “m2” a matrix of doubles (any size), “s” for a string of any size, but ASCII characters – only tested with 7-bit ASCII with escape sequences as allowed by XML.

size=”4” is the size of the value field, either in characters if a string or number of doubles in all other cases.

Value="1.531 -21.912 -2.026 1286376207.8752" is the value of the variable coded as characters using default C locale, i.e. using “.” as decimal notation (e-notation should be valid too e.g 1.2863762078752e9).

Full structure

An example of request of a full structure could be (camera device info): 

<var campool.device0.allcopy=””/>

The server reply is something like: 

<var name="campool.device0.name" typ="s" size="26" value="Logitech Pro 3000"/>
<var name="campool.device0.log" typ="d" size="1"  value="0"/>
<var name="campool.device0.replay" typ="d" size="1" value="0"/>
<var name="campool.device0.intrinsic" typ="m2" size="9" value="709 0 320; 0 709 240; 0 0 1"/>
<var name="campool.device0.distortion" typ="m2" size="5" value="-0.207 0.2813 0.0013 0.0036 -0.3"/>
<var info="done"/>

The matrix value uses a “;” to indicate a new row, i.e. the intrinsic matrix above is a 3x3 matrix.

Set value

A value is changed (if allowed) like this: 

<var campool.device0.log="1"/>

Server replay is something like: 

<var name="camPool.device0.log" typ="d" size="1" value="1" oldValue="0"/>

The oldValue attribute is just for debug info.

Server push

The server can be requested to send (or process) data in responce to an event.

An event can be e.g. a new camera image, an updated image in the image pool, some time passed, update of some structure in the variable tree or an interface is connected.

In general the command for server push events includes the keyword "push", like 

<push t=1.5 cmd="odopose pose"/>

This is a time push, and the command (the value of the "cmd" attribute) is send to the server command queue every 1.5 seconds.

Other events has typically an interval parameter, like: 

<poolpush img=19 i=3 cmd="poolget all"/>

Then every third time image number 19 in the image pool is updated the image is send to the client.


Online help

In mobotware there is on-line help for all commands, i.e.: Client request for help: 

<help/>\n

Server reply: 

<help subject="server help">
----- Main help:
This is Camera_server-2.182 (Jan 15 2011 16:51:23 jca@oersted.dtu.dk) a server in the AU Robot Server series
running on host pluto port 24920
with 12 modules and 29 ressources.
---
Available commands (from currently loaded modules):
- push q server help shelp module do BASH alive quit exit
- camGet camSet camPush camsGet
- var varPush
- poolGet poolList poolSet poolPush
- odoPose odoPosePush
- utmPose utmPosePush
- mapPose mapPosePush
- laser laserOnConnect
- laserdata laserobst
- cron
- obj3d
- nav navOnConnect
All commands has a help option, e.g.:
server help       Help on server core functions
module help       Module list and addition/removal of modules
q                 Close connection to this client by server
(ping [tod=sss.usec] Time difference analysis (TCP only))
---
A command should be packed in XML brackets and must be terminated by a \n (newline)
e.g.:
<module list/>   or if you are lazy just:
module list
---
</help>
<help info="done"/>

The bullet list is the available commands, e.g. the var command is in the same module as varpush.

Then help on the var command from client: 

<var help/>

Server reply: 

<help subject="VAR">
-------------------- Available VAR options:
'variable [variable]*'  Get value of variable(s)
variable="value"        Assign a value to a variable
list                    Get list of variables in root of variable structure
struct                  Get list of all variables in a structure
[struct.]allCopy        Get list of all variables for var pool copy
desc                    Get variable description too
type=T                  semi-structure where T='pose' | '3d' | 'dq' | 's' | 't'
call='me(par1,par2,..)' Test a method call with name 'me' and some parameters
returnType=[lineseg|3d|pose|...] Expected struct result type of call
log[=false]             Open (or close) logfile (open false) /home/chr/chr/results/ucamserver.var.log
log[=false] struct      Start or stop logging of this struct
isLogging   struct      Is this structure beeing logged?
help                    This help message
See also VARPUSH (update event handling)
</help>
<var info="done"/>

Installation notes

Installation without FIREWIRE

If you do hat have (and should not use) firewire, then the AURS can be compiled by changing two of the Makefiles:

library ucam4 (in subdirectory ucam4):

In the Makefile change the DEFINES line from 

DEFINES = -D USE_IEEE1394 or -D USE_GUPPY

to 

DEFINES = -D USE_NO_IEEE1394 -D USE_NO_GUPPY

And the cameraserver (in directory ucamserver)

In the Makefile change the DEFINE line from 

DEFINES = -D USE_IEEE1394 or -D USE_GUPPY

to 

DEFINES = -D USE_NO_IEEE1394 -D USE_NO_GUPPY

and the LDDFLAGS line from 

LDFLAGS = -g0 -lcxcore -lcv \
        -L../lib -lurob4o -lugen4o -lumap4o -lucam4o \
        -lpng -ldl -rdynamic -lcurses -lreadline -lraw1394 -ldc1394_control

or 

LDFLAGS = -g0 -lcxcore -lcv \
        -L../lib -lurob4o -lugen4o -lumap4o -lucam4o \
        -lpng -ldl -rdynamic -lcurses -lreadline -lraw1394 -ldc1394

to 

LDFLAGS = -g0 -lcxcore -lcv \
         -L../lib -lurob4o -lugen4o -lumap4o -lucam4o \
         -lpng -ldl -rdynamic -lcurses -lreadline

Bugs

NEW! BUG reporting page here: Change requests (if you do not have write access, then send me a mail mailto:jca@elektro.dtu.dk)


Old stuff

Servers

Server-structure-1.png

Server structure issues (global variables and methods)

Camera server ucamserver

Laser scanner server ulmsserver

Empty server userver

Data monitoring client auclient

Static Plug-ins

Static plug-ins is part of the server code, and can be loaded without any additional files, see: 

>> module help

To get the available list of static plug-ins (and a short description)

The three Coordinate systems are available as static: odometry (odoPose), UTM (utmPose) and Map (mapPose)

File plug-ins

This is a list of the current available plug-ins in release 2.176:

The intension is that there should be a wiki page for each with further description.

  • auavoid.so.0 - visual graph obstacle avoidance (not stable)
  • auballfinder.so.0 - sample blob finder in a camera image
  • aucamcog.so.0 - a sample center of gravity plug-in for part of a camera image
  • aucamfocus.so.0 - a focus (contrast) calculation on a camera image.
  • aucron.so.0 - a module to execute bash commands at regular intervals - e.g. to move logged images at low priority
  • audrivepos.so.0 - drive control to a specific pose (uses auavoid)
  • auefline.so.0 - sample line finder plugin extended to find and maintain wall lines. Is based on the libauextractfeatures library.
  • augps.so.0 - a gps plugin, that maintains an UTM pose from a serial/USB GPS connection
  • aulmsnear.so.0 - a small function to return the closest point in a laserscan as a <laser l0=0.0 .../> type message
  • (aumission.so.0 - is now renamed to aurule Mission monitor sequencer)
  • aurule.so.0 - A rule based mission sequencer - Rule based mission sequencer
  • auroaddrive.so.0 - a drive controller thet follows a road edge (uses auavoid, ausmr and ulmspassable)
  • auseq.so.0 - deprecated mission sequencer - use aurule.so.0.
  • ausmr.so.0 - smr interface
  • ausvs.so.0 - a not quite finished Videre Design stereo camera plug-in
  • uexres.so.0 - sample resource share plug-in - works with uexuse
  • uexuse.so.0 - sample resource share plug-in - works with uexres
  • ulmspassable.so.0 - extracts road lines from a laserscan (tilted laser)
  • ulmsv360.so.0 - virtual 360 deg laser scanner device. This is also available as static plug-in for the ulmsserver.
  • mapbase.so.0 - a base plugin for mapped lines and connected graph of routes
  • aumapobst.so.0 - converts near map lines to obstacle polygons Mapped obstacles

Plug-in structure and description

plug-in structure

Variables (global variables and functions across plugins)

Coordinate systems

Scan features (@todo make page)

odometry, map or UTM (gps) pose and pose history pose

Guidemark (@todo make page)

Road detect (@todo make page)

Sequencer Sequencer

SMR interface (@todo make page)

Camera server interface (@todo make page)

Laser scanner interface (@todo make page)

Obstacle avoidance (@todo make page)

Road driver (@todo make page)

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