View source for Raspberry pi camera servers

This is notes from installation multi-raspberry pi camera (3 or 5 raspberry pi, each with a camera).
The camera images is then collected in one single camera server.

This configuration guide is for the raspberry pi cameras and for the single camera server.

== Prerequisites ==

It is assumed that mobotware is compiled for (or on) raspberry, and installed to /usr/local/smr, e.g. from the mobotware directory like this:

 cd mobotware
 make
 sudo make install

Make takes a long time (one hour or so).

The make install installs the needed files into /usr/local/smr.local and links to this from /usr/local/smr. But do not put anything into /etc/rc.local.


== Files needed ==

In mobotware a configuration example is in mobotware/build/config/gogo and mobotware/build/config/gogo/picam.

 ls mobotware/build/config/gogo
   picam  rhdconfig.xml  ucamserver.ini
 ls mobotware/build/config/gogo/picam
   aukeeper.ini  connectrhd.rule  keepcam.rule  keeplaser.rule  keepnav.rule  rc.local  startKeeper  ucamserver.ini

In mobotware/build/config/gogo/picam is the configuration files for the raspberry pi camera, the mobotware/build/config/gogo/ucamserver.ini is the configuration file for the single image collecting camera server (mostly for image recording).

== Raspberry pi camera ==

The raspberry pi cameras in this example is named rpi6, rpi7, ... rpi10 as their hostname (in /etc/hostname).

===Keeper===

The keeper is a server that starts the cameraserver when needed (and restarts it if it crashes or gets stuck in other ways).

The Keeper should be started at reboot using the /etc/rc.local, like this line almostat the end of rc.local:

 # rc.local
 ...
 # start keeper
 '''su -c "/home/local/startKeeper" local'''
 #
 exit 0

This starts a script placed in /home/local named startKeeper as the user local.
This is to run as much as possible without root privileges.

Copy the start script to /home/local (beeing the user ''local'':

 cd
 cp mobotware/build/config/gogo/picam/startKeeper .
 chmod +x startKeeper

Make a live directory where the configuration files for keeper and camera server resides, and copy the ini-files:

 mkdir live
 cd live
 cp mobotware/build/config/gogo/picam/*.ini .

Theaukeeper.ini file looks something like this

 # open server - port and path
 server port=24926
 server imagepath="/var/log/keeper"
 server datapath="/var/log/keeper"
 module load=var
 # cam
 module load="if" alias=cam
 cam connect=localhost:24920
 camonconnect cmd="cam push t=3 cmd='var allcopy'"
 var global.requiredclients=1
 var global.keep.cam=1
 var global.caminifile="/home/local/live/ucamserver.ini"
 # start rules
 module load="aurule.so.0"
 rule log=false
 rule load="/usr/local/smr/bin/aursconf/keepcam.rule"
 rule resume

The keeper uses a rule to monitor and restart the cameraserver, this is assumed to be placed in /usr/local/smr/bin/aursconf, so copy the rules there (they may be there already, so probably not needed)

 sudo cp *.rule /usr/local/smr/bin/aursconf/

The rule used for the camera server looks like this:

 <?xml version="1.0" ?>
 <rule name="keepcam" if="defined('cam.connected')">
  <description>
    * This rule is trying to keep cam server running, when the
    number of clients is more than required in global.requiredclients and
    the variable global.keep.cam is true.
    * This rule starts when the cam interface module is available (and
    has created the variable cam.connected).
    * When number of clients falls below the number of required, then
    the server is closed (if it was started by the keeper).
    * If the cam server is running already then the keeper will monitor the running
    instance and restart it if it crashes. The server is crashed if no "alive" signal
    is received within 3 seconds (value in alive rule below)
  </description>
  <init>
    # define global status variables
    global.alive.cam = false
    global.alive.camStarted = false
    allow = 7  # allow time is allowed time to be dead
    if (not defined('global.keep.cam'))
      global.keep.cam=false
    deadCnt = allow + 1
    <rule name="alive" if="cam.connected[1] and
                          cam.hostalive and
                          not global.alive.cam">
      global.alive.cam = true
      print("cam is alive after " deadCnt " secs to start")
      deadCnt = 0
      allow = 3  # seen alive to dead detect
    </rule>
    <rule name="deadCnt" if="not cam.connected[1] or not cam.hostalive">
      # if (deadCnt &lt; 0.51)
      #   print("cam seems to be dying " deadCnt " : cam.connected=" cam.connected[1] ", cam.alive=" cam.hostalive)
      deadCnt = deadCnt + rulestate.sampletime
    </rule>
    <rule name="noclient" if="cam.connected[1] and
                              global.requiredclients > core.clients and
                              global.alive.camStarted">
      global.alive.camStarted = false
      print("Closing cam server - as there is no clients left on port " core.port)
      core.send("cam quit")
    </rule>
    <rule name="dead" if="deadCnt >= allow and global.alive.cam">
      print("cam assumed dead after " deadCnt " secs with no responce")
      print(" - cam status: cam.connected=" cam.connected[1] ", cam.alive=" cam.hostalive)
      global.alive.cam = false
      global.alive.camStarted = false
    </rule>
    <rule name="start" if="core.clients >= global.requiredclients and
                          not global.alive.cam and
                          not global.alive.camStarted and
                          global.keep.cam">
      <init>
        inistr=" "
        startstr=" "
      </init>
      deadCnt = 0
      if (defined("global.caminifile"))
        inistr = "--script " global.caminifile
      global.alive.camStarted = true
      allow = 30 # allow for start-up time
      # startstr = 'su -c "nice --adjustment=5 /usr/local/smr/bin/startserver ucamserver ' inistr '" local' 
      startstr = 'nice --adjustment=5 /usr/local/smr/bin/startserver ucamserver ' inistr
      core.send("bash " startstr)
    </rule>
  </init>
  # keep monitoring rule active
  wait() : false
 </rule>

It is a XML formatted rule script, as defined for the aurule.so.0 plugin.

=== Camera server on Raspberry camera ===

In the live directory is the camera configuration file, it looks something like this:

 local@rpi7:~/mobotware/build/config/gogo/picam $ cat ucamserver.ini
 #!/bin/bash
 # camera server scriptfile
 server imagepath="."
 server datapath="."
 server replayPath="foo"
 # server port=24920
 #
 module load=var
 module load=odopose
 module load=aurule.so.0
 module load=aupoly.so.0
 # camera parameters
 camset device=6 focallength=532 posx=0.45 posy=0.03  posz=0.65 rotphi=0 rotkappa=-1.57  # east -90 deg
 camset device=7 focallength=532 posx=0.45 posy=0.00  posz=0.65 rotphi=0 rotkappa=0
 camset device=8 focallength=532 posX=0.45 posY=-0.03 posZ=0.65 rotPhi=0 rotkappa=-0.785
 camset device=9 focallength=532 posX=0.45 posY=-0.03 posZ=0.65 rotPhi=0 rotkappa=0.785
 camset device=10 focallength=532 posX=0.45 posY=-0.03 posZ=0.65 rotPhi=0 rotkappa=1.57
 # raspberry pi camera
 module load=aupicam.so.0
 # use the one fit for this pi-cam
 # will then use the corresponding image-pool number
 # then much easier when collecting images
 var picam.camDeviceNum=6
 ; var picam.camDeviceNum=7
 ; var picam.camDeviceNum=8
 ; var picam.camDeviceNum=9
 ; var picam.camDeviceNum=10
 var picam.framerate=2
 var picam.resolution="768 1024"
 var picam.white=7
 var picam.exposuremode=1
 var picam.meter=0
 var picam.pyramidlevels=3
 picam open
 # end of script


The ''camset'' commands configure the raspberry camera with different numbers, this is to ease the transfer of images to the combining camera server.

Near the end is the camera number for this raspberry camera defined - the others are commented out.

NB! it seems like a frame rate of 1 (var picam.framerate=1) will not work, so keep it at 2 or higher.

== common camera server ==

A camera server to combine all the images may be needed - at least for logging of images and odometry.

The camera server configuration file could look like this:

 local@rpi7:~/mobotware/build/config/gogo $ cat ucamserver.ini 
  #!/bin/bash
  server imagepath="."
  server datapath="."
  server replayPath="log_cam"
  server port=24920
  #
  module load=var
  #
  module load=odoPose
  odopose log
  module load=mappose
  mappose log
  module load=utmpose
  utmpose log
  ;mapPose replay
  module load=ucamif.so.0
  camdata add=img
  camdata add=gmk
  camdata add=path
  camdata add=cam
  ;
  # autostart cameraserver on raspberry pi cameras
  module load=if alias=cam6keep
  module load=if alias=cam7keep
  module load=if alias=cam8keep
  module load=if alias=cam9keep
  module load=if alias=cam10keep
  cam6keep connect=rpi6.local:24926
  cam7keep connect=rpi7.local:24926
  cam8keep connect=rpi8.local:24926
  cam9keep connect=rpi9.local:24926
  cam10keep connect=rpi10.local:24926
  ; ;
  # connect to get images
  module load=if alias=cam6
  module load=if alias=cam7
  module load=if alias=cam8
  module load=if alias=cam9
  module load=if alias=cam10
  ; #
  camset device=6 focallength=455 posx=0.45 posy=0.03  posz=0.65 rotphi=0 rotkappa=0.8
  camset device=7 focallength=455 posx=0.45 posy=0.00  posz=0.65 rotphi=0 rotkappa=0
  camset device=8 focallength=455 posX=0.45 posY=-0.03 posZ=0.65 rotPhi=0 rotkappa=-0.8
  camset device=9 focallength=455 posX=0.45 posY=-0.03 posZ=0.65 rotPhi=0 rotkappa=-1.57
  camset device=10 focallength=455 posX=0.45 posY=-0.03 posZ=0.65 rotPhi=0 rotkappa=1.57
  ; ;
  # load images scaled 2 levels down cam 6 is img=6+2 = 8
  # to get small overview images
  cam6onconnect cmd="cam6 poolpush img=8 cmd='poolget all toimg=26 fmt=rgb'"
  cam7onconnect cmd="cam7 poolpush img=9 cmd='poolget all toimg=27 fmt=rgb'"
  cam8onconnect cmd="cam8 poolpush img=10 cmd='poolget all toimg=28 fmt=rgb'"
  cam9onconnect cmd="cam9 poolpush img=11 cmd='poolget all toimg=29 fmt=rgb'"
  cam10onconnect cmd="cam10 poolpush img=12 cmd='poolget all toimg=30 fmt=rgb'"
  ; ;
  cam6 connect=rpi6.local:24920
  cam7 connect=rpi7.local:24920
  cam8 connect=rpi8.local:24920
  cam9 connect=rpi9.local:24920
  cam10 connect=rpi10.local:24920
  ;
  poolset img=26 log
  poolset img=27 log
  poolset img=28 log
  poolset img=29 log
  poolset img=30 log
  ;

This configuration file connects to 5 camera boards.

This gets an image from each of the raspberry pi cameras and load them to image numbers 26 to 30 in RGB format.