MAIN README - Hacked By Group 12 in Q3 2023

Authors:

• Andriuškevičius, Justas
• Fuser, Michaël
• Liu, Yueqian
• Long, Youyuan
• Monarcha, Enzo
• Ou, Dequan

Our airframe is bebop_maze_runner, feel free to play around. Our strategy is mainly based on DIS dense optical flow: the MAV stops and turn if the expansion of flow (EOF) is over a threshold. In addition, we add a image gradient check at the start to find the very close object ahead. Here is the complete report, have fun~

Usage:

1. clone this repo recursively
2. build opencv under sw/ext/opencv_bebop/ with -DWITH_GTK=ON and -DWITH_CAROTENE=OFF
3. if you are on Apple Silicon, change every instance of x86_64 to aarch64 in conf/modules/cv_maze_runner.xml
4. make under the root directory, outside any conda env, run start.py and select the right config files (see the crashcourse doc)
5. in ./paparazzi you can build for different airframes, targets and run sim or setup flight udp, we have a good video to demonstrate how to interact with the drone. click the image to play the video!!Mistake in the video: the paper uses Horn-Schunck not Farneback!!
6. misc/telnet_bebop_console.sh opens the telnet console after you've setup flight udp, and misc/vlc_bebop_frontcam.sh opens the rtp and rotates the video

Pros:

• can detect obstacles regardless of their colors
• can avoid thin panels even if the MAV is approaching the panel from the side
• detect obstacles that are really close and not moving using image gradient

Cons:

• the thresholds maybe hard to tune
• can crash into obstacles in the break and go back phase
• not robust to collisions, will lose control if the obtacle blocks the turning phase

Changed files:

See the pull requests for more info

• sw/airborne/modules/maze_runner/: main logic code
  1. waypoint generation
  2. strategy for going the waypoint while avoiding obstacles
  3. receive vision frontend ABI topic and publish debug message
• sw/airborne/modules/computer_vision/cv_maze_runner.c: main vision module
  1. call opencv functions (written in another cpp file)
  2. handle frame queue and publish ABI topic
  3. take care of multithreading
• sw/airborne/modules/computer_vision/opencv_maze_runner.cpp: image processing
  1. DIS dense optical flow
  2. gradient calculation
• conf/modules: conf files for the modules
  1. lib links
  2. param description
  3. dlsettings for tuning params in flight
• conf/airframes/tudelft/bebop_course_maze_runner.xml: an independent airframe file
  1. parameter presets
  2. specify which modules to run
• conf/flight_plans/tudelft/course_maze_runner_cyberzoo.xml: dedicated flight plan
  1. set functions for the GCS buttons
  2. add a new interactive waypoint GUIDED_GOAL
• conf/messages.xml: for telem msg logging, follow the crashcourse doc
• conf/telemetry/default_rotorcraft.xml: register telem msg sending frequency
• conf/userconf/tudelft/course_conf.xml: this file tells the paparazzi centre and GCS about the airframes and what code to compile
• conf/userconf/tudelft/course_control_panel.xml: comment out the annoying speech dispatcher
• misc/
  1. legacy code, python notebooks (image processing, SVM)
  2. useful info for setting up the environment in misc.ipynb (opencv, gtk imshow, apple silicon)
  3. convenient scripts for opening vlc and telnet

Paparazzi UAS

Paparazzi is a free open source software package for Unmanned (Air) Vehicle Systems. For many years, the system has been used successfuly by hobbyists, universities and companies all over the world, on vehicles of various sizes (11.9g to 25kg). Paparazzi supports fixed wing, rotorcraft, hybrids, flapping vehicles and it is even possible to use it for boats and surface vehicles.

Documentation is available here https://paparazzi-uav.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

More docs is also available on the wiki http://wiki.paparazziuav.org

To get in touch, subscribe to the mailing list [paparazzi-devel@nongnu.org] (http://savannah.nongnu.org/mail/?group=paparazzi), the IRC channel (freenode, #paparazzi) and Gitter (https://gitter.im/paparazzi/discuss).

Required software

Instructions for installation can be found on the wiki (http://wiki.paparazziuav.org/wiki/Installation).

Quick start:

git clone https://github.com/paparazzi/paparazzi.git
cd ./paparazzi
./install.sh

For Ubuntu users, required packages are available in the [paparazzi-uav PPA] (https://launchpad.net/~paparazzi-uav/+archive/ppa), Debian users can use the [OpenSUSE Build Service repository] (http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/flixr:/paparazzi-uav/Debian_7.0/)

Debian/Ubuntu packages:

• paparazzi-dev is the meta-package on which the Paparazzi software depends to compile and run the ground segment and simulator.
• paparazzi-jsbsim is needed for using JSBSim as flight dynamics model for the simulator.

Recommended cross compiling toolchain: https://launchpad.net/gcc-arm-embedded

Directories quick and dirty description:

conf: the configuration directory (airframe, radio, ... descriptions).

data: where to put read-only data (e.g. maps, terrain elevation files, icons)

doc: documentation (diagrams, manual source files, ...)

sw: software (onboard, ground station, simulation, ...)

var: products of compilation, cache for the map tiles, ...

Compilation and demo simulation

1. type "make" in the top directory to compile all the libraries and tools.

2. "./paparazzi" to run the Paparazzi Center

3. Select the "Bixler" aircraft in the upper-left A/C combo box. Select "sim" from upper-middle "target" combo box. Click "Build". When the compilation is finished, select "Simulation" in Operation tab and click "Start Session".

4. In the GCS, wait about 10s for the aircraft to be in the "Holding point" navigation block. Switch to the "Takeoff" block (lower-left blue airway button in the strip). Takeoff with the green launch button.

Uploading the embedded software

1. Power the flight controller board while it is connected to the PC with the USB cable.

2. From the Paparazzi center, select the "ap" target, and click "Upload".

Flight

1. From the Paparazzi Center, select the flight session and ... do the same as in simulation !