Drivers

SIG Coordinator: Jack O'Quin

Topics: driver packaging, sensor_msgs, dynamic_reconfigure

Members:

• Melonee Wise
• Patrick Mihelich
• Chad Rockey
• Jack O'Quin
• Ken Tossell
• Eric Perko
• Brett Grandbois

Mailing list:

• discussion archives.

• signup

Proposed new features

• camera_drivers

  • Unary stack packaging, <<Ticket(ros-pkg 5183)>>, see REP-0109

  • camera1394 diagnostics support, <<Ticket(ros-pkg 5292)>>

  • Add official USB camera (UVC) driver
  • Add official Video4Linux/GStreamer/OpenCV camera driver(s)

• laser_drivers

  • Laser driver message API changes (NaN and Inf), depends on REP-0117

  • Added diagnostic publisher.
  • Added connect_delay parameter for Pioneers.
  • Added support for changing SICK output units.

• joystick_drivers

  • Repackaging to be determined

  • Joystick driver support for Feedback messages

  • Remove sudo requirement for ps3joy

  • Diagnostics for ps3joy

  • Possibly diagnostics for all joystick drivers so that users are sure that the lowest level driver is spitting out data

• openni_kinect

  • Stack reorganization to minimize dependencies

  • New openni_camera driver

    • well tested and robust
    • with diagnostics

• gps_drivers new umbrella stack, possibly containing:

  • gpsd_client (reads from GPSd, generic, has trouble with GPSd instability)

  • cyphy_ros_gps (reads NMEA directly, generic)

  • Novatel drivers:

    • ccny-ros-pkg/cata_gps

    • novatelINS

  • publish sensor_msgs/NavSatFix messages

• android_drivers new umbrella stack, possibly containing:

  • imu_driver
  • gps_driver
  • camera_driver
  • Possibly all in one App.

• sensor_msgs

  • Make an official API for GPS time

Deadlines

First feature freeze (2012-02-15)

• Unary stack packaging

  • camera_drivers [Jack] done

• Hokuyu and Sick laser driver API changes (depends on new REP approval) [Chad] released into unstable

  • List of affected packages

• New openni_camera driver

• Wiimote Feedback changes (Breaks existing API) done

• Camera namespace changes [Patrick] moved to Groovy

• Propose new sensor_msgs/TimeReference [Chad] review completed

  • http://www.ros.org/wiki/sensor_msgs/Reviews/2011-12-25_NavSatTime_Proposal_API_Review

Final feature freeze (2012-03-15)

• New USB camera (UVC) driver [Ken]
• Official V4L/OpenCV/GStreamer camera driver(s)
• Wiimote fixes
• Kinect calibration improvements

• joystick_drivers updates

• New gps_drivers [Eric] done

• New android_drivers [Chad] done

• camera1394 diagnostics support [Jack] done

• laser_drivers - Added diagnostic publisher. [Chad] done

• laser_drivers - Added connect_delay parameter for Pioneers. [Chad] done

• laser_drivers - Added support for changing SICK output units. [Chad] done

Release date (2012-04-15)

• Bug fixes not affecting APIs

Maybe next release

• dynamic_reconfigure

  • Possible enhancements, including the Parameter Groups Proposal, and <<Ticket(ros-pkg 3617)>>

  • C++ Client API (To resolve having to call command line from code.)

• camera_drivers

  • Camera namespace changes, REP approval needed

• sensor_msgs

  • Add an informational GPS message that contains Satellite Counts, etc?

• laser_drivers

  • Unary stack packaging, see REP-0109

• imu_drivers

  • Unary stack packaging, see REP-0109

Going to third party release

• xv_11_laser_driver

  • Move xv_11_laser driver to Google code. Release debian package.
• Sparkfun 9DOF IMU
  • Add repository on Google code and release debian package.

  • Support (again) for Sparkfun 9-dof IMU

    • Possible modifications to built-in firmware for ROS-Serial and Quaternion Output - the built in firmware uses rotation matrices for internal representation but outputs Euler.

• imu_tools

  • Create new repository on Google code and release debian package.
    • Should try to closely couple this with imu_drivers.

  • Wiimote and other Gyro only support for robot_pose_ekf (through simple integration).