AWS DeepRacer sensor fusion package

Overview

The AWS DeepRacer sensor fusion ROS package creates the sensor_fusion_node, which is part of the core AWS DeepRacer application and launches from the deepracer_launcher. For more information about the application and the components, see the aws-deepracer-launcher repository.

This node is responsible for collecting the messages from all the sensors and publishing the combined sensor message. It provides services and functions to subscribe to the LiDAR and camera messages, configure LiDAR, publish a combined sensor message, and publish an overlay message with the LiDAR data overlaid on top of the camera image.

License

The source code is released under Apache 2.0.

Installation

Follow these steps to install the AWS DeepRacer sensor fusion package.

Prerequisites

The AWS DeepRacer device comes with all the prerequisite packages and libraries installed to run the sensor_fusion_pkg. For more information about the preinstalled set of packages and libraries on the AWS DeepRacer, and about installing the required build systems, see Getting started with AWS DeepRacer OpenSource.

The sensor_fusion_pkg specifically depends on the following ROS 2 packages as build and run dependencies:

1. deepracer_interfaces_pkg: This package contains the custom message and service type definitions used across the AWS DeepRacer core application.
2. cv_bridge: This package contains CvBridge, which converts between ROS image messages and OpenCV images.
3. image_transport: This package provides transparent support for transporting images in low-bandwidth compressed formats.
4. sensor_msgs: This package defines messages for commonly used sensors, including cameras and scanning laser rangefinders.

Downloading and building

Open a terminal on the AWS DeepRacer device and run the following commands as the root user.

1. Switch to the root user before you source the ROS 2 installation:

    sudo su
   

2. Source the ROS 2 Foxy setup bash script:

    source /opt/ros/foxy/setup.bash 
   

3. Create a workspace directory for the package:

    mkdir -p ~/deepracer_ws
    cd ~/deepracer_ws
   

4. Clone the sensor_fusion_pkg on the AWS DeepRacer device:

    git clone https://github.com/aws-deepracer/aws-deepracer-sensor-fusion-pkg.git
   

5. Fetch unreleased dependencies:

    cd ~/deepracer_ws/aws-deepracer-sensor-fusion-pkg
    rosws update
   

6. Resolve the sensor_fusion_pkg dependencies:

    cd ~/deepracer_ws/aws-deepracer-sensor-fusion-pkg && rosdep install -i --from-path . --rosdistro foxy -y
   

7. Build the sensor_fusion_pkg and deepracer_interfaces_pkg:

    cd ~/deepracer_ws/aws-deepracer-sensor-fusion-pkg && colcon build --packages-select sensor_fusion_pkg deepracer_interfaces_pkg
   

Usage

The sensor_fusion_node provides the core functionality to combine the sensor data from various sensors connected to the AWS DeepRacer vehicle. Although the node is built to work with the AWS DeepRacer application, you can run it independently for development, testing, and debugging purposes.

Run the node

To launch the built sensor_fusion_node as the root user on the AWS DeepRacer device, open another terminal on the AWS DeepRacer device and run the following commands as the root user:

1. Switch to the root user before you source the ROS 2 installation:

    sudo su
   

2. Source the ROS 2 Foxy setup bash script:

    source /opt/ros/foxy/setup.bash 
   

3. Source the setup script for the installed packages:

    source ~/deepracer_ws/aws-deepracer-sensor-fusion-pkg/install/setup.bash
   

4. Launch the sensor_fusion_node using the launch script:

    ros2 launch sensor_fusion_pkg sensor_fusion_launch.py
   

Launch files

The sensor_fusion_launch.py, included in this package, provides an example demonstrating how to launch the nodes independently from the core application.

from launch import LaunchDescription
from launch_ros.actions import Node

def generate_launch_description():
    return LaunchDescription([
        Node(
            package='sensor_fusion_pkg',
            namespace='sensor_fusion_pkg',
            executable='sensor_fusion_node',
            name='sensor_fusion_node'
        )
    ])

Node details

sensor_fusion_node

Subscribed topics

Published topics

Services

Resources

• Getting started with AWS DeepRacer OpenSource

Contributing guidelines

Thank you for your interest in contributing to our project. Whether it’s a bug report, new feature, correction, or additional documentation, we greatly value feedback and contributions from our community.

Please read through this document before submitting any issues or pull requests to ensure we have all the necessary information to effectively respond to your bug report or contribution.

Reporting bugs and requesting features

Use the GitHub issue tracker to report bugs or suggest features.

When filing an issue, check existing open and recently closed issues to make sure someone else hasn’t already reported the issue. Try to include as much information as you can. Details like these are incredibly useful:

• A reproducible test case or series of steps
• The version of our code being used
• Any modifications you’ve made relevant to the bug
• Anything unusual about your environment or deployment

Contributing through pull requests

Contributions made through pull requests are much appreciated. Before sending us a pull request, ensure that:

1. You are working against the latest source on the main branch.
2. You check existing open and recently merged pull requests to make sure someone else hasn’t addressed the problem already.
3. You open an issue to discuss any significant work; we would hate for your time to be wasted.

To send us a pull request:

1. Fork the repository.
2. Modify the source; focus on the specific change you are contributing. If you also reformat all the code, it will be hard for us to focus on your change.
3. Ensure local tests pass.
4. Commit to your fork using clear commit messages.
5. Send us a pull request, answering any default questions in the pull request interface.
6. Pay attention to any automated CI failures reported in the pull request, and stay involved in the conversation.

GitHub provides additional documentation on forking a repository and creating a pull request.

Finding ways to contribute

Looking at the existing issues is a great way to find something on which to contribute. As our projects, by default, use the default GitHub issue labels (enhancement, bug, duplicate, help wanted, invalid, question, wontfix), looking at any help wanted issues is a great place to start.

Code of Conduct

This project has adopted the Amazon Open Source Code of Conduct. For more information, see the Code of Conduct FAQ or contact opensource-codeofconduct@amazon.com with any additional questions or comments.

Security issue notifications

If you discover a potential security issue in this project we ask that you notify Amazon Security via our vulnerability reporting page. Please do not create a public GitHub issue.

Licensing

See the LICENSE file for our project’s licensing. We will ask you to confirm the licensing of your contribution.