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Version: ROS 2 Humble

Velodyne Ultra Puck

Item Numbers

DescriptionCPR ItemSales KitInstallation Kit, With Fasteners
Velodyne Ultra Puck sensor016901
Velodyne Ultra Puck sensor, with M12 connector029035029037029036

Specifications

DescriptionValue
Mass925 g
Voltage, Minimum10.5 V
Voltage, Maximum18 V
Voltage, Sensor12 V
Power, Average10 W
DataEthernet, 100 Mbit/s
Range, Minimum0.9 m
Range, Maximum200 m
Range, Accuracy±3 cm
View, Horizontal360°
View, Vertical-25° to +15°
Resolution, Horizontal0.4°
Resolution, Vertical0.33°
Ingress Protection, Solids6
Ingress Protection, Liquids7
Operating Temperature, Min-20 °C
Operating Temperature, Max60 °C

Software Bringup

This sensor is included in the Clearpath Robotics robot package that is installed on all of our robots. This allows you to add or remove the sensor from your robot's software description by modifying the robot configuration yaml.

# Model VLP16
lidar3d:
- model: velodyne_lidar
urdf_enabled: true
launch_enabled: true
parent: base_link
xyz: [0.0, 0.0, 0.0]
rpy: [0.0, 0.0, 0.0]
ros_parameters:
velodyne_driver_node:
frame_id: lidar3d_0_laser
device_ip: 192.168.131.25
port: 2368
model: VLP16
velodyne_transform_node:
model: VLP16
fixed_frame: lidar3d_0_laser
target_frame: lidar3d_0_laser
# Model 32C
lidar3d:
- model: velodyne_lidar
urdf_enabled: true
launch_enabled: true
parent: base_link
xyz: [0.0, 0.0, 0.0]
rpy: [0.0, 0.0, 0.0]
ros_parameters:
velodyne_driver_node:
frame_id: lidar3d_0_laser
device_ip: 192.168.131.25
port: 2368
model: 32C
velodyne_transform_node:
model: 32C
calibration: "/opt/ros/humble/share/\
velodyne_pointcloud/params/VeloView-VLP-32C.yaml"
fixed_frame: lidar3d_0_laser
target_frame: lidar3d_0_laser

Package and Setup

The Velodyne LiDARs use the velodyne_driver ROS 2 Package. The driver is open source, maintained by the ROS community, and hosted on GitHub. Unlike other drivers, the visual description of the device is hosted in a separate repository. The description package, along with the simulator, is maintained by Dataspeed and hosted on BitBucket.

For more specifics on the way Clearpath's configuration system launches the velodyne_driver, see the Velodyne launch file and the default parameter file in clearpath_sensors.

Model

There are several types of Velodyne LiDAR. To switch between these, the model parameter must be set under the both the velodyne_driver_node and the velodyne_transform_node, and the calibration parameter must be set under the velodyne_transform_node.

NameModelCalibration
Puck"VLP16""VLP16db.yaml"
Puck Hi-Res"VLP16""VLP16_hires_db.yaml"
Ultra Puck"32C""VeloView-VLP-32C.yaml"
VLS-128"VLS128""VLS128.yaml"
HDL-32E"32E""32db.yaml"
HDL-64E"64E""64e_utexas.yaml"
HDL-64ES2"64E_S2""64e_s2.1-sztaki.yaml"
HDL-64ES3"64E_S3""64e_s3-xiesc.yaml"

When setting the calibration parameter, prepend the path /opt/ros/humble/share/velodyne_pointcloud/params/ to the calibration file name in the table above.


Troubleshooting

Clearpath is committed to your success. Please get in touch with us and we will do our best to get you rolling again quickly: support@clearpathrobotics.com.

To get in touch with a salesperson regarding Clearpath Robotics products, please email research-sales@clearpathrobotics.com.

If you have an issue that is specifically about ROS and is something which may be of interest to the broader community, consider asking it on https://robotics.stackexchange.com. If you do not get a satisfactory response, please ping us and include a link to your question as posted there. If appropriate, we will answer in the ROS Answers context for the benefit of the community.


Further Reading

  1. Clearpath Robotics Store
  2. Datasheet
  3. User Manual
  4. Drawing, Sensor
  5. Velodyne website
  6. ROS webpage
  7. ROS tutorial