Hardware Kit Installation Requirements
Several hardware configurations are compatible with OutdoorNav Autonomy Software. Select the checklist below that corresponds to your hardware kit.
- OutdoorNav Standard Kit Hardware Checklist
- OutdoorNav Starter Kit Hardware Checklist
- OutdoorNav Custom Kit Hardware Checklist
In addition, if the OutdoorNav software is not running on the UGV computer itself, which is the case with the Starter Kit and some custom integrations, ensure that the UGV computer is configured correctly by reviewing the following checklist.
Notes on Measuring Frame Relationships
base_link Frame
For mobile robots, base_link should be rigidly attached to the mobile UGV.
It can be attached at any position of the UGV to provide a point of reference.
We also expect the orientation of base_link to be in the NWU convention.
ROS standards for base_link can be found in REP-103 and REP-105.
Starter Kit Frame
The starter kit frame (starter_kit_link) is located at the center of the bottom plate of the enclosure.
Its orientation is also in the NWU convention with the X-axis of the frame pointing out of the front RealSense camera and the Y-axis coming out of the side of the enclosure without the power and Ethernet breakouts.
Sensor Frame
The sensors frame for each sensor will vary. Please consult the documentation for the specific sensor.
Measuring Relative Pose
Consider frame A (eg. starter_kit_link) and frame B (eg. base_link), rigidly attached to the UGV.
The relationship of A relative to B consists of two parts, the relative position and relative orientation.
The position of A relative to B can be obtained by measuring the distance (in X, Y, Z axes) from frame B to frame A, and providing that value in frame B's coordinate frame.
The orientation of A relative to B is obtained by rotating the axes of frame B until they line up with frame A, noting that results in each axis are the rotation angles of the orientation.
A trick for the orientation's sign is to remember that if you rotate the X-axis towards the Y-axis or Z-axis the rotation will be positive and that if you rotate away from the Y-axis or X-axis, it results in negative rotations.