Waypoint Tracking of Quadcopter in PX4-ROS

This repository provides a streamlined platform to perform waypoint tracking in quadcopter in ROS2, Gazebo and PX4.

Software Stack

• ROS2 Humble
• Gazebo Harmonic
• PX4
• QGroundControl
• OffboardControl

Trajectory of Quadrotor Navigation

Installation Guide

1. Clone the Repository

First, clone the project using Git:

bash

git clone https://github.com/Srindot/assignment2_Introduction_To_UAV_Design.git

2. Setup Docker

Ensure Docker is installed and configured on your device.

3. Open the Project in VS Code

• Launch Visual Studio Code (VS Code) .
• Open the cloned project folder.

4. Build the Container

• Press Ctrl + Shift + P to open the Command Palette .

  

• Search for "Dev Conatiners: Reopen in Container" and select it to start building the container.

5. Run Tasks Inside the Container

• Once inside the container, press Ctrl + Shift + P again.

  t

• Search for "Run Tasks" , then select and execute the following tasks :

Available Tasks

• Below are the tasks avaliable

  

1. MicroXRCEAgent : Connection to ROS2 and PX4
2. PX4 SITL : To start up PX4 with gazebo gui
3. QGroundControl : To launch QGroundControl
4. Sensor Combined Listener : To echo gyro readings and acceleration in all three axis
5. Offboard Control : To arm the vehicle and publish waypoint for quadcopter to track

Manual Installation (If you choose to run on terminal)

First pull the image: Open a terminal and run the following command

docker pull ghcr.io/srindot/rosgzpx4

This is going to take some time.

Create a container instance from the pulled image with the name as myros:

xhost +local:docker && docker run -it \
  --name myros \
  --privileged \
  --user rosusr \
  -e DISPLAY=$DISPLAY \
  -e PULSE_SERVER=unix:/run/user/$(id -u)/pulse/native \
  --volume=/run/user/$(id -u)/pulse/native:/run/user/$(id -u)/pulse/native \
  --device /dev/snd \
  --group-add audio \
  --net=host \
  --volume /tmp/.X11-unix:/tmp/.X11-unix \
  --volume /home/$(whoami)/.Xauthority:/root/.Xauthority:ro \
  ghcr.io/srindot/rosgzpx4:latest

After this command, the container opens up automatically in /bin/bash.

To exit the container :

exit

To stop the container :

docker stop myros

To start the contianer:

docker start myros

To re enter a container:

docker exec -it myros /bin/bash

To delete the container instance:

docker rm -f myros

1. To launch MicroXRCEAgent: Navigate to a new terminal and run the below command to launch it

   MicroXRCEAgent udp4 -p 8888

3. To make PX4_sitl, open another terminal and navigate to PX4-Autopilot dir

   cd ~/PX4-Autopilot

Make the PX4_sitl and launch the vehicle gz_x500

   make px4_sitl gz_x500

3. To launch QGroundControl, Open another terminal and run the following command

   QGroudControl

4. open a new terminal and source ros2 and local_setup.bash in sensor combined workspace

   cd ~/ws_sensor_combined && source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash && source install/local_setup.bash

and run the below command to run the sensor combined listener

    ros2 launch px4_ros_com sensor_combined_listener.launch.py

5. To arm the vehicle and switch it to offoard mode, open a new temrinal source ros2 and local setup by runnig below the command

   cd ~/ws_offboard_control/src && cd .. && source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash && source install/local_setup.bash

Now run the offboard_control.py file present in the dir

   cd && python3 ~/workspace/offboard_control.py

To set Quadcopter Waypoints

To set the waypoint for the quadcopter to track, navigate to here and set the waypoints in the list.

Need Help? Raise an Issue!

If you encounter any problems or have questions, feel free to raise an issue.