bebop_autonomy - ROS Driver for Parrot Bebop Drone (quadrocopter) 1.0 & 2.0¶

bebop_autonomy is a ROS driver for Parrot Bebop 1.0 and 2.0 drones (quadrocopters), based on Parrot’s official ARDroneSDK3. This driver has been developed in Autonomy Lab of Simon Fraser University by Mani Monajjemi and other contributers (List of Contributers). This software is maintained by Sepehr MohaimenianPour (AutonomyLab, Simon Fraser University), Thomas Bamford (Dynamic Systems Lab, University of Toronto) and Tobias Naegeli (Advanced Interactive Technologies Lab, ETH Zürich).

[Source Code] [ROS wiki page] [Support] [Bug Tracker]

Features and Roadmap¶

Feature	Status	Notes
SDK Version	3.12.6	Since v0.7
Support for Parrot Bebop 1	Yes	Tested up to Firmware 3.3
Support for Parrot Bebop 2	Yes	Tested up to Firmware 4.0.6
Support for Parrot Disco FPV	No	Not tested (help wanted)
Core piloting	Yes
H264 video decoding	Yes	Enhancement: #1
ROS Camera Interface	Yes
Nodelet implementation	Yes
Publish Bebop states as ROS topics	Yes
Dynamically reconfigurable Bebop settings	Yes	Configuring the Drone
Use parrot_arsdk instead of building ARSDK3 inline	Yes	Since v0.6: #75
Bebop In The Loop tests	Yes	Tests
Joystick teleop demo	Yes	sec-pilot-teleop
TF Publisher	Yes	Since v0.5 (TF)
Odometry Publisher	Yes	Since v0.5 (Odometery)
Provide ROS API for on-board picture/video recording	Yes	Since v0.4.1 (Take on-board Snapshot)
GPS Support	Yes	Since v0.6 (GPS)
Support for 720p streaming	Yes	Since v0.6
Mavlink Support	No
Binary Release	No
Support for Parrot Sky Controller	No

Table of Contents¶

Changelog and Release History¶

Changelog for package bebop_driver¶

0.7.1 (2018-05-31)¶

Fixed the bug appearing when you run the catkin build command
Contributors: Giuseppe Silano

0.7.0 (2017-07-29)¶

SDK 3.12.6 support (except 64bit Ubuntu Xenial, working on fix) - ROS API change: states/common/MavlinkState/MissonItemExecuted topic renamed to states/common/MavlinkState/MissionItemExecuted
Contributors: Thomas Bamford, Mani Monajjemi

0.6.0 (2016-11-02)¶

Use Parrot ARSDK as a thirdparty dependency - Instead of building the SDK inline, bebop_driver now utilizes the catkin version of Parrot ARSDK available at https://github.com/AutonomyLab/parrot_arsdk and in a binary form via the ROS buildfarm: ros-<DISTRO>-parrot-arsdk
Rename liblibbebop to libbebop
Full SDK 3.10.x support - ROS API change: states/ARDrone3/.. topics renamed to states/ardrone3/..
Disabling video stabilization works with Firmware 3.9 (tested on Bebop

Camera control API fix for SDK 3.10.x
Refactor H264 decode class to support dynamic picture size - Add support for determining picture size from the stream - Add dynamic buffer re-allocation on picture size change
Use av_frame_alloc() instead of the depr. avcodec_alloc_frame()
Fix inconsistent SDK 3.10.1 key values
Update autogenerated msgs/headers/docs to SDK 3.10.1
CMake: fix dynamic reconfigure dependency bug
Rename topic ‘navigate_home’ to ‘autoflight/navigate_home’
Add autonomous flight plans
Contributors: Jacob Perron, Mani Monajjemi

0.5.1 (2016-05-04)¶

Add bebop_description as a build dep to bebop_driver (fixes #45)
Fix inline build of arsdk to use the frozen manifest (fixes #46) - Prior to this release, the build script would always compile the development branch of ARSDK. This fix ensures that instead of default.xml manifest file - which represents the dev version of ARSDK package - release.xml is used by repo. This manifest file includes a certain hash for each ARSDK package that enforces a consistent build for ARSDK.
Contributors: Mani Monajjemi

0.5.0 (2016-04-01)¶

Based on Parrot ARSDK 3.8.3. Tested with Bebop 1.0 (2.0.57) and Bebop 2.0 (3.1.0)
Update to SDK 3.8.3 - SDK 3.8.3 from https://github.com/Parrot-Developers/arsdk_manifests.git - SDK 3.8.3 git hash: 2930cc7f7a79173d51c1fc167475fa9fa6650def
Add support for VideoStream v2.0
Publish TF
Experimental implementation of odometery (pose, velocity)
Publish the GPS fix as a ROS standard message (closes #39) - Message type: sensor_msgs/NavSatFix - Topic: fix
Add joint state publisher for camera’s pan/tilt - Add a new param to enable/disable the TF publisher for odom - Add a new param to set the odom frame id
Include bebop_description and robot_state_publisher in driver’s launch files
Add proper limitations for camera’s pan/tilt joints
Add explicit linkage to libav (fixes #32)
Fix libav API inconsistency issues #30 #35 #36
Improve H264 parameter update method - Implement a better way to pass SPS/PPS params to H264 decoder (SDK 3.8.x)
Add a new CMake option “RUN_HARDWARE_TESTS” to explicitly enable hardware in the loop testing (disabled by default)
Contributors: Mani Monajjemi, chartoin, Jake Bruce

0.4.1 (2016-02-17)¶

Add ROS API for recording on-board picture/video (closes #5)
Add a new ROS topic for taking on-board snapshot: snapshot
Add a new ROS topic for toggling on-board video recording: record
Update the docs
Add curl as a rosdep build dep (fixes #33)
Fix a bug in bebop_driver’s nodelet destructor
Fix a bug in ASyncSub class
Contributors: Mani Monajjemi

0.4.0 (2016-01-17)¶

Update Parrot SDK to 3.7.5 (from 3.6) - Remove upstream XML hash from .msg files to minmize msg type changes from now on - New Topic and Message type for DefaultCameraOrientation
Add cmd_vel timeout for safety - The driver now sends stop command if no new cmd_vel is received within a pre-defined timeout period. This timeout is set to 0.1s by default and can be changed via cmd_vel_timeout parameter.
Fix right-jand rule bug of angular.z @jacobperron (fixes #26)
Patch ARSDK to fix Sanselan’s old URL - This is temporary and must be reverted when this is fixed upstream. Issue reported here: Parrot-Developers/ARSDKBuildUtils#61
Add bebop ip address as ROS parameter (fixes #19) - (Param name: bebop_ip, default value: 192.168.42.1)
Fix CameraInfo issues (closes #10) - Fix bugs in loading camera calibration data and update the tests - Add a sample calibration file for bebop camera: bebop_camera_calib.yaml - Load camera calibration file by default in both node/nodelet launch files
Remove redundant bebop.launch file (closes #11)
Fix coordinate system inconsistencies (fixes #13) - Fix cmd_vel.linear.y sign error - Use attitude values in tests instead of velocities
Contributors: Anup, Mani Monajjemi, Jacob Perron

0.3.0 (2015-09-17)¶

Renamed package to bebop_driver
Built against ARSDK3_version_3_6
bebop_autonomy is now a metapackage - bebop_autonomy is the ROS metapackage name - Rename bebop_autonomy package to bebop_driver - Rename bebop_autonomy_msgs to bebop_msgs
Contributors: Mani Monajjemi

0.2.0 (2015-09-10)¶

Finalized documentation
Remove bebop_autonomy’s dependency to image_view
Imrovements to code autogeneration scripts.
CLAMP values for cmd_vels and anim_id
Added contents to almost all doc pages
Bebop In The Loop tests (first revision)
Fixed more style (lint) issues
Finalized the first revision of tests
Add autogenerated docs for Settings, Topics and Params
Contributors: Mani Monajjemi

0.1.2 (2015-09-05)¶

Move ‘state’ params to their own param namespace
Add missing unzip dep to package.xml
Contributors: Mani Monajjemi

0.1.1 (2015-09-04)¶

Add support for downloading and building ARDroneSDK3 during the build process
Add flattrim, flip and navigatehome interfaces
Add forward declaration to classes where it is possible
Major bug fixes and improvements - Dynamic Reconfigure: Convert all two state int_t values to enum - Fix the private nodehandle bugs in State and Settings handlers - Fix the data flow of Settings between rosparam and dynamic reconfigure and bebop - Fix SDK enum types in C (I32 instead of U8) - Add Start/Stop streaming to Bebop interface class
Add bebop_nodelet launch with image_view
Organized DynR configs into groups + Moved the autogeneration report to a seperated file + build speed improvements
Dynamically reconfigurable Bebop settings
Add support to enable publishing of a specific State
Add support to propogate states from bebop to ROS
Auto-generated .msg and .h files based on libARCommands XML files
New threading model for data retreival and publishing - Nodelet now manages its own thread to receive frames from Bebop - GetFrame() function abstracts all sync to access the rgb frame - All subscribers send commands to the Bebop in their callbacks
Integreate ARSAL logs into ROS_LOG - Fix sync issues between frame grabber and publisher
Improve video decode/publish pipeline - Adopt frame decoding from official examples - Thread safe access to raw frame ptr - Synchronised frame decoding and publishing
Proof of concept ROS driver for bebop drone
Contributors: Mani Monajjemi

Changelog for package bebop_tools¶

0.7.0 (2017-07-29)¶

0.6.0 (2016-11-02)¶

Added Xbox 360 config file
Make flattrim joystick command match comment
Contributors: Jacob Perron, Thomas Bamford

0.5.1 (2016-05-04)¶

0.5.0 (2016-04-01)¶

Improve the organization of launch and param files
Contributors: Mani Monajjemi

0.4.1 (2016-02-17)¶

Update the joystick configuration file for taking snapshots
Make bebop’s namespace in joy_teleop launch file a parameter
Contributors: Mani Monajjemi

0.4.0 (2016-01-17)¶

Fix cmd_vel.linear.y sign issue in joystick config file
Contributors: Mani Monajjemi

0.3.0 (2015-09-17)¶

Renamed package to bebop_tools
Contributors: Mani Monajjemi

0.2.0 (2015-09-10)¶

Move image_view nodelet demo to bebop_tools package
Contributors: Mani Monajjemi

0.1.2 (2015-09-05)¶

Initial release of joystick teleop for bebop_autonomy
Contributors: Mani Monajjemi

0.1.1 (2015-09-04)¶

Changelog for package bebop_msgs¶

0.7.0 (2017-07-29)¶

Update to Parrot SDK 3.12.6 (from 3.10.1)
Contributors: Thomas Bamford

0.6.0 (2016-11-02)¶

Update autogenerated msgs/headers/docs to SDK 3.10.1
Contributors: Mani Monajjemi

0.5.1 (2016-05-04)¶

0.5.0 (2016-04-01)¶

Update to SDK 3.8.3 - SDK 3.8.3 from https://github.com/Parrot-Developers/arsdk_manifests.git - SDK 3.8.3 git hash: 2930cc7f7a79173d51c1fc167475fa9fa6650def
Contributors: Mani Monajjemi

0.4.1 (2016-02-17)¶

Fix dynamic_reconfigure’s inconsistency - The inconsisteny was between the filename and the target name
Contributors: Mani Monajjemi

0.4.0 (2016-01-17)¶

Update Parrot SDK to 3.7.5 (from 3.6)
New Topic and Message type for DefaultCameraOrientation
Contributors: Mani Monajjemi

0.3.0 (2015-09-17)¶

Renamed to bebop_msgs
Contributors: Mani Monajjemi

0.2.0 (2015-09-10)¶

Contributors: Mani Monajjemi

0.1.2 (2015-09-05)¶

Contributors: Mani Monajjemi

0.1.1 (2015-09-04)¶

Auto-generated .msg and .h files based on libARCommands XML files
Contributors: Mani Monajjemi

Changelog for package bebop_description¶

0.7.0 (2017-07-29)¶

0.6.0 (2016-11-02)¶

0.5.1 (2016-05-04)¶

0.5.0 (2016-04-01)¶

The initial version of bebop_description pacakge - Add a simple kinematic model of Bebop as URDF/Xacro (base_link, camera joints and the optical frame)
Contributors: Mani Monajjemi

0.4.1 (2016-02-17)¶

0.4.0 (2016-01-17)¶

0.3.0 (2015-09-17)¶

0.2.0 (2015-09-10)¶

0.1.2 (2015-09-05)¶

0.1.1 (2015-09-04)¶

Installation¶

Compiling From Source¶

Pre-requirements:

ROS Indigo, Jade or Kinetic (Only tested on Ubuntu)
Ubuntu packages: build-esstential, python-rosdep, python-catkin-tools
Basic familiarity with building ROS packages

$ sudo apt-get install build-essential python-rosdep python-catkin-tools

To compile from source, you need to clone the source code in a new or existing catkin workspace, use rosdep to install dependencies and finally compile the workspace using catkin. The following commands demonstrate this procedure in a newly created catkin workspace.

Note

Since version 0.6, Parrot ARSDK, the main underlying dependency of bebop_autonomy is not build inline anymore. Instead, the slightly patched and catkinized version of it, called parrot_arsdk, is fetched as a dependency during the rosdep install step below. This dramatically decreases the compile time of the package compared to previous versions (e.g. from ~15 minutes to less than a minute on a modern computer). If you are re-compiling from source, you need to clean your workspace first: $ catkin clean [-y].

# Create and initialize the workspace
$ mkdir -p ~/bebop_ws/src && cd ~/bebop_ws
$ catkin init
$ git clone https://github.com/AutonomyLab/bebop_autonomy.git src/bebop_autonomy
# Update rosdep database and install dependencies (including parrot_arsdk)
$ rosdep update
$ rosdep install --from-paths src -i
# Build the workspace
$ catkin build

Running the Driver¶

You can run Bebop’s ROS drivereither as a ROS Nodelet or as a standalone ROS Node. The former is recommended if you intend to perform any kind of processing on Bebop’s video stream.

Note

If you compile the driver form source, do not forget to source your catkin workspace prior to running the driver. (i.e. source ~/bebop_ws/devel/setup.[bash|zsh])

Note

Ensure that your Bebop’s firmware is at least 2.0.29 and your computer is connected to Bebop’s wireless network.

Running the driver as a Node¶

The executable node is called bebop_driver_node and exists in bebop_driver package. It’s recommended to run the Node in its own namespace and with default configuration. The driver package comes with a sample launch file bebop_driver/launch/bebop_node.launch which demonstrates the procedure.

$ roslaunch bebop_driver bebop_node.launch

bebop_node.launch¶

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<launch>
    <arg name="namespace" default="bebop" />
    <arg name="ip" default="192.168.42.1" />
    <arg name="drone_type" default="bebop1" /> <!-- available drone types: bebop1, bebop2 -->
    <arg name="config_file" default="$(find bebop_driver)/config/defaults.yaml" />
    <arg name="camera_info_url" default="package://bebop_driver/data/$(arg drone_type)_camera_calib.yaml" />
    <group ns="$(arg namespace)">
        <node pkg="bebop_driver" name="bebop_driver" type="bebop_driver_node" output="screen">
            <param name="camera_info_url" value="$(arg camera_info_url)" />
            <param name="bebop_ip" value="$(arg ip)" />
            <rosparam command="load" file="$(arg config_file)" />
        </node>
        <include file="$(find bebop_description)/launch/description.launch" />
    </group>
</launch>

Running the driver as a Nodelet¶

To run the driver as a ROS Nodelet, you need to first run a Nodelet manager, then load the driver’s Nodelet (bebop_driver/BebopDriverNodelet) in it, along with other Nodelets that need to communicate with the driver. bebop_tools/launch/bebop_nodelet_iv.launch is a sample launch file that demonstrates these steps by visualizing Bebop’s video stream using an instance of image_view/image Nodelet. Similar to bebop_node.launch, it also runs everything in its own namespace and loads the default configuration.

$ roslaunch bebop_tools bebop_nodelet_iv.launch

bebop_tools/launch/bebop_nodelet_iv.launch¶

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<launch>
    <!-- include the nodelet launch file from bebop_driver -->
    <arg name="namespace" default="bebop" />
    <arg name="ip" default="192.168.42.1" />
    <include file="$(find bebop_driver)/launch/bebop_nodelet.launch">
      <arg name="namespace" value="$(arg namespace)" />
      <arg name="ip" value="$(arg ip)" />
    </include>
    <!-- use the same nodelet manager and namespace, then load image_view nodelet -->
    <group ns="$(arg namespace)">
       <node pkg="nodelet" type="nodelet" name="bebop_image_view_nodelet"
          args="load image_view/image bebop_nodelet_manager">
          <remap from="image" to="image_raw" />
        </node>
    </group>
</launch>

bebop_driver/launch/bebop_nodelet.launch¶

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<launch>
    <arg name="namespace" default="bebop" />
    <arg name="ip" default="192.168.42.1" />
    <arg name="drone_type" default="bebop1" /> <!-- available drone types: bebop1, bebop2 -->
    <arg name="config_file" default="$(find bebop_driver)/config/defaults.yaml" />
    <arg name="camera_info_url" default="package://bebop_driver/data/$(arg drone_type)_camera_calib.yaml" />
    <group ns="$(arg namespace)">
        <!-- nodelet manager -->
        <node pkg="nodelet" type="nodelet" name="bebop_nodelet_manager" args="manager" output="screen"/>
        <!-- bebop_nodelet -->
        <node pkg="nodelet" type="nodelet" name="bebop_nodelet"
          args="load bebop_driver/BebopDriverNodelet bebop_nodelet_manager">
            <param name="camera_info_url" value="$(arg camera_info_url)" />
            <param name="bebop_ip" value="$(arg ip)" />
            <rosparam command="load" file="$(arg config_file)" />
        </node>
        <include file="$(find bebop_description)/launch/description.launch" />
    </group>
</launch>

Sending Commands to Bebop¶

Note

bebop_tools package comes with a launch file for tele-operating Bebop with a joystick using ROS joy_teleop package. The configuration file (key-action map) is written for Logitech F710 controller and is located in bebop_tools/config folder. Adapting the file to your own controller is straightforward. To teleop Bebop while the driver is running execute roslaunch bebop_tools joy_teleop.launch.

Takeoff¶

Publish a message of type std_msgs/Empty to takeoff topic.

$ rostopic pub --once [namespace]/takeoff std_msgs/Empty

Land¶

Publish a message of type std_msgs/Empty to land topic.

$ rostopic pub --once [namespace]/land std_msgs/Empty

Emergency¶

Publish a message of type std_msgs/Empty to reset topic.

$ rostopic pub --once [namespace]/reset std_msgs/Empty

Piloting¶

To move Bebop around, publish messages of type geometry_msgs/Twist to cmd_vel topic while Bebop is flying. The effect of each field of the message on Bebop’s movement is listed below:

linear.x  (+)      Translate forward
          (-)      Translate backward
linear.y  (+)      Translate to left
          (-)      Translate to right
linear.z  (+)      Ascend
          (-)      Descend
angular.z (+)      Rotate counter clockwise
          (-)      Rotate clockwise

Acceptable range for all fields are [-1..1]. The drone executes the last received command as long as the driver is running. This command is reset to zero when Takeoff, Land or Emergency command is received. To make Bebop hover and maintain its current position, you need to publish a message with all fields set to zero to cmd_vel.

The linear.x and linear.y parts of this message set the pitch and roll angles of the Bebop, respectively, hence control its forward and lateral accelerations. The resulting pitch/roll angles depend on the value of ~PilotingSettingsMaxTiltCurrent parameter, which is specified in degrees and is dynamically reconfigurable (Dynamically Reconfigurable Parameters for Bebop).

The linear.z part of this message controls the vertical velocity of the Bebop. The resulting velocity in m/s depends on the value of ~SpeedSettingsMaxVerticalSpeedCurrent parameter, which is specified in meters per second and is also dynamically reconfigurable (Dynamically Reconfigurable Parameters for Bebop). Similarly, the angular.z component of this message controls the rotational velocity of the Bebop (around the z-axis). The corresponding scaling parameter is SpeedSettingsMaxRotationSpeedCurrent (in degrees per sec).

roll_degree       = linear.y  * max_tilt_angle
pitch_degree      = linear.x  * max_tilt_angle
ver_vel_m_per_s   = linear.z  * max_vert_speed
rot_vel_deg_per_s = angular.z * max_rot_speed

Moving the Virtual Camera¶

To move Bebop’s virtual camera, publish a message of type geometry_msgs/Twist to camera_control topic. angular.y and angular.z fields of this message set absolute tilt and pan of the camera in degrees respectively. The field of view of this virtual camera (based on our measurements) is ~80 (horizontal) and ~50 (vertical) degrees.

Warning

The API for this command is not stable. We plan to use JointState message in future versions.

angular.y (+)      tilt down
          (-)      tilt up
angular.z (+)      pan left
          (-)      pan right

GPS Navigation¶

Start Flight Plan¶

An autonomous flight plan consists of a series of GPS waypoints along with Bebop velocities and camera angles encoded in an XML file.

Requirements that must be met before an autonomous flight can start:

Bebop is calibrated

Bebop is in outdoor mode

Bebop has fixed its GPS

To start an autonomous flight plan, publish a message of type std_msgs/String to autoflight/start topic. The data field should contain the name of the flight plan to execute, which is already stored on-board Bebop.

Note

If an empty string is published, then the default ‘flightplan.mavlink’ is used.

Warning

If not already flying, Bebop will attempt to take off upon starting a flight plan.

The Flight Plan App allows easy construction of flight plans and saves them on-board Bebop.

An FTP client can also be used to view and copy flight plans on-board Bebop. FileZilla is recommended:

$ sudo apt-get install filezilla
$ filezilla

Then open Site Manager (top left), click New Site:

Host: 192.168.42.1

Protocol: FTP

Encrpytion: Use plain FTP

Logon Type: Anonymous

Connect.

Pause Flight Plan¶

To pause the execution of an autonomous flight plan, publish a message of type std_msgs/Empty to autoflight/pause topic. Bebop will then hover and await further commands. To resume a paused flight plan, publish the same message that was used to start the autonomous flight (ie. to the topic autoflight/start). Bebop will fly to the lastest waypoint reached before continuing the flight plan.

Note

Any velocity commands sent to Bebop during an autonomous flight plan will pause the plan.

Stop Flight Plan¶

To stop the execution of an autonomous flight plan, publish a message of type std_msgs/Empty to autoflight/stop topic. Bebop will hover and await further commands.

Navigate Home¶

To ask Bebop to autonomously fly to it’s home position, publish a message of type std_msgs/Bool to autoflight/navigate_home topic with the data field set to true. To stop Bebop from navigating home, publish another message with data set to false.

Warning

The topic has changed from navigate_home to autoflight/navigate_home after version 0.5.1.

Flat Trim¶

Error

Test fails, probably not working.

Publish a message of type std_msgs/Empty to flattrim topic.

$ rostopic pub --once [namespace]/flattrim std_msgs/Empty

Flight Animations¶

Warning

Be extra cautious when performing any flight animations, specially in indoor environments.

Bebop can perform four different types of flight animation (flipping). To perform an animation, publish a message of type std_msgs/UInt8 to flip topic while drone is flying. The data field determines the requested animation type.

     Flip Forward
     Flip Backward
     Flip Right
     Flip Left

Take on-board Snapshot¶

New in version 0.4.1.

To take a high resolution on-board snapshot, publish a std_msgs/Empty message on snapshot topic. The resulting snapshot is stored on the internal storage of the Bebop. The quality and type of this image is not configurable using the ROS driver. You can use the official FreeFlight3 app to configure your Bebop prior to flying. To access the on-board media, either connect your Bebop over USB to a computer, or use a FTP client to connect to your Bebop using the following settings:

Default IP: 192.168.42.1
Port: 21
Path: internal_000/Bebop_Drone/media
Username: anonymous
Password: <no password>

Set camera exposure¶

It is possible to set camera exposure by publishing std_msgs/Float32 message on set_exposure topic. Note that this functionality is not supported in Bebop1 Fw 3.3.0.

Exposure value range: -3.0 .. +3.0

Toggle on-board Video Recording¶

New in version 0.4.1.

To start or stop on-board high-resolution video recording, publish a std_msgs/Bool message on the record topic. The value of true starts the recording while the value of false stops it. Please refer to the previous section for information on how to access the on-board recorded media.

Reading from Bebop¶

Camera¶

The video stream from Bebop’s front camera is published on image_raw topic as sensor_msgs/Image messages. bebop_driver complies with ROS camera interface specifications and publishes camera information and calibration data to camera_info topic. Due to limitations in Parrot’s ARDroneSDK3, the quality of video stream is limited to 640 x 368 @ 30 Hz. The field of view of this virtual camera (based on our measurements) is ~80 (horizontal) and ~50 (vertical) degrees.

To set the location of camera calibration data, please check this page: Configuring Bebop and the Driver. Since v0.4, the package ships with a default camera caliberation file located at bebop_driver/data/bebop_front_calib.yaml. Both default node/nodelet launch files, load this file when executing the driver.

Standard ROS messages¶

Odometery¶

New in version 0.5.

ROS Topic: odom
ROS Message Type: nav_msgs/Odometry

The driver integerates visual-inertial velocity estimates reported by Bebop’s firmware to calculate the odometery. This message contains both the position and velocity of the Bebop in an ENU aligned odometery frame also named as odom. This frame name is configurable (see Driver Parameters) The cooridnate frame convention complies with ROS REP 103 (ROS Standard Message Types (i.e Twist, Odometery) - REP 103). Please not that since odometery is calculated from Bebop States (see States (aka Navdata)), the update rate is limited to 5 Hz.

GPS¶

New in version 0.5.

ROS Topic: fix
ROS Message Type: sensor_msgs/NavSatFix

Joint States (Pan/Tilt of The Virtual Camera)¶

New in version 0.5.

ROS Topic: joint_states
ROS Message Type: sensor_msgs/JointState

TF¶

New in version 0.5.

The driver updates the following TF tree based on a simple kinematic model of the Bebop (provided by bebop_description) pacakge, the current state of the virtual camera joints and the calculated odometery (if publish_odom_tf is set, see Driver Parameters).

States (aka Navdata)¶

Unlike Parrot ARDrone, Bebop does not constantly transmit all on-board data back to the host device with high frequency. Each state variable is sent only when its value is changed. In addition, the publication rate is currently limited to 5 Hz. The driver publishes these states selectively and when explicitly enabled through a ROS parameter. For example setting ~states/enable_pilotingstate_flyingstatechanged parameter to true will enable the publication of flying state changes to topic states/ARDrone3/PilotingState/FlyingStateChanged. List of all such parameters and their corresponding topics and message types are indexed in the following pages:

Common States: List of common States and Corresponding ROS Parameters and Topics
Bebop-specific States: List of ardrone3 States and Corresponding ROS Parameters and Topics

Configuring Bebop and the Driver¶

Driver Parameters¶

Following parameters are set during driver’s startup:

~bebop_ip¶

Sets the IP addres of the Bebop. The default value is 192.168.42.1.

~reset_settings¶

Setting this parameter to true will reset all Bebop configurations to factory defaults. Default value is false.

~sync_time¶

Setting this parameter to true will synchronize drone time with your ROS system time. Default value is false.

~camera_info_url¶

Sets the location of the camera calibration data. Default is empty string. For more information check this documentation.

Note

Since v0.4, the package comes with a default camera calibration file located at bebop_driver/data/bebop_front_calib.yaml.

~cmd_vel_timeout¶

New in version 0.4.

Sets the safety timeout for piloting cmd_vel commands in seconds. Deafult is set to 0.1 seconds (100 miliseconds). If no piloting command is received by the driver within this timeout period, the driver issues a stop command which causes the drone to hover.

~odom_frame_id¶

New in version 0.5.

Sets the frame_id of the odometery message (see Standard ROS messages) and the odometery frame used in the TF tree (see TF). The default value is odom.

~publish_odom_tf¶

New in version 0.5.

Enables the publishing of odom to base_link TF transform (see TF). The default value is true.

~camera_frame_id¶

Deprecated since version 0.5.

Sets the frame_id of camera and image messages. The default value is camera_optical.

Dynamically Reconfigurable Parameters for Bebop¶

Following ROS parameters change Bebop’s settings. They can be tweaked during runtime using dynamic reconfigure GUI. Setting ~reset_settings parameter to true will reset all these settings to factory defaults.

List of Ardrone3 Settings and Corresponding ROS Parameter

Coordinate System Conventions¶

ROS Standard Message Types (i.e Twist, Odometery) - REP 103¶

`+x`	forward
`+y`	left
`+z`	up
`+yaw`	CCW

More information: http://www.ros.org/reps/rep-0103.html

Bebop Velocities¶

`+x`	East
`+y`	South
`+z`	Down

Bebop Attitude¶

`+x`	forward
`+y`	right
`+z`	down
`+yaw`	CW

SDK’s setPilotingPCMD¶

`+roll`	right
`+pitch`	forward
`+gaz`	up
`+yaw`	CW

Contribute¶

Contribute to bebop_autonomy¶

You can contribute to bebop_autonomy by:

Reporting bugs using driver’s Issue Tracker on Github.
Submitting patches, new features, sample codes, documentation and supplementary materials (i.e. launch and configuration files) as Github Pull Requests.
- Please check current open issues and Features and Roadmap section for a list of known bugs and feature request.
Joining driver’s developers forum and participate in technical discussions on new features, bugs and roadmap.

List of Developers¶

Mani Monajjemi

List of Contributers¶

Acknowledgments¶

Mike Purvis for his help with designing the initial architecture of the driver.

Frequently Asked Questions¶

Is bebop_autonomy based on ardrone_autonomy?¶

No. ardrone_autonomy is based on Parrot’s legacy SDK for AR-Drone 1.0 and 2.0, while bebop_autonomy uses Parrot’s new SDK for its third generation drones. Since these two SDKs and their underlying protocols are totally different and incompatible, we had to develop bebop_autonomy from scrath.

Is bebop_autonomy compatible with ardrone_autonomy?¶

Not completely.

Topic names, types and coordinate frame conventions for core piloting tasks are identical, however there is no explicit namespacing (i.e. takeoff instead of ardrone/takeoff)
bebop_autonomy does not expose services for Flight Animations or Flat Trim; topics are used instead.
Front camera video stream is published on image_raw topic only.
Parameter names, types and effects are different.
AR-Drone Navdata is replaced by Bebop States (see States (aka Navdata))

Under The Hood¶

This page contains information about the architecture of the driver and different techniques used for its development.

Automatic Code Generation¶

TBA

Threading Model¶

TBA

Publishing the States¶

TBA

Configuring the Drone¶

TBA

Tests¶

Enabling Bebop In The Loop Tests¶

$ cd /path/to/bebop_ws
$ catkin clean --cmake-cache
$ catkin build bebop_driver --cmake-args -DRUN_HARDWARE_TESTS=ON

Running Bebop In The Loop Tests¶

Warning

Bebop in the loop tests perform live unit tests with a real robot. Please proceed with caution and execute the tests in an area with at least 5 meters of clearance radius (empty space) around the Bebop.

$ cd /path/to/bebop_ws/build/bebop_driver
$ make tests
$ rostest --text bebop_driver bebop_itl_test.test

Upgrading the Bebop SDK¶

Warning

Since version 0.6, Parrot ARSDK, the main underlying dependency of bebop_autonomy is not build inline anymore. Instead, the slightly patched and catkinized version of it, called parrot_arsdk, is fetched as a dependency. The following documentation needs to be updated.

Update the GIT_TAG of ARDroneSDK3 in bebop_driver/CMakeLists.txt::add_custom_target::./repo init ... -b GIT_TAG to your desired commit hash, branch or tag (release). The official upstream repository is hosted here.
Checkout (or browse) the upstream repository at the same hash used in step (1) and open release.xml file. From this file, extract the commit hash of arsdk-xml from the revision property of this XML tag: <project name="arsdk-xml" ... revision="" />.
Open bebop_driver/scripts/meta/generate.py and update LIBARCOMMANDS_GIT_HASH variable to the hash obtained in step (2).
Change the working diretory to bebop_driver/scripts/meta, then execute generate.py from the command line. This will regenerate all automatically generated message definitions, header files and documentations.
Copy the generated files to their target locations by calling ./install.sh.
In bebop_driver/include/bebop_driver/autogenerated/ardrone3_setting_callbacks.h change the following varialbles:

ARCONTROLLER_DICTIONARY_KEY_ARDRONE3_PILOTINGSETTINGSSTATE_MAXDISTANCECHANGED_VALUE to ARCONTROLLER_DICTIONARY_KEY_ARDRONE3_PILOTINGSETTINGSSTATE_MAXDISTANCECHANGED_CURRENT.

ARCONTROLLER_DICTIONARY_KEY_ARDRONE3_PILOTINGSETTINGSSTATE_BANKEDTURNCHANGED_VALUE to ARCONTROLLER_DICTIONARY_KEY_ARDRONE3_PILOTINGSETTINGSSTATE_BANKEDTURNCHANGED_STATE

ARCONTROLLER_DICTIONARY_KEY_ARDRONE3_PILOTINGSETTINGSSTATE_CIRCLINGRADIUSCHANGED_VALUE to ARCONTROLLER_DICTIONARY_KEY_ARDRONE3_PILOTINGSETTINGSSTATE_CIRCLINGRADIUSCHANGED_CURRENT

ARCONTROLLER_DICTIONARY_KEY_ARDRONE3_PILOTINGSETTINGSSTATE_CIRCLINGALTITUDECHANGED_VALUE to ARCONTROLLER_DICTIONARY_KEY_ARDRONE3_PILOTINGSETTINGSSTATE_CIRCLINGALTITUDECHANGED_CURRENT

In bebop_driver/include/bebop_driver/autogenerated/ardrone3_state_callbacks.h remove the following lines:

``arg = NULL;

HASH_FIND_STR (arguments, ARCONTROLLER_DICTIONARY_KEY_ARDRONE3_ACCESSORYSTATE_CONNECTEDACCESSORIES_LIST_FLAGS, arg); if (arg) {

msg_ptr->list_flags = arg->value.U8;

}``

In bebop_msgs/msg/autogenerated/Ardrone3AccessoryStateConnectedAccessories.msg remove the following lines:

``# List entry attribute Bitfield. 0x01: First: indicate its the first element of the list. 0x02: Last: indicate its the last element of the list. 0x04: Empty: indicate the list is empty (implies First/Last). All other arguments should be ignored. 0x08: Remove: This value should be removed from the existing list.: uint8 list_flags``

These changes are required because the upstream XML file is inconsistent for a couple of variable names.

Remove build and devel space of your catkin workspace, then re-build it.

License¶

Parrot ARDrone3 SDK¶

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
Neither the name of Parrot nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior writtenpermission.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS “AS IS” AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT OWNER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

bebop_autonomy (driver and tools)¶

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
Neither the name of [project] nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS “AS IS” AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.