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Using Sensors#

This guide shows you how to launch AutoSDV with different sensor configurations.

Sensor Suites#

AutoSDV supports predefined sensor combinations called sensor suites. Each suite is a tested combination of sensors that work well together.

Sensor Suite LiDAR Camera IMU GNSS Use Case
robin_zed Robin-W ZED X Mini ZED IMU u-blox ZED-F9R Recommended - Complete outdoor suite
vlp32c_zed Velodyne VLP-32C ZED X Mini ZED IMU u-blox ZED-F9R Alternative LiDAR option
cube1_zed Blickfeld Cube1 ZED X Mini ZED IMU u-blox ZED-F9R Solid-state LiDAR option

Quick Start#

Launch with Sensor Suite#

# Launch with Robin-W LiDAR + ZED camera (recommended)
make launch ARGS="sensor_suite:=robin_zed"

# Launch with Velodyne LiDAR + ZED camera
make launch ARGS="sensor_suite:=vlp32c_zed"

# Launch with Blickfeld LiDAR + ZED camera
make launch ARGS="sensor_suite:=cube1_zed"

Verify Sensors are Working#

After launching, check that sensors are publishing data:

# Check all sensor topics
ros2 topic list | grep /sensing

# Check LiDAR data rate (should be ~10 Hz)
ros2 topic hz /sensing/lidar/robin_lidar/points_raw

# Check camera images (should be ~15 Hz)
ros2 topic hz /sensing/camera/zedxm/rgb/image_rect_color

# Check IMU data (should be ~400 Hz)
ros2 topic hz /sensing/imu/zed/imu_raw

# Check GNSS position (should be ~5 Hz)
ros2 topic hz /sensing/gnss/ublox/nav_sat_fix

Visualize in RViz#

# Open RViz with AutoSDV configuration
make run-rviz

You should see: - Point cloud from LiDAR (white/colored points) - Camera image overlay - Vehicle pose in the map - TF frames showing sensor positions

Common Scenarios#

Outdoor with RTK GPS#

For high-precision outdoor localization with RTK corrections:

# Enable NTRIP for RTK positioning
make launch ARGS="sensor_suite:=robin_zed use_ntrip:=true"

This connects to the e-GNSS Taiwan VRS for ~2cm accuracy GPS.

Indoor (No GPS)#

For indoor operation without GPS signal:

# Disable GPS, use NDT localization only
make launch ARGS="sensor_suite:=robin_zed use_gnss:=false"

You'll need to manually set the initial pose in RViz using "2D Pose Estimate" tool.

Using Isaac Visual SLAM#

For camera-based localization instead of LiDAR NDT:

# Use Isaac Visual SLAM for pose estimation
make launch ARGS="sensor_suite:=robin_zed pose_source:=isaac"

Custom Sensor Selection#

Instead of using predefined suites, you can select individual sensors:

# Custom combination
make launch ARGS="lidar_model:=robin-w camera_model:=zedxm imu_source:=zed gnss_receiver:=ublox"

# Minimal setup (LiDAR only)
make launch ARGS="lidar_model:=robin-w camera_model:=none imu_source:=mpu9250 use_gnss:=false"

Available Options#

LiDAR Models: - robin-w - Robin-W 360° LiDAR (default) - vlp32c - Velodyne VLP-32C - cube1 - Blickfeld Cube1

Camera Models: - zedxm - ZED X Mini stereo camera (default) - usb - USB webcam - none - No camera

IMU Sources: - zed - ZED built-in IMU (default) - mpu9250 - External MPU9250 IMU

GNSS Receivers: - ublox - u-blox ZED-F9R (RTK-capable, default) - garmin - Garmin GPS 18x (standard GPS) - septentrio - Septentrio receiver

Troubleshooting#

No sensor data#

Check topics exist: 

ros2 topic list | grep /sensing

If topics are missing, the sensor driver may have failed to start. Check logs: 

# View latest logs
tail -f play_log/latest/*.log

Sensor not detected#

Check hardware connection: 

# For LiDAR (check network)
ping 172.168.1.10  # Robin-W
ping 192.168.1.201  # Velodyne

# For camera (check ZED SDK)
ZED_Explorer

# For GNSS (check USB device)
ls -l /dev/ublox-gps

Transform errors in RViz#

If RViz shows "No transform from X to Y", rebuild the project: 

make build

Next Steps#