Qualcomm Navigator^TM Flight Control Interface

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Prerequisites
3. Version Compatibility
4. Changelog
5. Cloning and building the code
6. Running the examples
7. Documentation
8. FAQ

Introduction

Qualcomm Navigator^TM is a flight controller that runs on the Qualcomm Flight^TM platform. Detailed information about its capabilities can be found on the Qualcomm Developer Network site.

Qualcomm Navigator Flight Control Interface is an example of an abstraction layer between the Qualcomm Navigator API and higher-level programs. It is intended to isolate application developers from certain low-level details of the Qualcomm Navigator API.

To get started with the documentation, see snav_fci::FlightControlInterface.

Several examples are provided to demonstrate how to use FlightControlInterface:

• hello_snav.cpp
• basic_waypoint_example.cpp
• multithreaded_waypoint_example.cpp
• orbit_example.cpp
• nonblocking_trajectory_example.cpp

Prerequisites

Hardware

This example requires the following hardware:

• Qualcomm Flight Kit
• Qualcomm Electronic Speed Control (ESC) board
• Drone frame, motors, and propellers; such as the Dragon Drone Development Kit

Note that if you're using the Dragon DDK, a URDF ros package is available at: dragon_ddk_description

Software

This example requires the following software:

• Plaform Image from Intrynsic 3.1.3.1
• Platform Addon from Intrynsic 3.1.3.1
• Qualcomm Navigator Flight Controller SDK 1.2.58
• Qualcomm Machine Vision SDK 1.1.8
• Qualcomm ESC Firmware 1.2.0
• CMake: install on target with sudo apt-get install cmake
• Eigen: install on target with sudo apt-get install libeigen3-dev

Version Compatibility

The table below summarizes what versions of Qualcomm Navigator are compatible with a given release of Flight Control Interface.

Flight Control Interface Version	Qualcomm Navigator Version
v2.0	>= v1.2.58
v1.0	>= v1.2.53.1

Cloning and building the code

These instructions assume that your Qualcomm Flight board is connected to the internet, but, alternatively, you can clone this repo on an internet-connected computer and then push the files to your Qualcomm Flight board. These instructions also assume that the compilation is done on the Qualcomm Flight board.

Clone this repo

adb shell
cd /home/linaro
git clone https://github.com/ATLFlight/snav_fci.git

Build the code

cd snav_fci
mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..
make -j4

A library called libsnav_fci.so is built and put in the lib directory. Examples appear in the bin directory.

Running the examples

Running Qualcomm Navigator simulator

It is a good idea to test the examples in simulation before attempting any real flights. In general, this is a powerful way to test API programs without risking damage to any vehicles or the environment that could be caused in a real flight test. To do this, run snav in simulation mode:

sudo stop snav
sudo snav -w 1000

Although the motors do not spin in simulation mode, it is still prudent to remove the propellers while doing bench-top testing to avoid accidents.

Test communication with Qualcomm Navigator

From another shell, run the hello_snav example to test whether or not you are able to communicate with Qualcomm Navigator.

cd /home/linaro/snav_fci/build/bin
./hello_snav

You should see a message print out about successfully connecting to Qualcomm Navigator, and, if you have ESCs and motors connected, you should observe the status LEDs changing color and hear beeps indicating that Qualcomm Navigator started receiving commands.

For example, here is the output from a successful run (output is identical for both sim and non-sim):

linaro@linaro-developer:~/snav_fci/build/bin$ ./hello_snav
The apps <--> dsp offset = [1513353394762546617 ](ns) Apps ClockType[CLOCK_REALTIME]
[INFO] Launched tx thread (id: 3020944384)
[INFO] Launched rx thread (id: 3012555776)
Successfully connected to Qualcomm Navigator
[INFO] tx thread terminated normally
[INFO] rx thread terminated normally

Running this example successfully confirms that the flight stack is running normally and is accepting API commands. This is a good sanity test of your installation of Qualcomm Navigator and Flight Control Interface.

Test example programs in simulation with snav_inspector

With Qualcomm Navigator running in simulation mode, you can run any of the examples and observe the live simulated results using snav_inspector, a tool included in the Qualcomm Navigator package. For more information on how to use this tool, please refer to the Qualcomm Navigator User Guide.

For example, run the basic_waypoint_example program and observe the pos_vel group in snav_inspector. You should observe the pos_vel.position_estimated field tracking the pos_vel.position_desired field as the simulated vehicle executes the waypoint mission.

Visualize simulated flight using ROS and rviz

You can also test the example programs by visualizing the simulated flight in rviz using ROS. You can use snav_ros to accomplish this. Follow the instructions in the snav_ros README to get up and running.

Real flight test

Once you are confident that the example programs are working properly in simulation, you can perform a real flight test. Kill the snav simulator and start snav normally with the start snav command.

Before running any of the programs, place the vehicle on flat ground that has plenty of visual texture. Make sure there is plenty of open space in all directions. If you have a Spektrum RC, be prepared to take over in the event of an anomaly.

Documentation

Access the docs

Doxygen documentation for the most recent release is available at https://atlflight.github.io/snav_fci/

Generating the docs

You can generate the documentation yourself as follows:

cd /home/linaro/snav_fci
doxygen Doxyfile

Autogenerated HTML files are put in the docs directory and can be viewed using a web browser. Simply open index.html in a browser to get started.

FAQ

I am getting an error message about not being able to initialize SnavCachedData

Update checksum_failure. [f0eb75d8,033e2d1a] Possible RPC issue.
[ERROR] snav_fci::FlightControlInterface::FlightControlInterface(const snav_fci::FlightControlInterface::Permissions&)
terminate called after throwing an instance of 'std::runtime_error'
  what():  could not init SnavCachedData
Aborted

This error message usually indicates that Qualcomm Navigator is not actively running. Start Qualcomm Navigator using the start snav command for normal operation or the snav -w command for simulation and then rerun the program.

I, like Ricky Bobby, wanna go fast

Qualcomm Navigator has a number of parameters that directly and indirectly affect the maximum attainable velocity and acceleration. These parameters are set relatively conservatively by default. If you are interested in high-speed, aggressive trajectory-following, you may wish to adjust these parameters in order to reach higher velocities and accelerations.

SN_VIO_POS_HOLD_MODE is the only mode supported when using the trajectory-tracking input, so only parameters relevant to that use case are discussed here. However, similar parameters exist for other modes and can be adjusted for faster flight when using the RC command input. Refer to the Qualcomm Navigator User Guide for detailed documentation on parameters.

The vio_mode_xy_gain and the height_control_z_vel_gain parameters in the input_interpreter_params group dictate the maximum attainable XY and Z speeds, respectively. The XY and Z velocity feedforward factors used in control can be set using the velocity_ff_factor_vio and velocity_z_ff_factor_vio parameters, respectively, in the position_control_params group, where a value of 0 eliminates the feedforward control and a value of 1 corresponds to full feedforward control.

Acceleration is slightly more complicated since it is related to the tilt angle and thrust-to-weight ratio of the vehicle. The maximum theoretical acceleration in the horizontal plane (Z component = 0) can be approximated as gravity * tan(max_tilt_angle) for idealized flight. The max_vio_control_tilt_angle parameter in the position_control_params group dictates the maximum tilt angle for VIO mode. The max_acc_allowed parameter in the velocity_smoother_params group specifies the maximum allowed acceleration to move the desired position in the XY plane.

Keep in mind that the vertical component of thrust is reduced when the tilt angle is non-zero, meaning that at some angle the vehicle is not able to maintain altitude due to its finite thrust. This critical angle may be approximated as acos(1/(T/W)), where T/W is the thrust-to-weight ratio of the vehicle. The thrust-to-weight ratio may be calculated by dividing the max_thrust parameter of the rc_params group by the basethrust parameter of the position_control_params group. Furthermore, keep in mind that in windy conditions a non-zero tilt angle is required to maintain zero acceleration.

The maximum theoretical vertical acceleration (XY components = 0) can be approximated as ((T/W)-1) * gravity, where T/W is the thrust-to-weight ratio of the vehicle. However, this assumes zero tilt angle, so the actual achievable acceleration in Z is a function of the tilt angle at any given time.

Once the Qualcomm Navigator parameters have been updated, you should update the max_allowed* values in snav_fci::PlannerConfig to reflect these changes. Then, try increasing the average_speed* parameters in snav_fci::PlannerConfig to generate more aggressive trajectories if using TimestampStrategy::AVERAGE_SPEED; otherwise, manually adjust the timestamps to obtain the desired trajectory.