Drone Pilot

Autonomous Pilot software that runs on companion computers.

Main functionalities:

Communication with flight controllers, including <Pixhawk, PX4, APM and MultiWii>.
Bridge between a ground station computer and flight controller, this allows to control vehicles from a computer.
Black box of flight data (save all the data from the flight controller and ground station).
Position control algorithms. Uses data from a motion capture system and compute the pilot commands to keep the vehicle in a desired position.
Uses DroneKit (when using Pixhawk and PX4) to perform advanced missions.

The objective of this repository is to do research using multirotor vehicles and learn how to develop with them.

Vehicle flying using a hover controller (mw-hover-controller.py):

This library uses a companion computer alongside a flight controller, you can check this post https://altax.net/blog/flight-stack/.

Current scripts:

MultiWii scripts:

mw-joystick.py -> Send joystick commands via UDP from a ground-station running Matlab to a flight controller running MultiWii software.

mw-hover-controller.py -> Computer pilot commands (using a PID structure) to make a Multiwii multicopter hold a specified x,y,z coordinate.

Pixhawk scripts:

pix-showdata.py -> Reads data from a flight controller (either SITL or real) and displays it. Dronekit related. Script that will be used first to ensure the communication with the flight controller is working.
pix-takeoff.py -> Script that makes a pixhawk take off in a secure way. Dronekit related.

pix-joystick.py -> Send joystick commands via UDP from a ground-station running Matlab to a pixhawk. Dronekit related.

pix-logdata.py -> Script that logs data from a vehicle and a MoCap system. Dronekit related.

pix-goto.py -> Script that commands the vehicle to follow waypoints.

pix-velocity-vector.py -> Script that send the vehicle a velocity vector to form a square and diamond shape.

Supported flight controllers:

Multiwii boards (using MSP). Currently using on this examples a naze32.
Pixhawk / PX4 / APM (using mavlink & DroneKit 2.0)

Supported companion computers:

Raspberry Pi (B+, 2 or Zero)
oDroid U3

Note: Code is in python, so, any linux companion computer should be able tu run it.

How to:

Raspbian

Update your Pi...

``` sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get upgrade ```

Next this one:

``` sudo apt-get install python-dev ```

More utilities:

``` sudo apt-get install screen python-wxgtk2.8 python-matplotlib python-opencv python-pip python-numpy python-serial ```

Then mavlink and mavproxy:

``` sudo pip install pymavlink sudo pip install mavproxy sudo pip install dronekit ```

Clone this repository:

``` git clone https://github.com/alduxvm/DronePilot.git ```

Have a read here https://altax.net/blog/how-to-dronekit-sitl/ for a tutorial on DroneKit and SITL.

Ubuntu LTS

Install Ubuntu

Download the Ubuntu LTS image for raspberry pi here: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ARM/RaspberryPi
Use Apple Pi-baker to create and put the image on the sd card (mac users)
Put sd on RPI and turn it on
Once booted, follow instructions to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ARM/RaspberryPi expand file system
Change password (optional) sudo passwd ubuntu

Connect to internet or a network

Have in mind that this particular configuration is for the wireless setup in my laboratory, you will have to change this part so that it suits your own configuration.

Mount a USB to install two packages: libw30, wireless-tools (packages must be for armhf)
List devices: sudo fdisk -l
Create USB folder sudo mkdir /media/usb
Mount device sudo mount /dev/sda2 /media/usb
Navigate to the folder and install:

sudo dpkg -i libiw30_30-pre9-8ubuntu1_armhf.deb
sudo dpkg -1 wireless-tools_30-pre9-5ubuntu2_armhf.deb

Add this information to interfaces:

auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet dhcp
	wireless-essid	jws-uav-lab
	wireless-mode	Managed
	wireless-key	s:#########

Reboot and you will be connected!

Utilities and extra software

sudo apt-get install openssh-server
sudo apt-get install python-dev
sudo apt-get install screen python-wxgtk2.8 python-matplotlib python-opencv python-pip python-numpy python-serial python-twisted htop git
sudo pip install pymavlink
sudo pip install mavproxy
sudo pip install dronekit

For higher UART speed

Edit /boot/config.txt file, and add to the end:

# Higher UART Speed
init_uart_baud=921600
init_uart_clock=14745600

Caution

This code is still under heavy development, everyday I add and remove stuff. Proceed with caution.

Social networks:

You can follow us in this URL's:

Utilities:

updateDronePilot shell script

#!/bin/bash

echo "Deleting previous directory..."
rm -rf DronePilot/
echo "Done."
echo "Cloning DronePilot repository: "
git clone https://github.com/alduxvm/DronePilot.git
#echo "Copying mavinit.scr to proper directory..."
#mkdir DronePilot/TestQuad
#mv DronePilot/mavinit.scr DronePilot/TestQuad/
#echo "Done."
echo "Ready to do: mavproxy.py --master=/dev/ttyAMA0 --baudrate 115200 --aircraft TestQuad"
echo "Dont forget to go inside the DronePilot directory."

ssh:

/etc/ssh/ssh_config

ServerAliveInterval 5
ClientAliveInterval 5

ad-hoc:

/etc/network/interfaces

auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
iface eth0 inet dhcp
 
auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet static
  address 192.168.1.1
  netmask 255.255.255.0
  wireless-channel 1
  wireless-essid RPiAdHocNetwork
  wireless-mode ad-hoc

sudo ifdown wlan0
sudo ifup wlan0

sudo apt-get install dhcp3-server
/etc/dhcp/dhcpd.conf

ddns-update-style interim;
default-lease-time 600;
max-lease-time 7200;
authoritative;
log-facility local7;
subnet 192.168.1.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {
  range 192.168.1.5 192.168.1.150;
}

In case of failure starting DHCP:

sudo service ifplugd stop

Video

sudo modprobe -v bcm2835-v4l2
git clone https://github.com/mpromonet/h264_v4l2_rtspserver.git
cd h264_v4l2_rtspserver
cmake .
make install
h264_v4l2_rtspserver -H <height> -W <width> -F <fps>

To start:

rtsp://192.168.1.1:8554/unicast

Low latency video

Same DHCP configuration as before
Install "hostapd"

sudo apt-get install hostapd netcat-traditional

Interfaces:

auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet static
  address 85.85.85.1
  netmask 255.255.255.0

/etc/hostapd/hostapd.conf

interface=wlan0
ssid=HDFPV
hw_mode=g
channel=6
auth_algs=1
wmm_enabled=0

/etc/default/hostapd

DAEMON_CONF="/etc/hostapd/hostapd.conf"

On rpi, create fifo file:

mkfifo fifo.500

On client (mac):

brew install netcat
brew install mplayer

To start (mac):

netcat -l -p 5000 | mplayer -fps 60 -cache 1024 -

To start (rpi):

cat fifo.500 | nc.traditional 85.85.85.6 5000 &
/opt/vc/bin/raspivid -o fifo.500 -t 0 -b 50000

meton-robean / DronePilot