Auterion Setup

Setup doc for ACO installation specific to the Auterion Skynode

Mounting the SF45

The LightWare SF45 is a rotating 2D LiDAR. For best performance with ACO, mount the LiDAR either upright or upside down on the drone (the SF45 automatically detects its orientation). Ensure that the front of the LiDAR is perfectly aligned with the front of the drone and that its field of view is free from obstructions such as propellers or other payloads.

Installation

Connect the laptop to the Skynode with the Auterion CLI: https://docs.auterion.com/app-development/app-development/connecting-to-a-device

Install the app with: auterion-cli app install ascend.aco-1.0.0.auterionos (Soon to be available on the Auterion Store)

Copy the following file onto your local computer and name it as ascend-co.config

{
	"General": {
		"status_text_publisher_delay": 5,
		"co_always_active": false
	},
	"SF45": {
		"strength_threshold": 90,
		"distance_threshold": 5000,
		"sf45_port": "/dev/ttyACM0",
		"sf45_baud": 921600,
		"low_scan_angle": -70,
		"high_scan_angle": 70
	},
	"MAVLink": {
		"mavlink_port": "tcp://172.17.0.1:5790",
		"system_id": 1,
		"component_id": 11,
		"always_send_heartbeats_": true,
		"gcs_ip": "100.108.126.18",
		"gcs_port": 14550,
		"use_udp_connection": true,
		"publish_obstacle_distance_msg": true,
		"obstacle_distance_publish_frequency": 20
	},
	"CollisionOverwatch": {
		"safety_width": 2,
		"safety_height": 1,
		"safety_vel_gain": 5,
		"is_moving_threshold": 0.3
	},
	"Foxglove": {
		"name": "Ascend Collision Overwatch",
		"host": "0.0.0.0",
		"port": 8765,
		"logging": true,
		"save_logs": false,
		"save_log_path": "/home/root/mcap_recordings/"
	}
}

These parameters have to be changed in the file:

• "MAVLink"

  • system_id : Change it to the drones MAV_SYS_ID available in QGC under the parameters list

  • gcs_ip: change it to the laptops IP Address which has QGC

Upload the config file to the drone with:

scp ascend-co.config root@<drone_ip_address>:/data/app/ascend.aco/config/

To later edit the config file on the skynode, use this command:

sudo nano /data/app/ascend.aco/config/ascend-co.config

Or edit the config file on your local computer and upload it with scp again

Every time the config file is edited, the code auto restarts to apply the changes immediately

Verify successful running with: auterion-cli app logs -f ascend.aco

You should see something similar to:

ascend.aco.aco-app  | Autopilot system found with index: 0
ascend.aco.aco-app  | Creating UDP socket...
ascend.aco.aco-app  | Connected to GCS
ascend.aco.aco-app  | Obstacle Avoidance System ONLINE.
ascend.aco.aco-app  | Obstacle Avoidance always active: False
ascend.aco.aco-app  | Foxglove data logging: True

On QGC, you should see a status text Obstacle Avoidance System ONLINE.

Moreover, you should start to see the SF45 start spinning.

Useful Control commands

# Start ACO
auterion-cli app start ascend.aco

# Stop ACO
auterion-cli app stop ascend.aco

# Restart ACO
auterion-cli app restart ascend.aco

# Enable ACO to start on boot
auterion-cli app enable ascend.aco

# Disable ACO auto-start
auterion-cli app disable ascend.aco

# View ACO logs
auterion-cli app logs -f ascend.aco

Foxglove

Install foxglove from here: https://foxglove.dev/download.

On the Foxglove Dashboard page, click Open Connection.

Replace localhost with the drones IP address (Make sure to be on the same local network), and you should see the points populate in a 3D environment.

Edit PX4 Params

Make sure the SYS_VEHICLE_RESP is ≥ 0.5

• This is to make sure the drone stops aggressively and in time

• If the landing speed is aggressive, decrease the MPC_Z_VEL_MAX_DN to 1m/s

Diagnostics

• Disconnecting the SF45 from the USB cable should result in a status text error on QGC

If this does not show up, that means the drone is not connected to QGC

• Double check the entered QGC IP address

• Ensure you are able to ping QGC from the device and vice versa

• Restart the device and QGC

Final things to keep in mind

• As a final setup step, please set SYS_VEHICLE_RESP = 0.5 and MPC_Z_VEL_MAX_DN = 1 m/s in the PX4 parameters. These values help the drone stop in time, without them we’ve seen it get a bit too close to obstacles.

• The software is active only in Mission mode and while airborne (it’s inactive during takeoff, landing, or in other modes).

• For a first test flight, we recommend the following settings:

  • Plan a simple mission, where the drone goes 15m forward, then returns to its take off point

  • Set the mission speed to 1 m/s.

  • Try holding a stick or any movable object in front of the drone at some distance after takeoff to see the system react.

  • Once that looks good, you can test it against a wall or tree. We’ve thoroughly tested this on our end and don’t expect issues, but it’s always good to take extra safety precautions when running it in a new environment.

Always make sure to have back up joysticks ready incase you see the drone get too close to the obstacle

• Note that the SF45 can detect dust particles, so in dusty conditions, it might falsely flag fine dust as an obstacle.