Config file
Description of the config file the ascend-co program reads from
General
status_text_publisher_delay
5 seconds
Delay (in seconds) between repeated QGC warning messages while a collision condition remains active and the object stays within the drone’s bounding box.
co_always_active
false
If false, ACO is only active when the drone is airborne and in mission mode. If true, ACO is always active (Not recommended, as this may cause false collision detections during takeoff and landing).
SF45
Settings related to the LightWare SF45 LiDAR sensor. It should be noted that the baud and scan angle parameters are directly applied onto the SF45.
strength_threshold
90
Minimum signal strength required for an SF45 measurement to be considered valid.
Recommended default value.
distance_threshold
5000
Maximum valid distance (in centimeters). Measurements beyond this distance are ignored.
Recommended default value.
sf45_port
/dev/ttyACM0
Linux device port where the SF45 is connected. An auto-detect feature exists; this value is used as a fallback if auto-detection fails.
sf45_baud
921600
Baud rate configured on the SF45 sensor.
low_scan_angle
-70
Lower scan angle limit (degrees) relative to the sensor’s forward direction.
high_scan_angle
70
Upper scan angle limit (degrees) relative to the sensor’s forward direction.
MAVLink
Configuration for MAVLink communication between the VOXL2, the FCU, and the Ground Control Station.
mavlink_port
tcp://172.17.0.1:5790
MAVLink connection endpoint used by the application. Must be edited per device. On VOXL2, it is recommended to use udpin://0.0.0.0:14551.
system_id
1
MAVLink system ID used by the onboard computer. Ensure this matches the drone’s MAV_SYS_ID.
component_id
11
MAVLink component ID used by the onboard computer.
always_send_heartbeats_
true
If enabled, heartbeats are continuously sent to maintain the MAVLink connection.
Recommended default value.
gcs_ip
100.108.126.18
IP address of the Ground Control Station used for sending status text messages. Must match the device running QGC.
gcs_port
14550
Port on which the Ground Control Station listens for MAVLink messages.
Recommended default value.
use_udp_connection
true
If true, MAVLink communication uses UDP. If false, TCP is used.
Recommended default value.
publish_obstacle_distance_msg
true
If enabled, OBSTACLE_DISTANCE MAVLink messages are published.
Recommended default value.
obstacle_distance_publish_frequency
20
Frequency (Hz) at which OBSTACLE_DISTANCE messages are published.
Recommended default value.
Collision Overwatch
Parameters related to collision prevention safety limits. These values must be tuned based on the drone’s physical dimensions.
safety_width
2
Total lateral safety distance (meters). A value of 2 means 1 m to the left and 1 m to the right of the drone.
safety_height
1
Total vertical safety distance (meters). A value of 1 means 0.5 m above and 0.5 m below the drone.
safety_vel_gain
4
Scaling factor applied to drone velocity to increase stopping distance. Example: at 1 m/s, the stop distance becomes 4 m.
is_moving_threshold
0.3
Velocity threshold (m/s). Below this value, safety distance is fixed. Above it, safety distance scales with velocity.
Recommended default value.
Foxglove
Settings for the Foxglove visualization server.
name
Ascend Collision Overwatch
Display name shown in Foxglove.
Recommended default value.
host
0.0.0.0
IP address the Foxglove server binds to.
Recommended default value.
port
8765
TCP port on which the Foxglove server listens.
Recommended default value.
logging
true
Enables publishing of ACO data for visualization. If false, no data is sent to Foxglove.
save_logs
false
If enabled, Foxglove logs are saved to disk at save_log_path.
Recommended default value.
save_log_path
/home/root/mcap_recordings/
Filesystem path where Foxglove log files (MCAP recordings) are stored.
In the next section, there is a broader explanation of each parameter
General
General settings of ACO
status_text_publisher_delay
Default value: 5 seconds
Delay in seconds, for when to continuously send a QGC warning when a collision is detected, and the detected object is still within the bounding box of the drone
co_always_active
Default value: False
In standard operation, ACO is only ACTIVE, when a drone is in the air AND in mission mode. Otherwise, ACO is INACTIVE. With this parameter, you can engage ACO to always be active.
Its not recommended to keep ACO always active, as ACO might detect unnecessary collisions during takeoff/landing
SF45
Settings related to the LightWare SF45 LiDAR sensor. It should be noted that the baud and scan angle parameters are directly applied onto the SF45.
strength_threshold
Default value: 90
Minimum signal strength required for an SF45 measurement to be considered valid. Recommended default value.
distance_threshold
Default value: 5000
Maximum valid distance in centimeters. Any measurements beyond this distance are ignored. Recommended default value.
sf45_port
Default value: /dev/ttyACM0
Linux device port where the SF45 is connected. There is also an auto detect feature, so if its connected to a different port, the code would auto adjust this value. This is simply a fallback value incase auto detect cannot find it.
sf45_baud
Default value: 921600
Baud rate configured on the SF45 sensor.
low_scan_angle
Default value: -70
Lower scan angle limit (degrees) relative to the sensor forward direction.
low_scan_angle
Default value: 70
Upper scan angle limit (degrees) relative to the sensor forward direction.
MAVLink
Configuration for MAVLink communication between the VOXL2, the FCU, and the ground control station.
mavlink_port
Default value: tcp://172.17.0.1:5790
MAVLink connection endpoint used by the application. Must be edited based on the device. On the VOXL2, try and use: udpin://0.0.0.0:14551
system_id
Default value: 1
MAVLink system ID used by the onboard computer. Edit to make sure this value matches that of the drone as given by MAV_SYS_ID
component_id
Default value: 11
MAVLink component ID used by the onboard computer.
always_send_heartbeats_
Default value: true
If enabled, heartbeats are continuously sent to maintain a MAVLink connection. Recommended default value.
gcs_ip
Default value: 100.108.126.18
IP address of the Ground Control Station used for sending status text messages. Edit to make sure this matches that of the device running QGC.
gcs_port
Default value: 14550
Port number on which the Ground Control Station listens for MAVLink messages. Recommended default value.
use_udp_connection
Default value: true
If true, MAVLink communication uses UDP. If false, TCP is used. Recommended default value.
publish_obstacle_distance_msg
Default value: true
If enabled, OBSTACLE_DISTANCE MAVLink messages are published. Recommended default value.
obstacle_distance_publish_frequency
Default value: 20
Frequency (Hz) at which OBSTACLE_DISTANCE messages are sent. Recommended default value.
Collision Overwatch
Parameters related to collision prevention safety limits. These values should be edited keeping in mind the drones dimensions
safety_width
Default value: 2
Total lateral safety distance (in meters) to the left and right of the drone. If value is 2m, that means 1m to the left and 1m to the right.
safety_height
Default value: 1
Total vertical safety distance (in meters) above and below the drone. If value is 1m, that means 0.5m upwards and 0.5m downwards
safety_vel_gain
Default value: 4
Scaling factor used to increase the safety distance as drone velocity increases. If value is 4, and the drone is travelling at 1m/s, the drone would stop attempt to stop 1 * 4 = 4m when an obstacle is detected.
is_moving_threshold
Default value: 0.3
Velocity threshold (m/s). Below this value, the safety distance remains fixed. Above this value, the safety distance scales with velocity. Recommended default value.
Foxglove
Settings for the Foxglove visualization server.
name
Default value: Ascend Collision Overwatch
Display name shown in Foxglove. Recommended default value.
host
Default value: 0.0.0.0
IP address the Foxglove server binds to. Recommended default value.
port
Default value: 8765
TCP port on which the Foxglove server listens. Recommended default value.
logging
Default value: true
Enables publishing of ACO data for visualisation. If false, then nothing is sent to Foxglove
save_logs
Default value: false
If enabled, foxglove logs are saved to provided path in save_log_path. Recommended default value.
save_log_path
Default value: /home/root/mcap_recordings/
Filesystem path where Foxglove log files (mcap recordings) are stored.
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