PILZ safety laser scanner PSENscan

Package: psen_scan_v2

The psen_scan_v2 package is a ROS integration of the PSENscan safety laser scanner product. It lets you integrate the laser scanner data into your ROS Environment easily. Using the standard [sensor_msgs/LaserScan][] message format ensures compatibility with other laserscan-post-processing nodes such as [gmapping][]. For a general overview and link collection we refer to the wiki page.

PSENscan firmware >= 3.1.0 is supported on the following models:

Table of Contents

1. Installation
2. Build Status
3. Setup
4. ROS API
5. Usage
6. C++ standalone library

Installation

To use the package, you can install prebuilt packages with

sudo apt install ros-$ROS_DISTRO-psen-scan-v2

Migration

To update your ROS environment from the former psen_scan package (which supported firmware versions up to 3.0), please execute the following steps: 1. Update scanner firmware using PSENscan Configurator (unless the device has firmware 3.1 already) 2. Install the new ROS package sudo apt install ros-$ROS_DISTRO-psen-scan-v2 3. Replace the launch file arguments: * password and x_axis_rotation are obsolete and should be dropped * angle_start and angle_end are now in radians, in direction of the x axis of the scanner tf frame 4. In your application launch file / roslaunch command: replace all occurrences of psen_scan with psen_scan_v2

Build Status

Platform	Melodic	Noetic
CI
Buildfarm src
Buildfarm bin

Branching model

main is considered to be the active development branch, it targets the ROS distributions melodic and noetic.

Setup

Needed Equipment: - PSENscan safety laser scanner - ROS Machine

ROS API

Published Topics

/laser_scanner/scan ([sensor_msgs/LaserScan][])
Publishes a complete scan from the PSENscan safety laser scanner.

Parameters

host_ip (string, default: "192.168.0.50")
IP-Address of host machine.

sensor_ip (string, default: "192.168.0.10")
IP-Address of safety laser scanner.

Further Parameters (optional)

host_udp_port_data (int, default: 55115)
UDP Port on which monitoring frames (scans) should be received.

host_udp_port_control (int, default: 55116)
UDP Port used to send commands (start/stop) and receive the corresponding replies.

prefix (string, default: "laser_1")
Name of this scanner that can be changed to differentiate between multiple units.

angle_start (double, default: -2.40 (= -137.5 deg))
Start angle of measurement. (Radian)

angle_end (double, default: 2.40 (= 137.5 deg))
End angle of measurement. (Radian)

Usage

To start reading from the safety laser scanner and publishing complete scans execute roslaunch psen_scan_v2 psen_scan_v2.launch in a command line. This will launch the ROS Node with the default configuration.

If you wish to set parameters from the command line, add them to the end of the command as follows: parameter:=value, separated by spaces.

roslaunch psen_scan_v2 psen_scan_v2.launch sensor_ip:=192.168.0.10 host_ip:=192.168.0.20 host_udp_port_data:=3050

This example configures the safety laser scanner at 192.168.0.10 to send it´s frames to 192.168.0.20:3050.

TF Frames

The location of the TF frames is shown in the image below. These names are defined by the aforementioned launchfile parameter prefix. Changing them is necessary for instance when running multiple scanners.

Defining the scan range

You can adjust the scan field to your needs by changing angle_start and angle_end. The published ([sensor_msgs/LaserScan][]) will only contain data within the given angle limits. Both limits are defined within the laser_1_scan frame as shown in the image below.

Adjust expert parameters

If you've created an application package with your own launch file as described in the tutorials, you can easily adjust the aforementioned configuration parameters.

C++ standalone library

If you are interested in using the PSENscan safety laser scanner without ROS, please take a look at our C++ standalone library. You can read more about it here

Test concept

You need further information?

Our international hotline staff will support you individually about our ROS packages at ros@pilz.de

Find more information about the PILZ safety laser scanner on the product website.

Visit us at pilz.com

PILZ is an international-scale, innovative automation technology company. PILZ uses its solutions to create safety for man, machine and the environment. In addition to head office in Ostfildern near Stuttgart, the family business is represented over 2,400 employees at 42 subsidiaries and branches on all continents.

The company’s products include sensor technology, electronic monitoring relays, safety relays, configurable and programmable control systems, automation solutions with motion control, systems for industrial communication as well as visualization solutions and operator terminals.

PILZ solutions can be used in all areas of mechanical engineering, including the packaging and automotive sector, plus the railway technology, press and wind energy sectors. These solutions ensure that baggage handling systems run safely at airports and funiculars or roller coasters travel safely; they also guarantee fire protection and energy supply in buildings.

[sensor_msgs/LaserScan]: http://docs.ros.org/noetic/api/sensor_msgs/html/msg/LaserScan.html [gmapping]: http://wiki.ros.org/gmapping