Launching Autoware
Autoware consists of two parts: simulation and real vehicle operation. For simulation, please refer to Autoware Simulator Tutorials. For real vehicle operation, please refer to the following documentation.
Launch File and Parameter Configuration
ros2 launch autoware_launch autoware.launch.xml \
map_path:=$HOME/autoware_map/factory_20230325 \
vehicle_model:=pixkit \
sensor_model:=pixkit_sensor_kit
For the above example, this launch is divided into five parts as follows:
autoware_launch: the package where the launch file is locatedautoware.launch.xml: the launch filemap_path: the address parameter of the map, which includes the point cloud map and vector map. Please refer to mapping for how to create maps.vehicle_model: the vehicle model parameter. According to the parameter, the corresponding vehicle URDF model and Autoware interface will be selected. Please refer to pixkit_launch.sensor_model: the sensor model parameter. According to the parameter, the corresponding sensor URDF model and sensor driver will be selected. Please refer to pixkit_sensor_kit_launch.
launch window
After running the above command successfully, the rviz2window will appear as follows:
In the visualization window, you can see the imported chassis model, point cloud map, and vector map.
Launch Verification
- Verify if the Map is Imported
- Verify if the vehicle model is imported
- Verify whether the sensors have launched correctly
Verify if the Map is Imported
You can check whether the map is imported by: - Observing whether there is a point cloud map and vector map in rviz. - Checking whether there is map data published through the ros2 cli. If there is data output, it means that the map import is normal. The command is as follows:
ros2 top echo [topic name]
| Topic | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| /map/pointcloud_map | sensor_msgs/msg/PointCloud2 | Pointcloud map |
| /map/vector_map | autoware_auto_mapping_msgs/msg/HADMapBin | Vector map (lanelet2 format) |
Verify if the vehicle model is imported
- Observe whether there is a vehicle model in the rviz2 visualization window, as shown below:
- Check whether the chassis feedback is normal. The topics for chassis feedback are shown in the table below. You can check whether the chassis communication is normal through ros2 cli. The command is as follows:
ros2 top echo [topic name]
| Topic | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| /vehicle/status/control_mode | autoware_auto_vehicle_msgs::msg::ControlModeReport | Feedback on the chassis control mode |
| /vehicle/status/velocity_status | autoware_auto_vehicle_msgs::msg::VelocityReport | Feedback on the chassis velocity |
| /vehicle/status/steering_status | autoware_auto_vehicle_msgs::msg::SteeringReport | Feedback on the chassis steering |
| /vehicle/status/gear_status | autoware_auto_vehicle_msgs::msg::GearReport | Feedback on the chassis gear |
| /vehicle/status/turn_indicators_status | autoware_auto_vehicle_msgs::msg::TurnIndicatorsReport | Feedback on the chassis turn indicators |
| /vehicle/status/hazard_lights_status | autoware_auto_vehicle_msgs::msg::HazardLightsReport | Feedback on the chassis hazard lights |
Verify whether the sensors have launched correctly
- Use the ros2 cli to check whether sensor data is being published. If data is being published, it indicates that the sensors have started correctly. The command to check is as follows:
ros2 top echo [topic name]
| Topic | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| /sensing/lidar/top/outlier_filtered/pointcloud | sensor_msgs/msg/PointCloud2 | LiDAR data |
| /sensing/imu/imu_data | sensor_msgs/msg/Imu | IMU data |
Notes
- Make sure that the map file exists before launching. Failure to specify a valid folder path or file name in the map_path argument will result in a startup failure.