Hector Game Pad Manager

This pkg receives sensor_msgs::Joy messages. Plugins can be loaded that react to this messages. For example the drive message waits for joystick movements and sends cmd_vel commands to the robot.

Configuration

Several Configs can be defined that map button and axis buttons to the corresponding plugin functionalities. The active configuration can be dynamicylly changed by holding the CONFIG_SWITCH_BUTTON and pressing another button. The Mapping between buttons and config files is defined in yaml file of the following format.

buttons:
  0: # Button A
    config: "driving"

  1: # Button B
    config: "manipulation"
...

Each button maps to one config file that must be placed in the config folder of the hector_gamepad_manager pkg. The config file must be of the following format.

axes:
  0: # Left joystick left/right
    plugin: "hector_gamepad_manager_plugins::DrivePlugin"
    function: "steer"

  1: # Left joystick up/down
    plugin: "hector_gamepad_manager_plugins::DrivePlugin"
    function: "drive"
...
buttons:
  0: # Button A
    plugin: "hector_gamepad_manager_plugins::DrivePlugin"
    function: "fast"

  1: # Button B
    plugin: ""
    function: ""
...

All config files are loaded on initialization. Every plugin mentioned in the config files is loaded and initialized.

NOTE: The CONFIG_SWITCH_BUTTON will be ignored in all config files. If it is pressed no config will receive updates. The active plugins are disabled on configuration switches.

JoyCallback

When a Joy message is received all plugins in the active config file are called with the corresponding axis/button values. The plugins can then react to the input and send commands to the robot.

Launch

The hector_gamepad_manager can be launched with the following command:

ros2 launch hector_gampepad_manager hector_gamepad_manager.launch.yaml

Hector Gamepad Manager Plugins

This package contains the following plugins for the hector_gamepad_manager package. The functionalities per plugin are described below.

DrivePlugin

This plugin is used to drive the robot using a gamepad.

Functions

• drive: Forward and backward movement of the robot. Default button: (Left joystick up/down)
• steer: Left and right steering of the robot. Default button: (Left joystick left/right)
• fast: Fast driving mode. Default button: (A)
• slow: Slow driving mode. Default button: (X)

FlipperPlugin

This plugin is used to steer the robot flippers using a gamepad.

Functions

• front_flippers_up: Rotate front flippers upwards (counterclockwise). Default button: (RB)
• front_flippers_down: Rotate front flippers downwards (clockwise). Default button: (LT)
• back_flippers_up: Rotate back flippers upwards (clockwise). Default button: (LB)
• back_flippers_down: Rotate back flippers downwards (counterclockwise). Default button: (LT)

Manipulation Plugin

This plugin can be used to control the robots end-effector and gripper. Additionally, in the hold mode the robot can be driven while the end-effector remains at its current position in the world frame.

Functions

Axis

• move_left_right: Move the end-effector left and right. Or move the robot base while the hold button is pressed.
• move_up_down: Move the end-effector up and down. Or move the robot base while the hold button is pressed.
• move_forward: Move the end-effector forward.
• move_backward: Move the end-effector backward.
• rotate_pitch: Rotate the end-effector around the pitch axis.
• rotate_yaw: Rotate the end-effector around the yaw axis.

Buttons

• rotate_roll_clockwise: Rotate the end-effector clockwise around the roll axis.
• rotate_roll_counterclockwise: Rotate the end-effector counterclockwise around the roll axis.
• open_gripper: Open the gripper.
• close_gripper: Close the gripper.
• hold_mode: Toggle the hold mode. In hold mode the robot can be driven while the end-effector remains at its current position in the world frame.