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API review

Proposer: Chad Rockey

Present at review:

Contents

  1. API review
    1. Background
    2. New Definition
    3. Question / concerns / comments
    4. Meeting agenda
    5. Conclusion

Background

With the addition of REP 117, sensor_msgs/Range can now be extended to support fixed distance rangers.

Detections that are too close to the sensor to quantify shall be represented by -Inf.

Finally, out of range detections will be represented by +Inf.

A fixed distance ranger is simply a ranger with min_range===max_range that can only output -Inf or +Inf.

An example of this sensor is the Sharp GP2D15: http://www.acroname.com/robotics/parts/R49-IR15.html

New Definition

Only the comments are changing, so this will not trigger a migration. 

# Single range reading from an active ranger that emits energy and reports
# one range reading that is valid along an arc at the distance measured. 
# This message is  not appropriate for laser scanners. See the LaserScan
# message if you are working with a laser scanner.

# This message also can represent a fixed-distance (binary) ranger.  This
# sensor will have min_range===max_range===distance of detection.
# These sensors follow REP 117 and will output -Inf if the object is detected
# and +Inf if the object is outside of the detection range.

Header header           # timestamp in the header is the time the ranger
                        # returned the distance reading

# Radiation type enums
# If you want a value added to this list, send an email to the ros-users list
uint8 ULTRASOUND=0
uint8 INFRARED=1

uint8 radiation_type    # the type of radiation used by the sensor
                        # (sound, IR, etc) [enum]

float32 field_of_view   # the size of the arc that the distance reading is
                        # valid for [rad]
                        # the object causing the range reading may have
                        # been anywhere within -field_of_view/2 and
                        # field_of_view/2 at the measured range. 
                        # 0 angle corresponds to the x-axis of the sensor.

float32 min_range       # minimum range value [m]
float32 max_range       # maximum range value [m]
                        # Fixed distance rangers require min_range==max_range

float32 range           # range data [m]
                        # (Note: values < range_min or > range_max
                        # should be discarded)
                        # Fixed distance rangers only output -Inf or +Inf.
                        # -Inf represents a detection within fixed distance.
                        # (Detection too close to the sensor to quantify)
                        # +Inf represents no detection within the fixed distance.
                        # (Object out of range)

Question / concerns / comments

Enter your thoughts on the API and any questions / concerns you have here. Please sign your name. Anything you want to address in the API review should be marked down here before the start of the meeting.

Meeting agenda

To be filled out by proposer based on comments gathered during API review period

Conclusion

Package status change mark change manifest)

2023-10-28 13:04