Initial version of the planning_utilities for controlling robotic manipulators at Research Center "Enrico Piaggio" using MoveIt.

planning_utilities - ROS Metapackage

The planning_utilities metapackage is a comprehensive suite of tools and ROS nodes designed to streamline robotic path planning and execution tasks. It offers various planning actions and provides a convenient way to manage and execute tasks involving Cartesian planning, joint planning, and plan execution.

Overview

In the field of robotics, path planning and execution are essential for enabling robots to perform tasks accurately and safely. The planning_utilities metapackage simplifies these tasks by providing a collection of tools and ROS nodes that facilitate the entire process.

Packages

1. planning_pkg

The planning_pkg package, a crucial component of the planning_utilities metapackage, contains several ROS action servers and task execution functionalities. Here are the key functionalities offered by the planning_pkg package:

a. Action Servers

• CartesianPlanActionServer: This class serves as a base for a Cartesian Plan Action Server. It handles Cartesian path planning goals, manages trajectories, and plans them for specified planning groups.

• JointPlanActionServer: Similar to CartesianPlanActionServer, this class serves as a base for a Joint Plan Action Server. It handles joint path planning goals, manages joint configurations, and plans them for specified planning groups.

• ExecutePlanActionServer: This class enables the execution of planned trajectories using an action server. It manages the execution of motion plans and provides callback functions for goal completion.

b. Task Handler

• The TaskHandler class is designed to handle task execution using ROS action clients. It provides functionalities to plan and execute tasks based on specified goals. Tasks can involve both Cartesian and joint planning goals.

2. planning_msgs

The planning_msgs package defines custom ROS action and message types used by the action servers and other components in the planning_utilities metapackage. These message types facilitate the communication of planning goals and results between nodes.

Usage

To use the planning_utilities metapackage in your ROS environment, follow these steps:

1. Clone the Package: Clone the planning_utilities package to your ROS workspace.

2. Build the Package: Use catkin_make to build the package within your workspace.

3. Define Tasks: Define tasks and goals in YAML format, as shown in the example below. These tasks can include Cartesian and joint planning goals and options for merging or not merging planned configurations.

4. Launch the Nodes: Use the provided launch files to start the ROS nodes. The launch file loads task parameters from a YAML file and launches the action server and client nodes responsible for task planning and execution.

Creating a YAML Task File

To plan and execute a sequence of tasks using the task_planner_node, you need to create a YAML task file. Each task in the file represents a specific motion planning goal, which can be either Cartesian planning or joint planning. Each task entry contains the following components:

1. type: Specifies the type of the planning task, which can be either "CartesianPlan" or "JointPlan."

2. goal: Depending on the task type, define the planning goal, including the desired position and orientation for Cartesian planning or a list of joint angles for joint planning.

3. merge: Indicates whether to use as initial condition for planning the current configuration of the final configuration planned by the previous trajectory.

4. group: Specifies the planning group associated with the task.

You can add more tasks to the YAML file to create a sequence of motion planning tasks to be executed in the order they appear. Below is a guide on how to build a YAML task file:

tasks:
  - type: "CartesianPlan"  # Task type: Cartesian planning
    goal:
      position:
        x: 0.4            # Desired X-coordinate
        y: 0.1            # Desired Y-coordinate
        z: 0.4            # Desired Z-coordinate
      orientation:
        x: 0.0            # Desired X orientation
        y: 1.0            # Desired Y orientation
        z: 0.0            # Desired Z orientation
        w: 0.0            # Desired W orientation
    merge: false          # Whether to merge the new plan with the previous one
    group: "panda_arm"    # Planning group to use

  - type: "JointPlan"     # Task type: Joint planning
    goal: [-1.0, -1.0, 0.0, 1.57, 1.3, 1.57, 0.0]  # Desired joint configuration
    merge: false          # Whether to merge the new plan with the previous one
    group: "panda_arm"    # Planning group to use

# Continue with more tasks...