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autoware_carla_interface#

ROS 2/Autoware.universe bridge for CARLA simulator#

Thanks to https://github.com/gezp for ROS 2 Humble support for CARLA Communication. This ros package enables communication between Autoware and CARLA for autonomous driving simulation.

Supported Environment#

ubuntu ros carla autoware
22.04 humble 0.9.15 Main

Setup#

Install#

  1. Download maps (y-axis inverted version) to arbitrary location
  2. Change names and create the map folder (example: Town01) inside autoware_map. (point_cloud/Town01.pcd -> autoware_map/Town01/pointcloud_map.pcd, vector_maps/lanelet2/Town01.osm-> autoware_map/Town01/lanelet2_map.osm)
  3. Create map_projector_info.yaml on the folder and add projector_type: local on the first line.

Build#

colcon build --symlink-install --cmake-args -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release

Run#

  1. Run carla, change map, spawn object if you need 

    cd CARLA
./CarlaUE4.sh -prefernvidia -quality-level=Low -RenderOffScreen

  2. Run ros nodes

    ros2 launch autoware_launch e2e_simulator.launch.xml map_path:=$HOME/autoware_map/Town01 vehicle_model:=sample_vehicle sensor_model:=awsim_sensor_kit simulator_type:=carla carla_map:=Town01

  3. Set initial pose (Init by GNSS)

  4. Set goal position
  5. Wait for planning
  6. Engage

Inner-workings / Algorithms#

The InitializeInterface class is key to setting up both the CARLA world and the ego vehicle. It fetches configuration parameters through the autoware_carla_interface.launch.xml.

The main simulation loop runs within the carla_ros2_interface class. This loop ticks simulation time inside the CARLA simulator at fixed_delta_seconds time, where data is received and published as ROS 2 messages at frequencies defined in self.sensor_frequencies.

Ego vehicle commands from Autoware are processed through the autoware_raw_vehicle_cmd_converter, which calibrates these commands for CARLA. The calibrated commands are then fed directly into CARLA control via CarlaDataProvider.

Configurable Parameters for World Loading#

All the key parameters can be configured in autoware_carla_interface.launch.xml.

Name Type Default Value Description
host string "localhost" Hostname for the CARLA server
port int "2000" Port number for the CARLA server
timeout int 20 Timeout for the CARLA client
ego_vehicle_role_name string "ego_vehicle" Role name for the ego vehicle
vehicle_type string "vehicle.toyota.prius" Blueprint ID of the vehicle to spawn. The Blueprint ID of vehicles can be found in CARLA Blueprint ID
spawn_point string None Coordinates for spawning the ego vehicle (None is random). Format = [x, y, z, roll, pitch, yaw]
carla_map string "Town01" Name of the map to load in CARLA
sync_mode bool True Boolean flag to set synchronous mode in CARLA
fixed_delta_seconds double 0.05 Time step for the simulation (related to client FPS)
objects_definition_file string "$(find-pkg-share autoware_carla_interface)/objects.json" Sensor parameters file that are used for spawning sensor in CARLA
use_traffic_manager bool True Boolean flag to set traffic manager in CARLA
max_real_delta_seconds double 0.05 Parameter to limit the simulation speed below fixed_delta_seconds
config_file string "$(find-pkg-share autoware_carla_interface)/raw_vehicle_cmd_converter.param.yaml" Control mapping file to be used in autoware_raw_vehicle_cmd_converter. Current control are calibrated based on vehicle.toyota.prius Blueprints ID in CARLA. Changing the vehicle type may need a recalibration.

Configurable Parameters for Sensors#

Below parameters can be configured in carla_ros.py.

Name Type Default Value Description
self.sensor_frequencies dict {"top": 11, "left": 11, "right": 11, "camera": 11, "imu": 50, "status": 50, "pose": 2} (line 67) Calculates the time interval since the last publication and checks if this interval meets the minimum required to not exceed the desired frequency. It will only affect ROS publishing frequency not CARLA sensor tick.
  • CARLA sensor parameters can be configured in config/objects.json.
    • For more details regarding the parameters that can be modified in CARLA are explained in Carla Ref Sensor.

World Loading#

The carla_ros.py sets up the CARLA world:

  1. Client Connection:

    client = carla.Client(self.local_host, self.port)
client.set_timeout(self.timeout)

  2. Load the Map:

    Map loaded in CARLA world with map according to carla_map parameter.

    client.load_world(self.map_name)
self.world = client.get_world()

  3. Spawn Ego Vehicle:

    Vehicle are spawn according to vehicle_type, spawn_point, and agent_role_name parameter.

    spawn_point = carla.Transform()
point_items = self.spawn_point.split(",")
if len(point_items) == 6:
   spawn_point.location.x = float(point_items[0])
   spawn_point.location.y = float(point_items[1])
   spawn_point.location.z = float(point_items[2]) + 2
   spawn_point.rotation.roll = float(point_items[3])
   spawn_point.rotation.pitch = float(point_items[4])
   spawn_point.rotation.yaw = float(point_items[5])
CarlaDataProvider.request_new_actor(self.vehicle_type, spawn_point, self.agent_role_name)

Traffic Light Recognition#

The maps provided by the Carla Simulator (Carla Lanelet2 Maps) currently lack proper traffic light components for Autoware and have different latitude and longitude coordinates compared to the pointcloud map. To enable traffic light recognition, follow the steps below to modify the maps.

  • Options to Modify the Map

    • B. Modify the Existing Carla Lanelet2 Maps
    • Adjust the longitude and latitude of the Carla Lanelet2 Maps to align with the PCD (origin).
  • When using the Tier4 Vector Map Builder, you must convert the PCD format from binary_compressed to ascii. You can use pcl_tools for this conversion.
  • For reference, an example of Town01 with added traffic lights at one intersection can be downloaded here.

Tips#

  • Misalignment might occurs during initialization, pressing init by gnss button should fix it.
  • Changing the fixed_delta_seconds can increase the simulation tick (default 0.05 s), some sensors params in objects.json need to be adjusted when it is changed (example: LIDAR rotation frequency have to match the FPS).

Known Issues and Future Works#

  • Testing on procedural map (Adv Digital Twin).
    • Currently unable to test it due to failing in the creation of the Adv digital twin map.
  • Automatic sensor configuration of the CARLA sensors from the Autoware sensor kit.
    • Sensor currently not automatically configured to have the same location as the Autoware Sensor kit. The current work around is to create a new frame of each sensors with (0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0) coordinate relative to base_link and attach each sensor on the new frame (autoware_carla_interface.launch.xml Line 28). This work around is very limited and restrictive, as when the sensor_kit is changed the sensor location will be wrongly attached.
  • Traffic light recognition.
    • Currently the HDmap of CARLA did not have information regarding the traffic light which is necessary for Autoware to conduct traffic light recognition.