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CLEARPATH HUSKY A200 User Manual

Unmanned ground vehicle
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Summary of Contents for CLEARPATH HUSKY A200

  • Page 2 What’s Required ............................4 Expansions ..............................4 The Basics ............................5 Status Panel............................... 6 Orientation References ..........................7 Pinout References ............................. 7 System Specifications ..........................8 Vehicle Equations ............................9 Control Modes ............................9 Clearpath Robotics Inc. ©2011 All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 3 Tips and Troubleshooting ......................... 21 Mechanical Tips ............................21 Troubleshooting ............................21 A. PC Setup ............................22 Python ..............................22 ROS ................................23 C++ ................................23 B. Product Dimensions ........................24 C. Service and Support ........................25 Clearpath Robotics Inc. ©2011 All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 4  2x Lockout Keys To use Husky A200, you will require a PC running Windows or Linux. Communication with Husky occurs over standard RS232 serial, using the Clearpath Communication Protocol (CCP). Open-source software interfaces for CCP are available in C++, Python, and National Instruments LabVIEW.
  • Page 5 This section provides an overview of the key specifications of the Husky A200 platform. Figure 1 gives a tour of key Husky A200 components. User Power Panel Extruded Aluminum Mounting Rail Wheel Front Bumper Bar User Payload Area Power Button...
  • Page 6 Emergency stop status. Illuminates red when Husky will not drive due to the emergency stop being activated, either onboard or wireless (if available) Charge indicator. Illuminates red when Husky user power is being supplied externally. Table 1: Husky A200 Status Panel Icons Clearpath Robotics Inc. ©2011 All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 7 The reference frame used by all Clearpath Robotics ground vehicles is based on ISO 8855, and is shown in Figure 2. Husky is being viewed from the front; when commanded with a positive translational velocity (forward), wheels travel in the positive x-direction.
  • Page 8 Key specifications of Husky A200 are shown in Table 2. 990 mm length 39 in length Dimensions 670 mm width 26.4 in width 390 mm height 14.6 in height Track 555 mm 21.9 in Wheelbase 512 mm 20.2 in Weight...
  • Page 9 (0.555 m). Husky A200 supports three distinct control modes: voltage control, speed control, and velocity control.  Voltage control, accessed via CCP message 0x0202, allows the direct control of motor voltage, as a percentage of 24V.
  • Page 10 Husky A200 is a rugged and high-performance vehicle. For the safety of yourself and others, always conduct initial experiments and software development with the vehicle raised off the ground. Place a wooden crate, a set of sawhorses, a sturdy storage tub, or any other solid flat structure having a height greater than 6 inches under Husky to keep the wheels clear of the ground (“up on blocks”).
  • Page 11 Do not operate Husky without the battery door in place. The battery is insufficiently restrained without the door, and will come loose, damaging the fuse panel.  Charge the battery only with the charger provided by Clearpath Robotics.  Return the battery to Clearpath Robotics for proper disposal.
  • Page 12 If you purchased a computer from Clearpath Robotics with Husky, it is set up and ready to go. Provided on this machine are the officially-supported interfaces for Python and C++, as well as drivers for Player/Stage and ROS, if requested.
  • Page 13 Fuse Panel Battery Figure 6: Husky A200 Battery Area 1. Ensure Husky’s main power button is in the outer “off” position and the e-stop is activated. 2. Using curled index fingers to grip the battery door latches, press with thumbs on the latch buttons and lift the battery door free of the chassis.
  • Page 14 When the connection is made successfully, you should see a readout of information about your Husky A200 platform, followed by a prompt where you may directly issue Clearpath Communication Protocol commands. The comm light will still be illuminated red at this point, as the CLI does not issue commands unless instructed to do so, and thus the connection times out.
  • Page 15 Clearpath Robotics provides an officially-supported Robot Operating System (ROS) driver for Husky A200, based on the Python interface. ROS is a flexible, distributed architecture for controlling robotic systems, and is a recommend method for controlling Husky. Using ROS, you can quickly take joystick control of Husky.
  • Page 16 CCP is a binary serial protocol, documented in full in the CCP Guide. Provided by Clearpath Robotics are implementations in Python, C++, and LabVIEW, as well as a driver for Robot Operating System (ROS) built on the Python implementation.
  • Page 17 // Set motor speed clearpath::SetVelocity(0.1*i, 0.0, 1.0).send(); /* Wait for the next system status message to arrive */ while(!(cur_status = clearpath::DataSystemStatus::popNext())); cout << *cur_status << endl; delete cur_status; /* Terminate subscriptions */ clearpath::DataSystemStatus::subscribe(0xffff); return 0; Clearpath Robotics Inc. ©2011 All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 18 : Allows the user to control the velocity of Husky A200 via the keyboard dead_reckon.cpp/h : Allows the user to control the position of Husky A200 via the keyboard. The position is estimated using the onboard encoders. Clearpath Robotics Inc. ©2011 All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 19 Husky A200 is built for rugged, long-term use. However, there are steps that can be taken to maintain and extend the life of the platform even further. The battery which ships with Husky A200 may be charged off-board, or while still inside of Husky. If charging while installed, you will need to open the access door to the battery area, and disconnect the battery from its connector in the fuse panel.
  • Page 20 When the chassis becomes wet or dirty, wipe it down with a cloth and warm water, and dry with a towel. If water is suspected to have entered the Husky A200 chassis, remove the battery and allow Husky to fully dry for a period of 24 hours.
  • Page 21 Battery indicator flashing. Battery voltage is too low for Husky to drive the motors. Charge the battery and try again. If you’re having some trouble that you don’t see here, or the suggested solution isn’t working out, please get in touch so we can help you with it. Clearpath Robotics Inc. ©2011 All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 22 The recommended starting point for users of Clearpath Robotics products is the software interface written in Python, called clearpath-py. In order to use clearpath-py, you will need to install Python 2.6 or 3.0, and the pyserial module. Most Linux distributions come with a recent Python install, but Windows users will need to visit to download an installer.
  • Page 23 To install ROS, follow the instructions listed at http://www.ros.org/wiki/ROS/Installation. When your ROS installation is complete and verified, use Subversion to check out the Clearpath ROS packages: $ svn co http://clearpath-ros-pkg.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/ clearpath-ros-pkg Ensure that clearpath-ros-pkg is in your ROS_PACKAGE_PATH environment variable. You can test this...
  • Page 24 180mm 670mm 421mm 114mm Clearpath Robotics Inc. ©2011 All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 25 Clearpath Robotics is committed to your success and satisfaction. We are located in Waterloo, Ontario, and can accept phone calls from 9AM to 5PM Monday to Friday, at our toll-free number, or emails at any time. support@clearpathrobotics.com Clearpath Robotics Inc. ©2011 All Rights Reserved.