Micro-ROS Electronic Speed Controller Firmware

This repository holds the firmware for a Micro-ROS based electronic speed controller (ESC). The primary goal of this firmware is to provide a base for building and deploying a Micro-ROS application and using it with hardware. To make the project more difficult, the board running Micro-ROS will also use a Field-Oriented Control algorithm developed by the SimpleFOC team to demonstrate reliable control of a brushless DC (BLDC) motor.

Objective

The objective of this project is to design, build, test, and possibly sell an ESC that natively interacts with the Robot Operating System 2 (ROS2) used widely in hobbyist- and prosumer-grade robotics platforms. This feature will seamlessly bridge the gap between the host PC running ROS2 and the fine control of a BLDC motor required by some projects.

"Big-R" Requirements

The "Big-R" or overarching requirements fundamentally drive the project - they are the reason for its existence:

• R1) The system shall use Micro-ROS to interact with a host PC
• R2) The system shall be able to control a BLDC motor using Field Oriented Control algorithms
• R3) The system shall support multiple transport methods to the ROS2 network
• R4) The system shall be entirely open source and accessible

Derived Capabilities

On the software side, the derived capabilities are those that are required for the software to function. They are separated into three tiers:

• Threshold: Those capabilities which are required for a minimally viable product (MVP)
• Reach: Capabilities that add some value to the product while not requiring extraordinary effort
• Stretch: The capabilities which are radical and add significant or unique value to the project, but at a high development cost

Threshold Capabilities

• [ ] 1000 - The system shall be programmable via USB
• [ ] 1001 - The system shall be able to run a ROS2 node with multiple entities
• [ ] 1002 - The system shall be able to run a ROS2 and FOC algorithm simultaneously
• [ ] 1003 - The system shall be able to control the BLDC motor in an open-loop velocity mode
• [ ] 1004 - The system shall be able to set a target velocity during runtime
• [ ] 1005 - The system shall publish basic diagnostic data about the kode
• [ ] 1006 - The system shall be able to change the motor direction
• [ ] 1007 - The system shall communicate with the host PC via a serial transport layer
• [ ] 1008 - All system code shall be documented thoroughly
• [ ] 1009 - All system code shall be backed up and controlled using VCS

Reach Capabilities

• [ ] 2000 - The system shall be able to control the BLDC motor with multiple control modes
• [ ] 2001 - The system shall be able to change the control modes during runtime
• [ ] 2002 - The system shall be able to report advanced diagnostic data about the motor
• [ ] 2003 - The system shall be able to report advanced diagnostic data about the FOC algorithm
• [ ] 2004 - The system shall publish data from its FOC sensors
• [ ] 2005 - The system shall have a debugging console
• [ ] 2006 - The system shall use an RGB LED for basic operator feedback about the system state
• [ ] 2007 - The system shall have its basic FOC parameters configurable during runtime

Stretch Capabilities

• [ ] 3000 - The system will have a "homing" feature for the closed-loop position control mode
• [ ] 3001 - The system can configure a "home" position during runtime
• [ ] 3002 - The system can support a CANbus transport layer
• [ ] 3003 - The system can support a hardwired Internet protocol (UDP) transport layer
• [ ] 3004 - The system can support a wireless Internet protocol (UDP) transport layer
• [ ] 3005 - The system can have its ROS parameters changed during launch