teleoperate_tab.md

Teleoperate Tab

The Teleoperation Tab sends single commands to the selected Astrobee. It contains the following unique subtabs:

Bee Commanding

The Bee Commanding subtab (gov.nasa.arc.verve.freeflyer.workbench.parts.standard.BeeCommandingPartOnTeleoperateTab.java) sends commands that move the position and orientation of the selected Astrobee, using "world" coordinates (ie, the Space Station Analysis coordinate frame). Widgets in this subtab are created in BeeCommandingPartOnTeleoperateTabCreator.java. The Bee Commanding subtab has the following sections:

Preview

"Preview" refers to the draggable white "Astrobee" model (RobotPartDraggablePreview) in the Interactive Map. The Preview shows where the current values in the Manual Move Inputs section will send the Astrobee. The Show/Hide Preview button toggles the visibility of the Preview in the Interactive Map. The Snap Preview to Bee button puts the current position of the Astrobee into the boxes in the Manual Move Inputs section (which then moves the Preview to that location via databinding).

Location Bookmarks

The Locations Bookmarks section includes a Create Location Bookmark button. If you click it, you will be prompted for a name to save the current location and orientation of draggable Preview. Location bookmarks are stored in the BookmarksList.json config file. When you select a bookmark from the locations dropdown, the Control Station puts the saved position and orientation into the boxes in the Manual Move Inputs section (which then moves the Preview to that location via databinding).

Manual Move Inputs

The Manual Move Inputs section in the Bee Commanding subtab contains text fields to enter coordinates of where to send Astrobee when the Move button is clicked. Aft-Forward, Port-Starboard, and Overhead-Deck are fixed to the ISS directions. The Roll, Pitch, and Yaw inputs also use the ISS coordinate frame (not the robot's body frame). The Astrobees use the Space Station Analysis coordinate frame, the origin of which is at truss segment S0 (above the US lab). Use the arrow buttons on either side of each text box to make small changes to the position. Linear measurements are incremented by 0.05 meters and angles are incremented by 15 degrees. To enter a large number, type the number of meters into the box and adjust the tenths of meters using the arrow buttons.

The Manual Move Inputs fields (translationInput and rotationInput arrays in BeeCommandingPartOnTeleoperateTab) are bound to the RobotPartDraggablePreview. Binding ensures that when the preview moves, the input fields are automatically populated with the coordinates and orientation of the preview.

When the Move button is clicked, the values in the Manual Move Inputs fields are used to construct the move command.

Options

The Options section in the Bee Commanding subtab sets the list of options to send to the Astrobee when the Apply Options button is clicked. If the checkbox to the left of the option is checked, the Apply Options button will send a command to turn on that option. If there is a green checkmark to the right of the option, the Astrobee already has that option turned on. Options include:

• Face Forward (SETTINGS_METHOD_SET_HOLONOMIC_MODE) requires the Astrobee to face the direction of motion. Unchecking this option allows the Astrobee to fly sideways or backwards, which may be desirable to collect specific video or science data. However, the Astrobee does not have cameras pointing in all directions, so it must be monitored closely when flying with Face Forward off so that it does not collide with an obstacle.
• Check Obstacles (SETTINGS_METHOD_SET_CHECK_OBSTACLES) requires the Astrobee to stop moving and station keep if it detects an object in its planned flight path. It may be necessary to turn off this option if the Astrobee detects a ghost obstacle and gets stuck.
• Check Keepouts (SETTINGS_METHOD_SET_CHECK_ZONES) requires the Astrobee to stop before entering any keepout zone (keepout zones are designated with gray boxes in the Live Map subtab). It may be necessary to turn this option off if the Astrobee accidentally gets knocked into a keepout zone.

Apply Options commands the Astrobee to turn on the options that are checked in the Options section and turn off the options that are not checked in the Options section. This is done by sending the associated commands with the appropriate parameters. The checkmarks are updated by the AgentState message cached by the AggregateAstrobeeState.

NOTE
The Face Forward, Check Obstacles, and Check Keepouts options should usually be turned on.

Commands

The Commands section in the Bee Commanding subtab has buttons to send commands to the selected Astrobee. It includes these buttons:

• Station Keep commands the Astrobee to cancel any movement commands and station keep at its current position by sending the MOBILITY_METHOD_STOPALLMOTION command.

• Move commands the Astrobee to go to the position specified in the Manual Move Inputs section by sending the MOBILITY_METHOD_SIMPLEMOVE6DOF command.

Perching Arm

The Perching Arm subtab (gov.nasa.arc.verve.freeflyer.workbench.parts.standard.PerchingArmPart.java) sends commands related to the Astrobee's Perching Arm. The widgets on this subtab are created in PerchingArmPartCreator.java. The Perching Arm is designed to grasp a handrail and secure the Astrobee while it conserves power by turning off its propulsion system. The Perching Arm subtab includes the following sections:

Initialization

The Initialization section in the Perching Arm subtab includes the Grab Control button discussed above.

Pan and Tilt

The Pan and Tilt section in the Perching Arm subtab contains text fields to enter angles for the pan and tilt joints of the arm. The Pan and Tilt button commands the Astrobee perching arm to move to the angles specified. The Pan and Tilt command (ARM_METHOD_ARM_PAN_AND_TILT) is intended to be sent only when the Astrobee is perched on a handrail and providing video. The input may be moved in 10 degree increments by the arrows on either side of the text field, or the desired angle may be typed into the text field directly. When pan and tilt are both zero, the arm is fully extended.

Options

The Options section in the Perching Arm subtab includes the Reacquire Position button, which sends ADMIN_METHOD_REACQUIRE_POSITION. If the Astrobee is accidentally knocked off its perch on a handrail, it may lose its internal location state. In that case, the Reacquire Position command tells the Astrobee to reset the EKF and recalculate its location from scratch.

Commands

The Commands section in the Perching Arm subtab has buttons to send commands to the selected Astrobee. It includes:

• Station Keep Bee (`MOBILITY_METHOD_STOPALLMOTION`) commands the Astrobee to cancel any movement commands and station keep at its current position .
• Perch (`ARM_METHOD_ARM_PAN_AND_TILT`) commands the Astrobee to deploy its perching arm and grasp a handrail that is directly in front of it. The command will fail if the Astrobee is not lined up correctly with the handrail.

Docking

The Docking subtab (gov.nasa.arc.verve.freeflyer.workbench.parts.standard.DockingPart.java) sends commands related to Docking. Widgets on this subtab are created in DockingPartCreator.java. It includes these sections:

Initialization

The Initialization section in the Docking subtab includes the Grab Control button discussed above.

Options

The Options section in the Docking subtab includes the Automatically Return to Docking Station when Battery Low checkbox (controls SETTINGS_METHOD_SET_ENABLE_AUTO_RETURN). This option causes Astrobee to automatically return to the Docking Station when the following conditions are met: the Astrobee is out of contact with a Control Station, it is not perched, and it is running low on power. Disable this behavior by unchecking Automatically Return to Docking Station when Battery Low and clicking the Apply Option button. If the Astrobee has the option turned on, there is a green checkmark to the right of the option title.

Commands

The Commands section in the Docking subtab has buttons to send commands to the selected Astrobee. It includes:

• The Station Keep Bee button commands the Astrobee to cancel any movement commands and station keep at its current position. (MOBILITY_METHOD_STOPALLMOTION)
• The Send Bee to Docking Station button commands the Astrobee to immediately return to the Docking Station and dock itself (SETTINGS_METHOD_SET_ENABLE_AUTO_RETURN). The Astrobee will be able to execute the Dock Automatically command from anywhere in the US section of the ISS. The Astrobee will automatically choose an unoccupied berth on the Docking Station. The Astrobee plans a trajectory assuming the modules are unobstructed. If it detects an obstacle in its planned path, it will stop and wait for the obstacle to move. (NB: As of July 2019, this command is not implemented in Astrobee Robot Software and there is no scheduled implementation date. To command Astrobee to dock, please use the manual Dock command on the Miscellaneous Commands tab, or on the Debugging tab.)

Relative Commanding

The Relative Commanding subtab (gov.nasa.arc.verve.freeflyer.workbench.parts.standard.RelativeCommandingPart.java) sends commands that move the position and orientation of the selected Astrobee, using relative coordinates (framename = body). Widgets in this subtab are created in RelativeCommandingPartCreator.java.

The Relative Commanding subtab is the same as the Bee Commanding subtab, except that it is bound to gov.nasa.arc.verve.robot.freeflyer.parts.RobotPartRelativeDraggablePreview and the Move Relative button sends
MOBILITY_METHOD_SIMPLEMOVE6DOF with frame set to "body".

Relative Commanding Text

The Relative Commanding subtab (gov.nasa.arc.verve.freeflyer.workbench.parts.standard.RelativeCommandingText.java) is not included in the Crew Control Station; it is intended for use by engineers only. It has ten commanding textbox-button pairs. There are ten pairs to allow the user to queue up relative commands for an efficient activity.

Each textbox allows the user to input a position relative to the robot's current position. The input must take the form "x, y, z, qx, qy, qz, qw". x, y, z are distances in meters along the robot's forward, right, and down axes, and qx, qy, qz, qw are components of a quaternion relative to Astrobee's current position.

Each Move Relative button commands the Astrobee to move to the position specified in its corresponding textbox. (MOBILITY_METHOD_SIMPLEMOVE6DOF with frame set to "body")

Interactive Map

The Interactive Map subtab (gov.nasa.arc.verve.freeflyer.workbench.parts.liveTelemetryView.Teleop3dView), like the Live Map subtab on other tabs, displays a 3D model of the selected Astrobee in the US Operating Segment.
The Interactive Map also includes a white Preview model with draggable arrows (gov.nasa.arc.verve.robot.freeflyer.parts.RobotPartDraggablePreview). The Preview shows the pose that is indicated by the Manual Move Inputs section of the Bee Commanding subtab; i.e., the Preview shows where the Move button will send the Astrobee. If the Preview intersects a keepout or a wall, and the Check Keepouts option is checked, the Preview turns orange to indicate a potential collision. Checking is done by gov.nasa.arc.verve.robot.freeflyer.parts.LiveTeleopVerifier, which knows what to check by having ContextNames.TELEOP_TRANSLATION, TELEOP_ROTATION_RADIANS, and CHECK_KEEPOUTS_ENABLED injected.

The Preview has color coded arrows and rings that can be dragged to move it to the desired position. Red indicates Astrobee's forward direction and blue indicates Astrobee's down direction. Interaction is done by creating a VerveInteractable and calling VerveUserData and VerveInteractManager. The Manual Move Inputs fields update automatically when the Preview is dragged by its arrows, by the BeeCommandingPartOnTeleoperateTab having ContextNames.TELEOP_TRANSLATION and TELEOP_ROTATION_RADIANS enabled.

The Camera Controls box in the Interactive Map (ArrowsDialogWithPreviewButton class inside Teleop3dView) has these additional buttons:

• Show or Hide Preview displays or hides the white Preview model
• Zoom to Preview centers the map on the Preview model.
• Snap Preview to Bee moves the Preview to the current position of the selected Astrobee. The coordinates in the Manual Move Inputs section will update accordingly.

Miscellaneous Commands

The Miscellaneous Commands subtab (gov.nasa.arc.verve.freeflyer.workbench.parts.teleop.MiscellaneousCommandsPart) may have different command options, depending on the activity. The default commands control the camera. Select the name of the camera (Dock, Navigation, or Science) in the first dropdown, the desired option in the second dropdown, and send the command by clicking the Send button at the right of the row.

The widgets in this tab are specified by TeleopCommandsConfiguration.json and read into gov.nasa.arc.verve.freeflyer.workbench.parts.teleop.TeleopCommandsConfigList as a List of AbstractTeleopCommandConfigs. Each subclass of AbstractTeleopCommandConfig holds the information to create one type of widget, including

• widget label
• command to send
• button text
• parameters for the command, if needed
• options for parameters, if needed See this page under TeleopCommandsConfiguration.json for examples of items in the json file.