I’m working on an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) project and considering using the Ping 360 Sonar for localization and mapping. I have a few questions and would appreciate any insights from the community or the Blue Robotics team:
Sonar readings and Extracting Point Cloud Data: What kind of readings does the sonar return, and how can I process them to generate a point cloud? Are there any recommended tools or methods for this?
Adjustable Scanning Speed: Is it possible to change the scanning speed of the Ping 360 Sonar? If so, how can it be modified?
Use in AUVs with Particle Filters: Has anyone successfully used this sonar for AUV localization with a particle filter? Given the relatively low scanning speed.
ROS Integration: Does the Ping 360 Sonar have an official ROS package or an easy way to interface with ROS?
Looking forward to any insights or experiences you can share. Thanks!
Hi @ahmedrado614 -
Welcome to the forums!
Sorry for the slow response.
In answer to your questions -
The Ping360 returns readings as an angle and distance/strength of returns. It may be possible to process this into a point cloud, I’d start with using the python examples to receive and plot the data.
The scan speed is always maximized for the configured range / scanning sector selected.
I’m not familiar with particle filters used for AUV localization - can you provide more detail?
There is no existing ROS integration, but you may find some useful code in the successor to PingViewer being developed…
Generally I would think a DVL or multibeam imaging sonar may be more suited for use localizing an AUV…
