Locator Tutorial: Setup and Runtime

From 3D scanning Knowledge base - Photoneo wiki
Revision as of 09:18, 7 August 2018 by Durovsky (talk | contribs)

Jump to: navigation, search

The main aim of this page is to provide a detail information of prerequisites, configuration and runtime of PhoXi Locator

It is highly recommended that users read Locator Tutorial: Introduction prior to this page

1. PhoXi Control

Locator was designed to work with Photoneo PhoXi Scanners and requires PhoXi Control application to be running in parallel to the Locator application.

As a first step in the process, ensure that PhoXi Scanner is connected to the same subnet and appears in Network Discovery of PhoXi Control as shown in the figure below:


Locator NetworkDiscovery.png


Connect to your PhoXi Scanner and fine tune scanning parameters in order to achieve best scanning performance. See our knowledge base to get more info on this topic.


Locator-PhoXiControl.png


2. Localization Configurator

PLCF (Photoneo Localization Configuration File) is very important for overall Locator performance. PLCF holds information about object that is going to be localized within the scene, including CAD model, point of interest, stop criteria, localization settings and training data which speed up the localization process significantly. PLCF is generated by Photoneo Localization Configurator, which is part of Locator image and can be launched by typing PhoLocConfig to the console or by searching for Photoneo Localization Configiurator directly in Ubuntu Applications menu. HW license (USB Dongle) must be inserted into the system before launch.


Locator Ubuntu apps v2.png


Launch Photoneo Localization Configurator and upload model of your object in .ply or .stl format.


Locator PLCF Config3.png


Model Coordinates tab is intended for configuration of the point of the interest. Point of the interest is the point on the object, which coordinates will be returned by the Localization. If you plan to approach the object directly in the orientation returned by Localization, set the Z axis of interactive marker to point in the approaching direction of the robot (See the figure below).


Locator PLCF Config5.png

Always try to set point of the interest to be unique with respect to the object, meaning that there is only one possible correct result of successful localization (this not always possible especially for rotation invariant objects). In case when several possible correct localization results might occur you will need to apply additional logic on robot controller to avoid situations when goal pose returned by Locator is not kinematicaly reachable by the robot.

Such a scenario is shown in the figure below. Even if you define point of the interest on the top surface of the object, you might get the result from the bottom side of the object pointing to the opposite direction. This result is correct from localization point of view, however it is not kinematicaly reachable by the robot. Additional logic has to be applied directly on the robot controller in this case to verify if Cartesian Goal pose is reachable by the robot. Gripper design, possible object orientations, robot reachability and environment collision restrictions need to be also considered in such a scenario.


Locator possible results.png


On the Set Parameters tab, ensure that you select reasonable Stop Criteria and trigger localization several times to verify that your current configuration provides reliable results. See figure below:


Locator PLCF Config2.png


In case when Localization does not provide reliable results, use Advanced Settings to adjust additional localization settings. Contact [Photoneo support] if you need help with this step.

Click Generate to create PLCF file when Localization Configuration is finished. Use this file as an input for Locator in following steps.

3. Locator Start [Ubuntu]

Locator Core works as a background service so it should be running in the since the first reboot after its installation.

If you want to visualize Locator GUI, simply search for Locator Configurator icon in the Applications menu in Ubuntu or type LocatorConfigurator command directly to the terminal.


Locator Ubuntu apps v2.png


4. Locator Configuration

Figure below shows Locator GUI which is intended for configuration and validation of Locator functionality.


Locator settings2.jpg


Following is the list and description of Locator controls:

  • - Scanner ID - Locator detects and list all available PhoXi Scanners as shown by Network Discovery in PhoXi Control application. Use Refresh button to reload available devices
  • - Main Port - Set a number of port which will be opened for TCP/IP communication by Locator for communication with client.
  • - PLCF - Photoneo Localization Configuration File generated from Localization Configurator. See this link for more info. Use Configure New button to launch Photoneo Localization Configurator directly.
  • - Best Result Selector - this option is used to filter results returned by Localization. For example if PLCF configuration is set to return 50 results but Locator client request only single one, this option affects which of Localization results will be finally transmitted to the client. If client requires more results, Best Result Selector is used as sorting criterion. Select from Min X, Max X, Min Y, Max Y, Min Z, Max Z, Max Overlap options.
  • - Store Log - If you want to store Locator logs to the text file, check this option and select/create a file using the Browse button.
  • - Load/Save Server Configuration - Locator by default stores the last configuration used, however these buttons can be used to save current configuration to specific file to be reloaded later.
  • - Start/Stop Server - This button is intended to start and stop Locator TCP/IP server.

3. Locator Runtime

When Locator is configured and ready for launch use Start Server button to initialize TCP/IP communication. Locator initialized and waiting for connection from client as shown in the figure below:


Locator waiting for connection.jpg


As soon as the connection from the client is established and the first scan is triggered the current point cloud should appear in the 3D visualizer screen on the right. Use mouse to reorient 3D viewer to show scene and goal object/s properly.

The final object which coordinates are about to be sent to the client is highlighted in 3D visualizer by blue color. The actual object pose is also outputted to the log screen in the bottom left corner.


Locator runtime.jpg


Locator Core works as a background service so even if you close Locator GUI, the Locator will still be running.