axis_camera

Overview

This ROS_ package provides an Axis network camera driver, written in Python.

ROS wiki documentation: axis_camera.

This driver is under active development. Its ROS interfaces are relatively stable, but may still change.

Nodes

• axis_node.py: Version 2 of the axis.py node. It works based on profiles + params. It is necessary to have the profiles defined. Sets up axis camera and ptz server.

Configuration

If we want to use camera_info publication it is important that configuration .yaml has the same resolution than the resolution set in the camera (using or not profiles)

How to set up your axis camera

Note: if you are using AXIS M5054 you can use p5534 configuration files.

1. Change your model name on launch file

In launch/axis.launch:

<arg name="camera_model" default="axis_model"/>

<param name="camera_model" value="axis_model"/>

2. Create parameter files for your camera model

• data/axis_model.ayml: camera parameters

• config/axis_model_ptz_config.yaml: ptz control parameters. Define absolute zoom range and standardized zoom range. For example to control your camera with zoom augments in the range [x0 , x30]:

  min_zoom_step: 1
  min_zoom_augment: 0.0
  max_zoom_augment: 30.0
  

Parameters

Published Topics

• ~zoom_parameters (robotnik_msgs/CameraParameters) Zoom parameters publisher, containing min_zoom_step, max_zoom_augment, min_zoom_augment and a list of available augments
• ~camera_params (robotnik_msgs/Axis)

Testing your camera

There are three different launch files in this package.

Note: if you encounter this error while trying to run any of the following commands just type export ROS_NAMESPACE=axis in your console.

• For running the camera control node and starting the live view GUI:

roslaunch axis_camera start_axis_and_video.launch

• For running only the camera control node:

roslaunch axis_camera axis.launch

• For running only the live view GUI (camera control node must be running):

roslaunch axis_camera image_view.launch

• You can also run image_view directly (setting the image topic to /axis/image_color):

rosrun image_view image_view image:=/axis/image_color

Controlling your camera

You can send your camera PTZ commands via the /axis/axis_camera/ptz_command topic:

rostopic pub /axis/axis_camera/ptz_command robotnik_msgs/ptz "pan: 0.5
tilt: -1.0
zoom: 2.0
relative: false" 

• params pan and tilt as float (radians)
• param zoom as float (proportional zoom between min_zoom_augment and max_zoom_augment)
• param relative as bool (increases the current pan,tilt,zoom relative to the current values)