OpenMower ROS v1.0.2

GPS via TCP, rain detection, angled undocking, RPM and sensor thresholds, background sound, v2 hardware preparation, and many fixes.
By Clemens Elflein |

v1.0.2 is a large feature release with contributions from across the community.

Highlights

GPS via TCP — The GPS driver can now connect to a GPS source over TCP, making it easier to use network-attached GPS receivers and relay setups. Thanks @rovo89.

Rain detection — The mower now implements rain logic: when rain is detected it stops mowing and waits for the configurable OM_RAIN_DELAY_MINUTES before resuming. Thanks @olliewalsh.

Angled undocking — The mower can now undock at an angle, improving reliability on docking stations where a straight-back exit causes issues. Thanks @AndreKR.

RPM monitoring and sensor thresholds — Motor RPM and configurable sensor thresholds have been added, along with improved sensor reporting. Thanks @Apehaenger.

Background sound — An option to play background sounds has been added. Thanks @Apehaenger.

Manual mower control during area recording — It’s now possible to drive the mower manually while in area recording mode. Thanks @olliewalsh.

Toggle automatic point collection during recording — Point collection can now be toggled on and off during a recording session. Thanks @rovo89.

Configurable docking retry count above 10 — The docking retry limit is no longer capped at 10. Thanks @jeremysalwen.

OM_NO_COMMS environment variable — A new env var disables the communications node entirely, useful for running without the lower-level hardware connected. Thanks @jeremysalwen.

Sparse path planning — The slic3r coverage planner has been updated to support sparse paths, enabling less dense mowing patterns. Thanks @ClemensElflein.

IMU axis mapping for v2 hardware — Correct IMU axis orientation for the v2 mainboard has been added. Thanks @Apehaenger.

v2 Hardware Preparation

This release includes early groundwork for the v2 hardware interface, reworked mower communications, an enlarged config packet format, and an InputService interface (the initial version was reverted pending further work, but the infrastructure is in place).

Notable Bug Fixes

  • Fixed GPS header detection for UBX protocol.
  • Fixed planner crash on certain edge-case map geometries.
  • Fixed mowing motor repeatedly starting and stopping when GPS fix is lost.
  • Fixed segmentation fault in slic3r.
  • Fixed perimeter joining when islands exist.
  • Updated NTRIP client to prevent IP bans from RTK2GO.
  • Improved undocking smoothness.

Internals

  • Parameter system comprehensively reworked.
  • UART mapping handling updated for newer kernel versions.
  • FTC planner stop-distance lookahead disabled once speed_fast_threshold is exceeded.
  • spdlog redirected to the ROS logging system.
  • Native arm64 CI runner support.
  • License switched to GPLv3.

Full changelog: v1.0.1-edge.2 → v1.0.2