PointCloud Filter - ROS2 Package

Overview

pointcloud_filter is a ROS2 package designed to process and filter 3D point clouds from a LiDAR sensor. It removes unwanted rings (caused by secondary LiDAR reflections) and filters out points belonging to the robot itself. The package also projects the 3D point cloud into a 2D LaserScan message for use in SLAM and mapping.

Features

• Removes unwanted LiDAR rings (caused by secondary pulse returns).
• Filters out points belonging to the robot's own structure.
• Converts a 3D point cloud into a 2D LaserScan for navigation and SLAM.
• Optimized using C++ & PCL for real-time performance.
• Easily configure via rqt or command line parameters.
• Output frame transform if needed.

Limitations

• Output frame transform requires that axis are aligned (no rotations between frames)

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Installation & Build

1️⃣ Clone the Repository

Navigate to your ROS2 workspace and clone the package.

2️⃣ Build the Package

Build the package using colcon and source the workspace.

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Usage

Launch the PointCloud Filter Node

Use run or launch to start the node.

ros2 run pointcloud_filter pointcloud_filter 
ros2 run pointcloud_filter pointcloud_filter --ros-args -p laser_output_frame:="base_footprint"

ros2 launch pointcloud_filter filterPCL_and_convertLS.launch.py

ros2 launch pointcloud_filter yaml_cfg_filter.launch.py

Subscribed Topics

• /ouster/points (sensor_msgs/PointCloud2) - Raw LiDAR point cloud input.

Published Topics

• /ouster/points_filtered (sensor_msgs/PointCloud2) - The filtered 3D point cloud.
• /scan (sensor_msgs/LaserScan) - The projected 2D laser scan.

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Dependencies

This package requires the following dependencies:

• ROS2 (Humble or later)
• PCL (Point Cloud Library)

  sudo apt-get install libpcl-dev
  

• pcl_conversions
• sensor_msgs
• rclcpp

Ensure they are installed before building the package.

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Contribution

Contributions are welcome! Follow these steps:

1. Fork the repository on GitHub.
2. Clone your fork.
3. Create a new branch.
4. Make your changes and commit.
5. Push and create a Pull Request.

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License

This project is licensed under the Apache-2.0 License.

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Contact

For issues, feature requests, or questions, open a GitHub Issue or contact:

📩 Email: mahdichalaki@ualberta.ca
📌 GitHub: mahdichalaki