LiDAR-LOC Release Notes

Greetings! We are pleased to introduce version 2.8.0, which includes several exciting new features. These enhancements comprise the integration of a new SICK controller into our supported platforms, a diagnostic tool to assist in inspecting wheel odometry and time offsets, and a command to retrieve the latest localization result. Additionally, we have implemented various improvements and other new features. We also provide a list of known issues that we are actively addressing.

• The SICK SIM1200 is now fully integrated as one of the supported plaftorms to run version 2.8.0 - Check our Quick Start Guide or tutorial video for technical details and instructions on how to install the version on it

• We integrated a real-time velocity plot in the Diagnosis menu to enable users to visually inspect the odometry input and the time offsets

• We improved the installation routine, no global ldconfig settings are altered anymore
• Reduced the size of the debian for ARM32 and x86_64 by about 20%

• The sensor firmware has been updated to version 2.1.0. It is not possible to downgrade to earlier versions

• The downloadable example configuration in SopasAir is adapted to picoScan150-LOC and can be directly applied

• The use of the locking SPK is not necessary anymore in first deployments

• The default threshold for Stop Detection have been reduced to prevent from being activated too soon at very low speeds
• The new command LocGetCurrentLocalizationResult enables pulling the latest localization result outside of the UDP stream
• When downloading the recording via SOPASair UI, the recording saves the current config and provides it in the zip file
• We integrated .map.h5 as an additional file format for localization and navigation graphs - it is significantly faster than .vmap
• The .map.sc file now contains data even if standing still while doing the map recording

• The picoScan and multiScan now connect through port 2122, which may necessitate adaption in the configuration file for version updates. This change allows users to disable legacy Cola1 on these sensors

• (Already in LLS-2.7.1) Possibility to configure individual output ports for each virtual sensor

• Manually set time offsets for remote picoScan have been ignored
• Ringbuffer trigger might not work in the first delocalization
• The rotating circle that shows the progress while downloading the Ringbuffer is not displayed
• A new message version (MsgType4 MsgVersion5) for VLS output fixes the ordering of LCP values when 3 lines are detected
• Fixed a bug that could have caused occasional crashes

• Users might experience connection issues with the GLS611 sensor

• The multiScan165 requires more CPU than the multiScan136, which should be considered especially when using the SIM1000FX as the localization controller
• On the SIM1000FX all file operations, e.g., download recording / diagnosis data, delete recording, etc., shall not be done while the vehicle is driving, it might lead to unintended behavior

• Reconfiguring a remote picoScan while LiDAR-LOC is in Operation mode may cause a broken .map.sc file if a map recording is then started

• If there is not enough memory space to save a RingBuffer, the LocSaveRingBufferRecording method still returns success = true, despite no RingBuffer is saved. In the UI, a notification can correctly inform about the issue

• The ARM64 software might not stably run on some platforms, e.g. Raspberry Pi 5 with a default configuration. Before having it fixed in the next release, a possible workaround is to configure the system to use a page size of 4 KB

Version 2.7.1 enable splitting the output of evrey virtual sensor into a single port.

• Now it is possible to split the output of the virtual sensors into single independent ports. It is configurable via the Sensors tab in SopasAir

• Users might experience connection issues with the GLS611 sensor

• The multiScan165 requires more CPU than the multiScan136, which should be considered specially if using the SIM1000FX as the localization controller
• On the SIM1000FX all file operations, e.g., download recording / diagnosis data, delete recording, etc., shall not be done while the vehicle is driving, it might lead to unintended behavior

• Reconfiguring a remote picoScan while LiDAR-LOC is in Operation mode may cause a broken .map.sc file if a map recording is triggered

• If there is not enough memory space to save a RingBuffer, the LocSaveRingBufferRecording method returns success = true, despite no RingBuffer is saved. In the UI, a notification correctly informing about the issue is displayed

Version 2.7.0 brings many new features, such as the integration of two new LiDAR sensors, some improvements in the diagnosis tools and user interface, a new feature to use dynamic areas defined in the localization graph for the incremental motion estimation and a few bugfixes.

• MultiScan sensor is now supported in LiDAR-LOC
• DataOutput must be rectified (to be confirmed)
• For mapping we must use compact data format
• For mapping and localization either all layers or horizontal (0deg, Navigation) layer only must be active.
• msgpack supported for localization
• On the SIM1000FX we recommend to use the multiScan136 and in general only the navigation layer

• picoScan120 is now supported in LiDAR-LOC.

• Switching to Operation mode is locked if an unsupported Profile is selected
• After changing the piconScan settings, it is necessary to reload the configuration. An informative message will be displayed in the configuration page
• The sensor firmware has been updated to version 1.5. It is not possible to downgrade to earlier versions

• Timeout trigger for the message of the localization result has now an upper bound of 250ms
• It is now possible to take predefined dynamic areas into account for the incremental motion estimation
• Added Reload Configuration button to the configuration page

• Improved behaviour when adapting picoScan settings during Operation mode. Still recommended to reload LiDAR-LOC configuration afterwards before switching back into Operation

• If a data recording cannot be saved because the disk is full, old recordings are removed to free up space following a FIFO strategy

• The Diagnosis Data can be downloaded even if there is no sensor connected or the sensor connection fails
• The processing time for input data is now displayed in the Diagnosis page within the UDP Message Values section

• Fixed installation problems on newer Linux systems related to libssl version (i.e. Ubuntu 22.04)

• Fixed: In the event of a LiDAR data outage, pose jumps will not happen even if Stop When Delocalized is not active
• Fixed: Frequent toggling on/off of the Stop Detection feature

• Fixed rare crash issue related to 'Pthread_mutex_destroy failed!'
• Fixed potential memory growth issue when reconfiguring LiDAR-LOC multiple times, especially with large maps

• Users might experience connection issues with the GLS611 sensor

• The multiScan165 requires more CPU than the multiScan136, which should be considered specially if using the SIM1000FX as the localization controller
• The use of x2 nanoScan3 sensors and other input data such as odometry may lead to high CPU load
• On the SIM1000FX all file operations, e.g., download recording / diagnosis data, delete recording, etc., shall not be done while the vehicle is driving, it might lead to unintended behavior

• Reconfiguring a remote picoScan while LiDAR-LOC is in Operation mode may cause a broken .map.sc file if a map recording is triggered

• If there is not enough memory space to save a RingBuffer, the LocSaveRingBufferRecording method returns success = true, despite no RingBuffer is saved. In the UI, a notification correctly informing about the issue is displayed

Version 2.6.0 comes out with some new very useful features improving the diagnosis tools, the device handling and including a new function that enables the definition of parent-child coordinate frames to handle moving line sensors, 1D code readers or encoders/odometry.

• PicoScan150-LOC supports now native GLS611 ethernet connection. GLS611 can directly be connected to picoScan150-LOC to use data-matrix-codes for the localization
• PicoScan150-LOC includes now SICK 2D object detection app. Object detection enables collision avoidance in one device with localization

• New system status message MsgType 12 Version 1 triggered when sensor connection fails
• The pose of Line and 1D Code sensors as well as odometry frame can now be altered by UDP messages at operation mode. This aims systems for which the respective sensors are mounted on steerable units
  
  MsgType 10 Version 1 (transform message): Support for frames (1D code, line sensor, odometry) that can be altered during operation

• UDP messages are now displayed on the diagnosis page for debugging purposes, refresh button is needed for getting the up-to-date value

• picoScan150-LOC integration of the released FW version 1.4.1
• Improved handling when parameters of the sensor are changed

• Build-Date and Target-Device of LiDAR-LOC spks are now shown in the AppManger

• Initialization while driving is more robust

• TiMxxx: Auto-Reconnect on TCP connection loss
• Check GLS611 FW >= 4.12 to have improved 2D code measurement accuracy

• Improved description of vehicle geometry parameters in configuration page

• Downloaded zips (Diagnosis, msgpack) are compressed now
• The support link on the diagnosis tab now points to the new support portal

• Data recordings can be downloaded even though no sensor is connected or no map is loaded
• All warnings regarding the configuration setup of LiDAR-LOC that are shown on the configuration page are now written to the Applog for better problem analysis

• Fixed: A high overall CPU load can cause delayed scan matcher results, which is ok. However, in that case, LLS falsely released the stop detection, which in turn caused additional CPU load

• Higher CPU load compared to LiDAR-LOC version 2.5. This may cause problems, depending on the Dynamic Sensing Profile configured
• Headless installation and the respective firmware update over REST API are not supported with picoScan150-LOC

• Due to changes that include additional sanity checks, the loading time of maps has increased by factor ~2. Especially for large maps. This will significantly increase the execution time of LocStart or LoadPersistentConfig, depending on the cache maps at startup parameter

Version 2.5 comes out with exciting news for LiDAR-LOC users: we present picoScan150-LOC, the built-in contour localization software version in the market which can run on a LiDAR sensor. Additionally,

Use the SICK AppManager version 1.5 or higher to update the Application Software in a SICK device (SIM or picoScan). Lower versions are not fully supported 

• LiDAR-LOC as build-in contour localization on sensor

• The new localization message contains the name of the currently active reference map

• Support of picoScan as LiDAR input to LiDAR-LOC
• Support of TiM4xx as LiDAR input to LiDAR-LOC
• Support of TiM2xx as LiDAR input to LiDAR-LOC

• LiDAR-LOC does now support LRS4 with reflectors

• The downloading of Support Data-Recordings via the SOPASair Dashboard is improved, reacting faster and displaying a progress icon

• Odometry input active but no odometry input received at all (e.g. session closed) is no longer considered as 0 m/s = stop

• LMDscandata requires minimum picoScan FW version 1.3.0
• Reflector support: When using LMDscandata output, reflectors are not supported
• Change settings while operation not possible
• CPU load too high if Scan Profiles 6, 7, 8 or 9 are used
• Activating any limiting filters (e.g. ScanRange- or Interval-Filter) during map recording is not supported
• No plug-and-play support for GLS611 integration. It will be possible with the next release

• LMDscandata requires minimum picoScan FW version 1.3.0
• Reflector support: When using LMDscandata output, reflectors are not supported
• Change settings while operation not possible
• map.sc recording not possible if the ScanRange filter is set
• map.sc recording not possible if Msgpack data output used

• When downgrading to LiDAR-LOC 2.3 and lower, the licenses might still be shown, but not detected. When downgrade is necessary, re-host (revoke) the licenses and activate them again after downgrading

• Unusual high CPU load with 32bit Raspian (Linux raspberrypi 6.1.21-v7+ #1642)

Version 2.4 offers new features such as the support of arm64 OS, a new licensing method via USB dongle and some important improvements in the user interface and the diagnosis tools.

Use the SICK AppManager version 1.5 or higher to update the Application Software in a SICK device (SIM or picoScan). Lower versions are not fully supported

• Support of ARM.v8 64-bit with 64-bit operating system

• Licensing with USB-dongle possible

• Wireshark plugin for better mops message inspection available

• Integration of the new SICK AppSpace LicenseManager, which offers more comfortable licensing in SopasAir

• There is a new upload element in the MAPS menu that enables the upload of vmap transition files (*.vmaptr) for LocSwitchMap
• Only one client is allowed to view the Dashboard to prevent high network and CPU load
• Warning in Dashboard when memory consumption is too high

• Operating hours and CPU-Load information logged in AppLogsInfo.txt
• Show more parameters when downloading lidarloc_config.yaml for a better understanding and support
• Support Data Recordings (*.msgpck) made for support requests including *.vmap and Diagnosis Log can now be downloaded directly on the Localization dashboard without the use of an FTP client
• The Diagnosis Log contains now less lines about inconsistencies of wheel and LiDAR odometry
• Reduced logging of high frequent messages reporting the same information

• A setting in the filter for the LiDAR odometry led to instability

• Heap Buffer Overflow Vulnerability in CodeMeter Runtime. In CodeMeter Runtime versions up to 7.60b, there is a heap buffer overflow vulnerability which can potentially lead to a remote code execution. Currently, no PoC is known to us. The respective device needs to be connected to the Internet.
  With the distribution of CodeMeter 7.60c this vulnerability is solved

• Fixed: GUI pose initialization is now aligned with command LocInitializeAtPose 

• Fixed possible crashes when configuring LiDAR-LOC
• Fixed possible memory leak when using CODE-LOC features
• Fixed problem when reconfiguring LiDAR sensors and recording map.sc

• When configuring a LiDAR, the AppEngine might crash. Beta available, please contact SICK support
• When RAM usage exceeds 90% it might be necessary to restart the AppEngine

We encourage all users to update to the latest version and enjoy new features and improvements. For any questions or feedback on the released version, do not hesitate to reaech out via the SICK Support Portal.

Documentation such as the Operating Instructions, the API description and the Hardware Integration Guide can be found in this other link. There you will find information such as the hardware requirements, installation steps, setup and configuration or communication interfaces among other useful data.

Additionally, there are multiple support articles published in the Knowledge Base section of the Support Portal inluding video tutorials and Step-by-Step manuals that can also guide you through our app.

For Software, Software as a Service or Products containing Software, the following terms and conditions shall apply: (i) SICK’s General Terms and Conditions for the Supply of Software Products (“AVB Software SICK”, available at www.sick.com). And/or (ii) SICK’s General Terms and Conditions for Software as a Service (“AVB SaaS SICK”, available at www.sick.com).

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This document contains details of changes and their impacts. The respective operating instructions can be found at www.sick.com