Velodyne Lidar Connection from Matlab to Jetson Nano

Hi, I am asking if this example, actually shows the live frames on Jetson Nano or not?

https://www.mathworks.com/help/coder/nvidia/ref/velodynelidar.html?s_tid=doc_ta --> I did implement it, but when I write the ./readPointCloudFrame.elf on Jetson Nano, nothing happens. and when I tried to add the pcshow function to my function itself, It gave me this error codegen -config cfg -args {sensorModel,calibrationFile,port} readPointCloudFrame

Function 'pcshow' not supported for code generation.

More information

Error in ==> readPointCloudFrame Line: 38 Column: 9

Code generation failed: View Error Report

Can someone help me in this please? Thanks in advance

Answer 1

[akshatsood]

Hi @Ahmed Tamer,

I understand that you are inquiring about connecting Velodyne LiDAR from MATLAB to Jetson Nano and whether the provided example can display live frames on Jetson Nano. To address this, it is important to ensure the successful display of the Point Cloud data and confirm compatibility of the function used for Code Generation. This is the reason why using "pcshow" function resulted in an error saying "Function 'pcshow' not supported for code generation.".

One way to achieve this is by leveraging the "preview" function, which allows for the live preview of point cloud data obtained from the Velodyne LiDAR sensor. While the attached example reads a Point Cloud Frame, it does not display it. By incorporating the "preview" function, you can visualize the data in real-time.

Have a look at the following references for better understanding

https://in.mathworks.com/help/lidar/velodynelidar/ug/velodynelidar.preview.html

https://in.mathworks.com/help/lidar/velodynelidar/ug/create-a-velodynelidar-object-and-use-object-properties.html

https://in.mathworks.com/help/lidar/velodynelidar/ug/read-point-clouds.html

I hope this helps.

[Ahmed Tamer]

Hi, thank you very much for your detailed reply. Preview function is not compatible for code generation, Is there anyway I can do it?

[akshatsood]

Hi @Ahmed Tamer.

Thank you for your follow-up. I understand your concern about the compatibility of the "preview" function for code generation. In this case, refering to the "MEX Target: Declare the Function as Extrinsic" section in the attached reference might help.

https://in.mathworks.com/help/coder/ug/function-is-not-supported-for-code-generation.html

Please let me know if the issue persists. If possible, do help me with some additional information like your code and what are you trying to achieve to offer better assisatance.

[Ahmed Tamer]

Goodmorning. Actully, what I am looking forward to is to generate an executable code into my Nvidia Developer Jetson Nano kit, which can run a standalone, so simply.

1. I write my code on MATLAB
2. Deploy it to Jetson Nano
3. Have the ability to run it solely from Jetson Nano, for better processing speed.

So, will that be possible with the coder.extrinsic(which you noted in your link)?, as from what I understand so far, I will be able to generate MEX functions, in other words; I can use this function on a device which has MATLAB engine, If I understand it correctly.

[akshatsood]

Hi @Ahmed Tamer,

You are correct. Utilizing "coder.extrinsic" for standalone executables might not be the most suitable solution, as it necessitates the presence of the MATLAB engine for executing the function call.

Based on my understanding of your requirements, MATLAB offers the 'MATLAB Coder Support Package for NVIDIA Jetson and NVIDIA DRIVE Platforms,' designed to streamline the deployment of MATLAB algorithms and Simulink models to embedded NVIDIA Platforms. This support extends to receiving data from a Velodyne LiDAR® sensor using NVIDIA DRIVE® or Jetson™ hardware. For more details, please refer to the following reference.

https://in.mathworks.com/help/coder/nvidia.html?s_tid=CRUX_lftnav

Please go through the above reference and let me know if you require additional help

I hope this helps.