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I am searching for a way that allows me to wait for some conditions on ports before applying a new state.

My concrete Problem: I want to make sure that my AUV aligns to the right pipeline. Therefore before starting the pipeline-tracking, I want to check for the current system heading.

My current state-machine looks like this:

find_pipe_back = state target_move_def(:finish_when_reached => false , :heading => 1 ...)

pipe_detector = state pipeline_detector_def

pipe_detector.depends_on find_pipe_back, :role => "detector"

start(pipe_detector) forward pipe_detector.align_auv_event, success_event

roughly I am looking for a way to condition the last-forward.

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2 Answers 2

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Such "conditioning" was existing in the pre-syskit days, and it got removed as it made the state machines considerably more complex. Usually, what starts as a simple condition becomes quickly something a lot more involved.

The best way is therefore to create a dedicated composition that would do the monitoring:

class PipelineFinder < Syskit::Composition
  argument :expected_heading
  add PipelineDetector::Task, :as => 'detector'
  def heading_within_tolerance?(current, tolerance)
    # Test for tolerance
  end
  task_script do
    # Don't know the name of the relevant port, so I am making it up
    reader = detector.pipeline_state_port.reader
    wait detector.align_auv_event
    if (data = reader.read_new) && heading_within_tolerance?(data.yaw, tolerance)
      emit :success
    else
      emit :false_positive
    end
  end
end

Note that you could also attach the task script on the detector task in a separate action:

describe('runs the pipeline detector but filters against an expected direction').
   required_arg('expected_heading')
def detect_pipeline_with_validation(arguments = Hash.new)
   detector = pipeline_detector_def
   expected_heading = arguments[:expected_heading]
   detector.task_script do
     # same script than up there, except that expected_heading
     # is in this case a local variable
   end
   detector
end
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  • $\begingroup$ Regarding the compositions you mention, i have then to poll inside of the composition and emit a own-defined event for this?. I would prefer the action_script way you proposed, is there a drawback from design point of view?. I see the actions scripts more robust because they are checked during modeling only during runtime!?? $\endgroup$ Jun 4, 2014 at 8:25
  • $\begingroup$ I now tried this solution, the problem is that poll is not defined for action_scripts. :-( $\endgroup$ Jun 10, 2014 at 14:25
  • $\begingroup$ Then you need to use a monitoring composition and integrate it into your state machine. One thing that bothers me: what is the semantic of the test ? Would it not be something that would make sense to put in the detector composition (having an optional expected_direction argument and a found_expected_pipeline event ?) $\endgroup$ Jun 10, 2014 at 14:40
  • $\begingroup$ Could do something like this (adding to the detector-cmp or create monitor cmp), but i had the impression that my use case is really mission-specific (more a workaround for the current-scenario). There are (again) multiple ways of doing it. Not sure what's in general the best. But i want to keep the compositions as simple as possible. Only a composition, not a "solving"-thing in general $\endgroup$ Jun 10, 2014 at 14:53
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I don't know if i understand right, but couldn't you make another condition in your state machine for a transition? So for example if you find a pipe or whatever and afterwards you get the permission from the user to follow this pipe ... these two conditions could form the transition to switch to the next state.

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