CHART Node-RED RMF Nodes

A collection of Node-RED custom nodes for RMF (Robot Middleware Framework) integration, built on the Chart SharedManager architecture for reliable multi-plugin ROS2 operations.

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Terminal Installation Required

Cannot be installed via Node-RED Palette Manager. This package requires terminal installation with ROS2/RMF environment sourced because rclnodejs needs access to ROS2 libraries during installation.

Overview

This package provides reusable Node-RED custom nodes designed for RMF applications. Each node is packaged as a proper Node-RED module that can be easily installed and used in Node-RED flows.

Key Features

• SharedManager Integration: Built-in @chart-sg/node-red-ros2-manager for reliable ROS2 operations
• RMF-Specific Nodes: Fleet management, task dispatch, and coordination nodes
• Multi-Plugin Compatible: Works alongside @chart-sg/node-red-ros2 and other Chart ROS2 plugins
• Production Ready: No spinning conflicts, proper resource management

Installation

# 1. Source ROS2/RMF environment
source /opt/ros/jazzy/setup.bash        # (or your ROS2 distro)
source ~/rmf_ws/install/setup.bash      # (your RMF workspace)

# 2. Install in Node-RED directory
cd ~/.node-red
npm install rclnodejs
npm install @chart-sg/node-red-rmf

The @chart-sg/node-red-ros2-manager dependency is automatically installed.

Prerequisites & Environment Setup

This package requires a properly configured ROS2 and RMF environment:

Required Environment

• ROS2 Jazzy (or compatible version)
• RMF Workspace with required message packages
• rclnodejs with RMF message type generation

Environment Check

After installation, verify your environment is ready:

# Check RMF environment setup
npm run check-rmf

This will verify:

• ROS2 environment is sourced
• RMF packages are available (rmf_building_map_msgs, rmf_task_msgs, etc.)
• rclnodejs has generated RMF message types

Quick Setup Guide

If the environment check fails:

# 1. Source your ROS2 environment
source /opt/ros/jazzy/setup.bash

# 2. Source your RMF workspace  
source ~/rmf2A_ws/install/setup.bash

# 3. Restart Node-RED to regenerate message types
# (rclnodejs will automatically generate RMF message types on startup)

# 4. Verify environment
npm run check-rmf

Troubleshooting

• Missing RMF message types: Ensure RMF workspace is sourced before starting Node-RED
• rclnodejs generation issues: Delete ~/.node-red/node_modules/rclnodejs/generated/ and restart Node-RED
• Package not found errors: Verify RMF packages with ros2 pkg list | grep rmf

Architecture

This package uses the Chart SharedManager architecture for conflict-free ROS2 integration:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                @chart-sg/node-red-ros2-manager              │
│              (Shared ROS2 Context Manager)                 │
└─────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┘
                      │
          ┌───────────┴──────────┐
          │                      │
┌─────────▼──────────┐  ┌────────▼─────────┐
│ @chart-sg/node-    │  │ @chart-sg/node-  │
│ red-ros2           │  │ red-rmf          │
│ (Educational)      │  │ (Production)     │
└────────────────────┘  └──────────────────┘

Benefits:

• No ActionClient spinning conflicts - SafeActionClient pattern
• Multi-plugin compatibility - shared ROS2 context across all Chart plugins
• Production reliability - proper resource management and error recovery
• RMF-specific optimizations - fleet coordination and task management

Available Nodes

Test Node

• Category: RMF
• Function: A simple test node that demonstrates the custom node structure
• Configuration: Message text (default: "hello-word")

RMF Config

• Category: Config
• Function: Configuration node for RMF settings and connections
• Configuration: API endpoints, authentication, fleet settings

Start Task V2

• Category: RMF
• Function: Initiates RMF tasks with version 2 API
• Configuration: Task type, parameters, priority

Start Events

• Category: RMF
• Function: Publishes RMF start events to the system
• Configuration: Event type, timing, metadata

Goto Place

• Category: RMF
• Function: Commands robots to navigate to specific locations
• Configuration: Destination, fleet, robot selection

Perform Action

• Category: RMF
• Function: Executes specific actions on robots
• Configuration: Action type, parameters, duration

Teleop

• Category: RMF
• Function: Enables teleoperation control of robots
• Configuration: Control interface, safety limits

Cancel Task V2

• Category: RMF
• Function: Cancels active RMF tasks
• Configuration: Task ID, cancellation reason

Cancel Events

• Category: RMF
• Function: Cancels scheduled RMF events
• Configuration: Event ID, cancellation type

End Events

• Category: RMF
• Function: Handles RMF task completion events
• Configuration: Event processing, notifications

Compatibility & Usage

• SharedManager Required: This package requires the ros2-manager for all ROS2 operations
• Multi-Plugin: Works seamlessly with @chart-sg/node-red-ros2 and other Chart ROS2 plugins
• Node-RED: Hot deployment support, proper cleanup during redeployments
• Production Focus: Designed for reliable fleet management and task coordination

Integration Example

// All RMF nodes automatically use SharedManager
const manager = require('@chart-sg/node-red-ros2-manager');
// Manager is initialized automatically by the nodes
// No manual setup required for users

Development

Project Structure

node-red-chart-rmf/
├── package.json           # NPM package configuration
├── index.js              # Main entry point
├── README.md             # This file
├── nodes/                # Individual custom nodes
│   ├── test-node.js      # Test node implementation
│   ├── rmf-config/       # RMF configuration node
│   ├── start-taskV2/     # Task initiation node
│   ├── start-events/     # Event publishing node
│   ├── goto-place/       # Navigation command node
│   ├── perform-action/   # Action execution node
│   ├── teleop/           # Teleoperation node
│   ├── cancel-taskV2/    # Task cancellation node
│   ├── cancel-events/    # Event cancellation node
│   └── end-events/       # Event completion node
└── scripts/              # Automation tools
    └── check-rmf-environment.js # RMF environment validation

### Environment Validation

The RMF environment validation script checks:
- RMF packages are available in ROS2 environment
- Required RMF message types are generated in rclnodejs
- Proper ROS2/RMF workspace sourcing

```bash
# Check RMF environment setup
npm run check-rmf

Testing Locally

# Install in your local Node-RED
npm install . --prefix ~/.node-red

# Restart Node-RED to see the new nodes

Scripts

• npm run check-rmf - Validate RMF environment setup
• npm test - Run tests (placeholder)

Dependencies

• @chart-sg/node-red-ros2-manager - Shared ROS2 context management (automatically installed)
• axios - HTTP client for RMF API communication
• socket.io-client - WebSocket communication with RMF systems
• Node-RED >= 1.3.0
• Node.js >= 14.0.0

🔗 Related Packages

• @chart-sg/node-red-ros2-manager - Core ROS2 context manager
• @chart-sg/node-red-ros2 - General ROS2 nodes for Node-RED

License

ISC

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch
3. Add your custom nodes following the existing patterns
4. Validate RMF environment: npm run check-rmf
5. Submit a pull request

Notes

• Each node has a unique implementation for specific RMF functionality
• Nodes are registered in package.json following Node-RED custom node patterns
• All nodes appear in the "RMF" category in Node-RED's palette
• SharedManager architecture ensures reliable multi-plugin operation