Image Converter ROS 2 Package

This ROS 2 package provides functionality to stream images from a USB or laptop camera, convert the images between grayscale and RGB modes, and republish them. The package allows users to switch between the modes dynamically using a ROS 2 service. In the future, AI-based detection can be integrated to process the images further.

Features

• Camera Support: Streams images from both USB and laptop cameras.
• Image Conversion: Converts the images between grayscale and RGB modes.
• Dynamic Mode Switching: Allows users to change between grayscale and RGB modes via a ROS 2 service.

Dependencies

• ROS 2 (any distribution, e.g., Foxy, Galactic, Humble)
• usb_cam package (for USB camera support)
• cv_bridge (for converting between ROS images and OpenCV images)
• sensor_msgs (for image message types)
• std_srvs (for creating ROS 2 services)

Installation Instructions

Install the usb_cam package (if using a USB camera):

sudo apt install ros-<ros2-distro>-usb-cam

Replace with your ROS 2 distribution (e.g., foxy, galactic, humble).

Create the ROS 2 package:

ros2 pkg create --build-type ament_python image_converter --dependencies rclpy sensor_msgs cv_bridge std_srvs

Clone or download the image_converter package into your ROS workspace and build the package:

git clone https://github.com/Avisheet/Cam_image_converter.git

Launching the Nodes

1. To launch the USB camera node and the image conversion node, use the following launch command:

ros2 launch image_converter image_conversion_launch.py

This will start:

• The usb_cam node to stream images from the camera.
• The image_conversion_node to convert and publish images in grayscale or RGB modes.

2. Using the Laptop Camera

If you want to use the laptop camera instead of a USB camera, you can run the following Python file directly. This will allow you to capture images from your laptop's webcam and process them:

ros2 run image_converter cam_image.py

This will start the camera stream from the laptop's webcam and process the images as per the selected mode (grayscale or RGB).

3. Changing Modes

You can change the image conversion mode (between grayscale and RGB) using the following ROS 2 service calls:

• To switch to grayscale (mode 1):

ros2 service call /change_mode std_srvs/srv/SetBool "{data: true}"

• To switch back to RGB (color mode, mode 2):

ros2 service call /change_mode std_srvs/srv/SetBool "{data: false}"