Subscribe

Receive messages from ROS network

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  • Library:

  • ROS Toolbox / ROS

Description

The Subscribe block creates a Simulink® nonvirtual bus that corresponds to the specified ROS message type. The block uses the node of the Simulink model to create a ROS subscriber for a specific topic. This node is created when the model runs and is deleted when the model terminates. If the model does not have a node, the block creates one.

On each simulation step, the block checks if a new message is available on the specific topic.If a new message is available, the block retrieves the message and converts it to a Simulink bus signal. The Msg port outputs this new message. If a new message is not available, Msg outputs the last received ROS message. If a message has not been received since the start of the simulation, Msg outputs a blank message.

Ports

Output

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New message indicator, returned as a logical. If the output is 1, then a new message was received since the last sample hit. This output can be used to trigger subsystems for processing new messages received in the ROS network.

ROS message, returned as a nonvirtual bus. The type of ROS message is specified in the Message type parameter. The Subscribe block outputs blank messages until it receives a message on the topic name you specify. These blank messages allow you to create and test full models before the rest of the network has been setup.

Data Types: bus

Parameters

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Source for specifying the topic name, specified as one of the following:

  • Select from ROS network — Use Select to select a topic name. The Topic and Message type parameters are set automatically. You must be connected to a ROS network.

  • Specify your own — Enter a topic name in Topic and specify its message type in Message type. You must match a topic name exactly.

Topic name to subscribe to, specified as a string. When Topic source is set to Select from ROS network, use Select to select a topic from the ROS network. You must be connected to a ROS network to get a list of topics. Otherwise, set Topic source to Specify your own and specify the topic you want.

ROS message type, specified as a string. Use Select to select from a full list of supported ROS messages. Service message types are not supported and are not included in the list.

Interval between outputs, specified as a scalar. In simulation, the sample time follows simulation time and not actual clock time.

This default value indicates that the block sample time is inherited.

For more information about the inherited sample time type, see Specify Sample Time (Simulink).

Message queue length in code generation, specified as an integer. In simulation, the message queue is always 1 and cannot be adjusted. To ensure each message is caught, use a smaller model step or only execute the model if IsNew returns 1.

Model Examples

Publish and Subscribe to ROS Messages in Simulink

Publish and Subscribe to ROS Messages in Simulink

How to publish and subscribe to a ROS topic using Simulink®.

Open Script
Get Started with ROS

Get Started with ROS

Robot Operating System (ROS) is a communication interface that enables different parts of a robot system to discover each other, and send and receive data between them. MATLAB® supports ROS with a library of functions that enables you to exchange data with ROS-enabled physical robots or robot simulators such as Gazebo®.

Open Live Script
Connect to a ROS-enabled Robot from Simulink®

Connect to a ROS-enabled Robot from Simulink®

You can use Simulink to connect to a ROS-enabled physical robot or to a ROS-enabled robot simulator such as Gazebo. This example shows how to:

Open Live Script
Feedback Control of a ROS-Enabled Robot

Feedback Control of a ROS-Enabled Robot

Use Simulink® to control a simulated robot running in a separate ROS-based simulator.

Open Live Script

Tips

You can also set the addresses for the ROS master and node host by clicking the Configure network addresses link in the block.

Extended Capabilities

C/C++ Code Generation
Generate C and C++ code using Simulink® Coder™.

See Also

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Topics

Introduced in R2019b

ROS Toolbox Documentation
Support