RJ45_px6x Interface Documentation

Introduction

Overview: This file provides TCP communication and device management capabilities for connecting to the PX6x series drone swarm via RJ45 Ethernet ports, implementing network port device abstraction and TCP server functionality, supporting swarm networking and communication for drones.

In RflySim drone swarm simulation and real-flight testing scenarios, multiple PX6x flight controller drones typically require stable data communication with the ground station control end through wired RJ45 Ethernet ports to enable functions such as flight control command transmission and flight status reporting. As the network communication component of the RflySimSDK swarm module, this module uses the RJ_Device class to abstract communication devices for individual PX6x drones connected via RJ45, and the TCPServer class provides TCP server support for multi-device access. It is applicable to scenarios such as real-machine RJ45-based swarm testing and fixed-IP swarm communication in simulation environments, offering foundational communication interfaces for upper-layer swarm task scheduling and status monitoring.

Quick Start

Minimal working example; copy and modify minimal configuration to run.

from RflySimSDK.swarm import RJ45_px6x

# 1. Initialize RJ45 swarm device object using default broadcast address and port
rj_device = RJ45_px6x.RJ_Device()

# 2. Search for all PX6x devices on the local network, set search timeout to 2 seconds
found_devices = rj_device.discover_devices(timeout=2)
print("Discovered devices:", found_devices)

# 3. Example: Restart a device with a specified ID (if devices are discovered)
if found_devices:
    first_device_id = found_devices[0]
    print(f"Restarting device {first_device_id}")
    rj_device.reboot_device_by_id(device_id=first_device_id)

# 4. Start all discovered devices
rj_device.start_all_devices()
print("All devices started")

Environment and Dependencies

• Python Environment: >= 3.8.10
• Dependencies: re, socket, time
• Prerequisites: Before calling this interface, ensure that the RJ45 network connection is properly configured, PX6x device hardware wiring is completed, and the RflySimSDK dependency environment is correctly installed.

Core Interface Description

The module RJ45_px6x.py includes configuration variables, helper functions, and core business classes.

Global Constants and Enumerations

This section lists all globally accessible constants and enumerations defined in the module.

Standalone Constants

None

---

Global/Standalone Functions

None

---

RJ_Device Class

Used to discover and manage RJ45-connected PX6x series devices via UDP broadcast, supporting device discovery, reboot, network configuration, and other functions. Suitable for network management of drone swarm devices.

__init__(broadcast_ip='255.255.255.255', broadcast_port=5000)

Function Description: Initializes the RJ_Device device management object and sets the IP address and port for UDP broadcast. Parameters (Args):

Parameter Name	Type	Required	Default Value	Description
broadcast_ip	str	No	'255.255.255.255'	IP address used for UDP broadcast
broadcast_port	int	No	5000	Port number used for UDP broadcast

Return Value (Returns):

• RJ_Device instance object

Exceptions (Raises):

• None

---

discover_devices(timeout=1)

Function Description: Broadcasts to search for available RJ45 devices on the local network and retrieves a list of discovered device information. Parameters (Args):

Parameter Name	Type	Required	Default Value	Description
timeout	float	No	1	Timeout duration for waiting device responses, in seconds

Return Value (Returns):

• list: A list of dictionaries, each containing information about a discovered device (e.g., device ID, IP address)

Exceptions (Raises):

• None

Example:

from RflySimSDK.swarm.RJ45_px6x import RJ_Device
device_manager = RJ_Device()
# Search for devices on the local network with a 2-second timeout
devices = device_manager.discover_devices(timeout=2)
print(f"Discovered {len(devices)} devices: {devices}")

---

reboot_device_by_id(device_id)

Function Description: Sends a restart command to the specified device based on its device ID. Parameters (Args):

Parameter Name	Type	Required	Default Value	Description
device_id	int/str	Yes	-	ID of the target device

Return Value (Returns):

• bool: Returns True if the command is sent successfully; False otherwise.

Exceptions (Raises):

• None

---

start_all_devices()

Function Description: Sends a startup command to all discovered devices on the local network. Parameters (Args): None Return Value (Returns):

• None

Exceptions (Raises):

• None

---

get_current_ip(device_id)

Function Description: Retrieves the current IP address of the device corresponding to the given device ID. Parameters (Args):

Parameter Name	Type	Required	Default Value	Description
device_id	int/str	Yes	-	ID of the target device

Return Value (Returns):

• str | None: Returns the IP address string of the device upon success; returns None if the device is not found.

Exceptions (Raises):

• None

---

set_dhcp(device_id, enable)

Function Description: Configures whether the specified device uses DHCP to automatically obtain its IP address. Parameters (Args):

Parameter Name	Type	Required	Default Value	Description
device_id	int/str	Yes	-	ID of the target device
enable	bool	Yes	-	True enables DHCP; False disables DHCP

Return Value (Returns):

• bool: Returns True if the configuration is successful; False otherwise.

Exceptions (Raises):

• None

Example:

from RflySimSDK.swarm.RJ45_px6x import RJ_Device
device_manager = RJ_Device()
devices = device_manager.discover_devices()
# Enable DHCP for the first device
if devices:
    device_id = devices[0]['device_id']
    success = device_manager.set_dhcp(device_id, enable=True)
    print(f"DHCP setting result: {success}")

---

set_static_ip(device_id, ip_address, gateway, mask)

Function Description: Sets a static IP address, gateway, and subnet mask for a specified device. Parameters (Args):

Parameter Name	Type	Required	Default Value	Description
device_id	int/str	Yes	-	ID of the target device
ip_address	str	Yes	-	Static IP address to be set
gateway	str	Yes	-	Gateway address to be set
mask	str	Yes	-	Subnet mask to be set

Return Value (Returns):

• bool: Returns True on success, False on failure.

Exceptions (Raises):

• None

---

modify_device_id(device_id)

Function Description: Modifies the device ID of a specified device. Parameters (Args):

Parameter Name	Type	Required	Default Value	Description
device_id	int/str	Yes	-	New device ID to be assigned

Return Value (Returns):

• bool: Returns True on success, False on failure.

Exceptions (Raises):

• None

---

modify_device_port(device_id)

Function Description: Modifies the communication port of a specified device. Parameters (Args):

Parameter Name	Type	Required	Default Value	Description
device_id	int/str	Yes	-	New communication port to be assigned

Return Value (Returns):

• bool: Returns True on success, False on failure.

Exceptions (Raises):

• None

TCPServer Class

TCP/UDP multi-mode network communication server utility class, used to establish network communication between PX6x flight controllers and the simulation environment in RflySim drone swarm simulations. It supports switching among four connection modes: TCP server, TCP client, UDP client, and UDP server.

__init__()

Function Description: Initializes a TCPServer instance object. Parameters (Args):

No parameters

Return Value (Returns):

• TCPServer instance object

Exceptions (Raises): None

---

get_local_ip()

Function Description: Retrieves the local LAN IP address available for network communication binding. Parameters (Args):

No parameters

Return Value (Returns):

• str: Local LAN IP address

Exceptions (Raises): None

---

setup_server()

Function Description: Starts the network service based on the currently configured connection mode, completing socket binding and listening/connection initialization. Parameters (Args):

No parameters

Return Value (Returns):

• None

Exceptions (Raises): None

---

print_current_mode()

Function Description: Prints the currently active network connection mode. Parameters (Args):

No parameters

Return Value (Returns):

• None

Exceptions (Raises): None

---

change_connection_mode()

Function Description: Modifies the network connection mode, allowing the user to interactively select the desired mode. Parameters (Args):

No parameters

Return Value (Returns):

• None

Exceptions (Raises): None

---

set_default_cleanup()

Function Description: Releases network resources and closes any open sockets. Parameters (Args):

No parameters

Return Value (Returns):

• None

Exceptions (Raises): None

---

set_default_mode()

Function Description: Sets the default network connection mode to UDP_SERVER_MODE. Parameters (Args):

No parameters

Return Value (Returns):

• None

Exceptions (Raises): None

Example:

from RflySimSDK.swarm import TCPServer

# Create a TCPServer instance with default configuration
tcp_server = TCPServer()
tcp_server.set_default_mode()
tcp_server.setup_server()

# Print the current connection mode
tcp_server.print_current_mode()

# Release resources upon exit
tcp_server.set_default_cleanup()

---

Class Variable Description

Class Variable Name	Type	Value	Description
TCP_SERVER_MODE	int	0	TCP server connection mode
TCP_CLIENT_MODE	int	1	TCP client connection mode
UDP_CLIENT_MODE	int	2	UDP client connection mode
UDP_SERVER_MODE	int	3	UDP server connection mode

Advanced Usage Example

Demonstrates complex composite scenarios (e.g., multi-class collaboration, asynchronous control, batch operations)

import RflySimSDK.swarm.RJ45_px6x as rj_sdk
import asyncio

async def batch_configure_devices(async_interval=1):
    # Batch scan to discover all online RJ45 devices
    device_list = rj_sdk.RJ_Device.discover_devices(timeout=5)
    if not device_list:
        print("No configurable devices found")
        return None
    # Start TCP server to establish device communication links
    tcp_server = rj_sdk.TCPServer()
    local_ip = tcp_server.get_local_ip()
    tcp_server.setup_server(local_ip, 8899)
    tcp_server.set_default_cleanup()
    # Asynchronously batch-modify device IDs and static IPs to avoid blocking due to synchronous waits
    config_tasks = []
    for idx, dev in enumerate(device_list):
        new_id = 100 + idx
        new_ip = f"{'.'.join(local_ip.split('.')[:3])}.{200 + idx}"
        # Asynchronously encapsulate device configuration tasks
        async def config_task(dev, new_id, new_ip):
            rj_sdk.RJ_Device.modify_device_id(dev, new_id)
            rj_sdk.RJ_Device.set_static_ip(dev, new_ip, "255.255.255.0", local_ip)
            await asyncio.sleep(async_interval)
        config_tasks.append(config_task(dev, new_id, new_ip))
    # Concurrently execute all configuration tasks
    await asyncio.gather(*config_tasks)
    # Batch-start all configured devices
    rj_sdk.RJ_Device.start_all_devices()
    # Switch to auto-reconnect mode to ensure link stability
    tcp_server.change_connection_mode("auto_reconnect")
    tcp_server.print_current_mode()
    print(f"Batch configuration and startup completed for {len(device_list)} devices")
    return device_list

if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(batch_configure_devices())

Notes and Pitfall Avoidance Guide

• Device Scan Scope Limitation: discover_devices can only discover PX6X devices within the same LAN subnet. Cross-subnet scanning will directly return an empty list; ensure all target devices and the control endpoint are on the same subnet before use.
• Static IP Configuration Conflict Risk: When calling set_static_ip for batch device configuration, verify in advance that the target IPs are not already occupied by other devices on the LAN; IP conflicts will cause subsequent communication failures for the affected devices.
• TCP Server Resource Cleanup: Before program exit, ensure set_default_cleanup is correctly invoked; otherwise, the port will remain occupied, leading to port binding failure errors upon subsequent server startups.
• Device ID Modification Activation Condition: After calling modify_device_id to change a device's ID, reboot_device_by_id must be invoked to restart the device for the new ID to take effect; attempting subsequent operations with the new ID before rebooting will result in a "device not found" error.

Changelog

• 2024-12-10: fix: Updated comments for swarm control interfaces
• 2024-11-13: fix: Adapted to the latest hardware interface program
• 2024-08-30: feat: Added factory-default TCP connection mode, local identification interface, and TCP-to-UDP mode interface
• 2024-08-28: (1) feat: Added delay time function, DHCP enable/disable, static IP setting, device port configuration, and device ID setting
• 2024-07-31: feat: Added RJ45 network relay-related interfaces