MAVLink Serializer

R2026b

Serialize MAVLink packet messages by converting a Simulink nonvirtual bus to a uint8 data stream

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MAVLink Serializer block

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Libraries:
UAV Toolbox / MAVLink

Description

The MAVLink Serializer block accepts a Simulink^® nonvirtual bus and converts it into a uint8 MAVLink data stream. The nonvirtual bus represents a MAVLink packet containing the Message ID, System ID, Component ID, Sequence, and Payload information corresponding to the selected MAVLink message. Payload information is another nonvirtual bus in the MAVLink packet bus.

MAVLink v2 removes trailing zeros in the payload. Therefore, the length of the payload in the serialized MAVLink data can be less than the maximum payload length of a selected MAVLink message type.

The Data port outputs the MAVLink data stream, and the length of the output data is the maximum possible length for the selected MAVLink message. If the length of the serialized data is less than the maximum possible length, the block adds trailing zeros to the data stream. The Length port outputs the true length of the serialized MAVLink data.

Ports

Input

Msg — MAVLink packet

nonvirtual bus

MAVLink packet as a nonvirtual bus. This is the output of the MAVLink Blank Message block, which already initializes the values for Message ID, System ID, and Component ID. You can modify the fields in the Payload bus using a Bus Assignment block before passing it as an input to the MAVLink Serializer block.

Data Types: bus

Output

Data — MAVLink data stream

vector

The serialized MAVLink data for the input MAVLink message bus. MAVLink protocol version 2 removes trailing zeros in the payload. Therefore, the length of the payload in the serialized data can be less than the maximum payload length of the MAVLink message in the dialect. In this case, the block outputs the serialized data stream with the trailing zeros included.

Data Types: uint8

Length — Length of the serialized data

scalar

The true length of the serialized data including headers and payload. This might be less than the maximum possible length for a MAVLink message depending on how many trailing zeros are removed in the MAVLink payload during serialization.

Data Types: uint16

Parameters

MAVLink dialect source — Source for specifying the MAVLink message definition

Select from standard MAVLink dialects (default) | Specify your own

Source for specifying the MAVLink message definition XML name, specified as one of the following:

• Select from standard MAVLink dialects - Use this option to select a definition XML among the 12 commonly used message definition XML names listed in the MAVLink dialect parameter.

• Specify your own - Enter an XML name in the text box that appears for the MAVLink dialect parameter.

MAVLink dialect — Message definition to parse for MAVLink messages

common.xml (default) | string

MAVLink message definition file (.xml) to parse for MAVLink messages, specified as a string.

If the MAVLink dialect source parameter is set to Select from standard MAVLink dialects, select a message definition from the available message definition names in the dropdown list.

If the MAVLink dialect source parameter is set to Specify your own, specify the message definition file (.xml) that is on the current MATLAB path, or provide the full path of the XML file.

MAVLink version — MAVLink protocol version

2 (default) | 1

MAVLink protocol version used to serialize and deserialize MAVLink messages.

MAVLink Message type — MAVLink message

HEARTBEAT (default)

MAVLink message, specified as a string. Click Select to select from a full list of available MAVLink messages that are specific to the values that you selected for MAVLink dialect and MAVLink version parameters.

Data Types: string

Tips

You can change the values for the desired fields in the Payload in the output of the MAVLink Blank message by using a Bus Assignment block and then passing the MAVLink packet bus to the MAVLink Serializer block as an input.

Extended Capabilities

C/C++ Code Generation

Generate C and C++ code using Simulink® Coder™.

Usage and Limitations:

• For deployment to an embedded target, you can deploy the C/C++ code generated for this block only on a Linux target (a system capable of running a Linux operating system, such as a Raspberry Pi) or a Speedgoat.

• The block supports code generation on the host target (the machine running MATLAB), regardless of the host operating system. This support enables workflows that require host-target code generation, such as Simulink rapid accelerator mode and Simulink Compiler.

Version History

Introduced in R2020b