mavlinkmicroservice

R2026b

Create MAVLink Microservice Object

Since R2026b

Syntax

microservice = mavlinkmicroservice(mavlinkio, type)

Description

microservice = mavlinkmicroservice(mavlinkio, type) creates a MAVLink microservice object of the type specified by type using the local MAVLink client mavlinkio.

MAVLink microservices are higher-level protocols that enable interoperability between MAVLink systems such as ground control stations and autopilots. Each microservice handles a specific type of communication, including exchanging parameters, missions, files, and commands, with built-in support for acknowledgment, retransmission, and error handling.

These are the supported microservice types:

• "heartbeat" — Create a heartbeatMicroservice object that sends periodic heartbeat messages to advertise system status and establish connectivity.

• "parameter" — Create a parameterMicroservice object that reads and writes parameters on a remote MAVLink client.

• "command" — Create a commandMicroservice object that sends commands to a remote MAVLink client.

• "mission" — Create a missionMicroservice object that uploads and downloads missions on a remote MAVLink client. This microservice requires PX4 version 1.5.1 or later. If you use ArduPilot, it requires Copter 3.4 or later, or Plane 3.5 or later.

• "ftp" — Create an ftpMicroservice object that exchanges files with a remote MAVLink client.

Examples

Send Waypoint Command to Pixhawk Board

Send a waypoint command to a Pixhawk^® 4 board running PX4^® firmware by using the command microservice.

Create a mavlinkdialect object using the common.xml file.

dialect = mavlinkdialect("common.xml");

Create a local MAVLink client by using the mavlinkio object.

gcs = mavlinkio(dialect);

Store the remote MAVLink client information by using the mavlinkclient object. This Pixhawk board has a system ID of 1 and a component ID of 1.

uav = mavlinkclient(gcs,1,1);

Connect the local MAVLink client to the same serial port as the Pixhawk board by using the connect function. This Pixhawk board uses the COM5 port.

connect(gcs,"Serial",SerialPort="COM5");

Create a heartbeat microservice object.

heartbeat = mavlinkmicroservice(gcs,"heartbeat");

Start sending the HEARTBEAT messages to the Pixhawk board by using the start function.

start(heartbeat,uav,"Serial",SerialPort="COM5")

If the Pixhawk board replies with HEARTBEAT messages, a connection is established.

Verify that the connection has been established by using the listClients function.

listClients(gcs)

ans = 2×4 table
    SystemID    ComponentID       ComponentType             AutopilotType     
    ________    ___________    ____________________    _______________________

      255            1            "MAV_TYPE_GCS"        "MAV_AUTOPILOT_INVALID"
       1             1         "MAV_TYPE_QUADROTOR"       "MAV_AUTOPILOT_PX4"

Create the waypoint command message structure by using the createcmd function.

cmdMsg = createcmd(dialect,"INT","MAV_CMD_NAV_WAYPOINT")

cmdMsg = 

  struct with fields:

      MsgID: 75
    Payload: [1×1 struct]

Specify these parameters of the waypoint command message:

• Acceptance radius — 2 meters

• Latitude — 42.2831 degrees

• Longitude — –71.3468 degrees

• Altitude — 50 meters

For more information on the waypoint command parameters, see the MAV_CMD_NAV_WAYPOINT section of the MAVLink documentation.

cmdMsg.Payload.param2(:) = 2.0;
cmdMsg.Payload.param5(:) = 42.2831;
cmdMsg.Payload.param6(:) = -71.3468;
cmdMsg.Payload.param7(:) = 50.0;

Create a command microservice object.

command = mavlinkmicroservice(gcs,"command");

Send the command message to the Pixhawk board by using the send function. The function returns the status and the acknowledgement message sent by the Pixhawk board.

[status,ack] = send(command,uav,cmdMsg)

status = true
ack = 
  struct with fields:

             command: 16
              result: 0
            progress: 255
       result_param2: 0
       target_system: 1
    target_component: 1

     

Input Arguments

mavlinkio — Local MAVLink client

mavlinkio object

Local MAVLink client, specified as a mavlinkio object.

type — Microservice type

string scalar

Microservice type, specified as one of these options. This argument determines the type of the returned MAVLink microservice object.

Value of type	MAVLink microservice object
"heartbeat"	heartbeatMicroservice
"parameter"	parameterMicroservice
"command"	commandMicroservice
"mission"	missionMicroservice
"ftp"	ftpMicroservice

Data Types: string

Output Arguments

microservice — MAVLink microservice object

heartbeatMicroservice object | parameterMicroservice object | commandMicroservice object | missionMicroservice object | ftpMicroservice object

MAVLink microservice object, returned as a heartbeatMicroservice, parameterMicroservice, commandMicroservice, missionMicroservice, or ftpMicroservice object. The value of the type argument determines the type of MAVLink microservice object that is returned.

Version History

Introduced in R2026b