fix(pointcloud preprocessor): fix ring outlier filter and concatenation to use PointXYZIRC

[a-maumau]

Description

The current implementation of RingOutlierFilter and PointCloudConcatenateDataSynchronizer does not follow the documentation of the Autoware.

This PR will change the output of RingOutlierFilter and PointCloudConcatenateDataSynchronizer from PointXYZI to PointXYZIRC. Also, after concatenation, the gathered data's channel is set to 0 (channel does not have consistent meaning).

Related links

doc: https://autowarefoundation.github.io/autoware-documentation/main/design/autoware-architecture/sensing/data-types/point-cloud/#recommended-processing-pipeline

Tests performed

Before

...
fields:
- name: x
  offset: 0
  datatype: 7
  count: 1
- name: y
  offset: 4
  datatype: 7
  count: 1
- name: z
  offset: 8
  datatype: 7
  count: 1
- name: intensity
  offset: 12
  datatype: 7
  count: 1
is_bigendian: false
point_step: 16
...

After

...
fields:
- name: x
  offset: 0
  datatype: 7
  count: 1
- name: y
  offset: 4
  datatype: 7
  count: 1
- name: z
  offset: 8
  datatype: 7
  count: 1
- name: intensity
  offset: 12
  datatype: 7
  count: 1
- name: padding
  offset: 16
  datatype: 2
  count: 1
- name: return_type
  offset: 17
  datatype: 2
  count: 1
- name: channel
  offset: 18
  datatype: 4
  count: 1
is_bigendian: false
point_step: 20
...

Notes for reviewers

I only checked the sensing part is working, please check the other parts if it's needed.

Interface changes

N/A

Effects on system behavior

N/A

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[vividf]

Thanks for the PR! However, adding additional return types and channels probably will increase the latency. If the nodes in perception don't need this information, then we shouldn't change it. Probably it is better to change the documentation.

[badai-nguyen]

@xmfcx I remember you mentioned this issue in S/P WG . Do you have any comment? I think you prososed idea to keep the same size of pointcloud, did you?

[xmfcx]

The intensity should be 1 byte and you don't need any paddings.

See here:

https://github.com/autowarefoundation/autoware-documentation/blob/01e6b75fe73b1831aba61d52d165c4f67eedd7d7/docs/design/autoware-architecture/sensing/data-types/point-cloud.md#point-cloud-fields

This is how it should be.

Then this pr was merged because the point types didn't match the repo:

• https://github.com/autowarefoundation/autoware-documentation/pull/478

But we agreed to use 1 byte once we fixed the repo.

But I believe this should start getting fixed from the nebula driver, the sensing layer, then the concatenator.

Even in the latest documentation page, you can see how 1 byte is enough to represent the intensity: https://autowarefoundation.github.io/autoware-documentation/main/design/autoware-architecture/sensing/data-types/point-cloud/#intensity

[xmfcx]

Before: 4 * 4 bytes; (x, y, z, i) : (f32, f32, f32, f32) After: 3 * 4 bytes + 2 * 1 byte + 1 * 2 byte (x, y, z, i, r, c) : (f32, f32, f32, ui8, ui8, ui16)

Same size, same bandwidth, perfect padding. Even if you don't need the fields, same speed.

[a-maumau]

temporarily I've made the commit fixing the intensity type mentioned by @xmfcx in the comment: changed the intensity from float to uint8. Since the code assumed the intensity of input to be float, it requires updating the casts in the ring_outlier_filter_nodelet.cpp after modifying other parts (e.g., the nebula driver).

[a-maumau]

https://github.com/autowarefoundation/autoware.universe/pull/6996 overlaps with this PR so I will close this PR.