acconeer-exptool 7.11.1

Description:

acconeerexptool 7.11.1

Acconeer Exploration Tool





Explore the Next Sense with Acconeer Exploration Tool! Use one of our evaluation kits together with our Python examples and start exploring the world of Acconeer's radar sensor technology. The Python scripts and the Application in this repository will help you to easily stream the radar sensor's data to your local machine to start radar sensor evaluation and/or algorithm development for your application.
To run the Python exploration scripts, you will need an evaluation kit running the included Exploration or Module server, both of which are supplied with the Acconeer SDK and Module SW image.
This release is developed for Acconeer SDK and Module SW
A111-v2.15.4
and
A121-v1.7.0.
Running this version is strongly recommended, as we continuously fix bugs and add features.



Quickstart for Windows
There is a portable version of the Acconeer Exploration Tool for Windows:

Download the zip file and extract
Double click the update.bat file and wait for the installation to finish, which might take a couple of minutes
Double click the run_app.bat

For an in-depth evaluation, we recommend a full installation as described below.
Documentation
Documentation is available at docs.acconeer.com,
where you can also find the FAQ.
News

v7.4.0 released. See the Changelog.

Setting up your evaluation kit

XM126
XM125
XC120 + XE121 (A121)
Raspberry Pi (A121 on XE121)
Raspberry Pi (A111 on XC111+XR111 or XC112+XR112)
XM112
XM122
XM132

For additional resources, head over to the Acconeer developer page. There you will find both a getting started guide and a video showing you how to set up your evaluation kit. There you will also find the SDK download.
Setting up your local machine
Requirements
Python 3.8 or newer. Older versions have limited or no support.
Tested on:

Python 3 (developed and tested on 3.8, 3.9, 3.10, 3.11 and 3.12)
Windows 10
Ubuntu 20.04

Setup
Installing the acconeer-exptool package
Install from PyPI:
python -m pip install --upgrade acconeer-exptool[app]


Depending on your environment, you might have to replace python with python3 or py.

For other options, have a look at
docs.acconeer.com.
Windows COM port drivers
If no COM port is recognized when plugging in a module, you might need to install a driver.
See information about your specific module at
docs.acconeer.com
Linux setup
After installing the acconeer-exptool package, you can run
python -m acconeer.exptool.setup


Depending on your environment, you might have to replace python with python3 or py.

which interactively configures your machine and downloads needed dependencies.
This is done in order for your machine to work at its best with Exploration tool.
acconeer.exptool.setup performs the steps described in the
Linux setup section on docs.acconeer.com.
Application
Using the application is the easiest way to start exploring Acconeer's radar sensor and our application examples:
python -m acconeer.exptool.app


Depending on your environment, you might have to replace python with python3 or py.

In the top right box of the application, named Connection, select the interface you wish to use

SPI: auto-detects an XM112 connected to USB2 (USB1 is also needed for power)
Socket: specify the IP address of your Raspberry Pi running the streaming server
Serial: specify the serial port that is assigned to the sensor

Connections via Serial have the option of choosing a Protocol. The choices are
Module and Exploration, where the protocol should match the server installed
on the module (Module server or Exploration server, respectively). Choosing the wrong
protocol will show an error.
After pressing Connect, a connection should be established.
In the box below labelled Scan controls, select the service or processing example you want to test.
Now you may tune the sensor and processing settings to your specific setup.
Once you press Start measurement, the application will start fetching data from the sensor and plotting the results.
After pressing Stop, you can save (and later load data) or just replay the data stored in the buffer.
The ML interface (no longer supported)
Support for the Machine Learning interface in Exploration Tool has been dropped.
If you still need to use it, it is possible to use an old version of Exploration Tool.
From the acconeer-python-exploration directory:
git checkout v3

And follow the instructions in an old version of this document (README.md).
Note that this version of Exploration Tool will not be actively supported. Compatibility with new
RSS versions is not guaranteed .
Running an example script on your local machine
If you prefer using the command line for testing and evaluation of our examples you can use the following instructions.
XC111+XR111 or XC112+XR112 (mounted on a Raspberry Pi):
python examples/a111/basic.py -s <your Raspberry Pi IP address>

XM112+XB112 via SPI over USB:
python examples/a111/basic.py -spi

Any module via UART over USB, attempting to auto-detect the serial port:
python examples/a111/basic.py -u

Any module via UART over USB, using a specific serial port:
python examples/a111/basic.py -u <the serial port, for example COM3>


Depending on your environment, you might have to replace python with python3 or py.

Choosing which sensor(s) to be used can be done by adding the argument --sensor <id 1> [id 2] .... The default is the sensor on port 1. This is not applicable for the modules.
Scripts can be terminated by pressing Ctrl-C in the terminal.
Disclaimer
Here you find the disclaimer.
FAQ and common issues
See the FAQ at docs.acconeer.com.