Yocto Layers Overview

Yocto Layers Overview#

The Robotics Edge Platform consists of multiple Yocto meta-layers that work together to provide ROS 2 support on NXP i.MX processors. These layers are organized in a hierarchical structure to separate concerns and enable modular development.

Layer Architecture#

meta-ros2

Layer Descriptions#

Repository

Description

meta-robotics-edge

Application ROS2 node layer

meta-ros2-bsp

Optimization on top of NXP Linux and RTEdge

meta-ros2-nxp

Extend ROS support for NXP Edge processors

meta-ros2-nxp#

Purpose: Core ROS 2 integration layer for Robotics Edge Platform

Key Features:

  • Extends ROS 2 support specifically for Robotics Edge processes (i.MX 8M Plus, i.MX 95, etc.)

  • Provides NXP-specific ROS 2 configurations and optimizations

  • Integrates with NXP’s hardware acceleration features

  • Includes machine-specific configurations for different i.MX platforms

  • Manages dependencies between ROS 2 and NXP BSP components

Dependencies:

  • Built on top of standard Yocto/OpenEmbedded layers

  • Integrates with meta-ros (ROS 2 Yocto layer)

meta-ros2-bsp#

Purpose: Board Support Package optimizations for ROS 2 on NXP platforms

Key Features:

  • Hardware-specific optimizations for NXP i.MX processors

  • Integration with NXP Linux BSP and Real-Time Edge

  • Performance tuning for robotics workloads

  • Device drivers and kernel configurations optimized for ROS 2

  • Support for hardware acceleration (GPU, NPU, VPU)

  • Real-time kernel patches and configurations

Dependencies:

  • Requires meta-real-time-edge, meta-nxp-connectivity

  • Requires meta-imx

meta-robotics-edge#

Purpose: Application layer containing ROS 2 nodes and robotics applications

Key Features:

  • Pre-built ROS 2 application packages and demos

  • Example robotics applications (e.g., RoArm-M3 control)

  • MoveIt integration and servo control packages

  • Custom ROS 2 message definitions

  • Application-specific launch files and configurations

  • Integration examples for common robotics hardware

  • Demo applications showcasing NXP platform capabilities

Dependencies:

  • Built on top of meta-ros2-bsp and meta-ros2-nxp

  • Contains application-level ROS 2 packages

  • Includes third-party robotics software integrations

Layer Hierarchy#

The layers follow a bottom-up dependency structure:

┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│      meta-robotics-edge         │  ← Application Layer
│  (ROS 2 Applications & Demos)   │
└─────────────────────────────────┘
              ↓
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│      meta-ros2-bsp              │  ← BSP Optimization Layer
│  (Hardware Optimizations)       │
└─────────────────────────────────┘
              ↓
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│      meta-ros2-nxp              │  ← Core ROS 2 Integration
│  (NXP ROS 2 Extensions)         │
└─────────────────────────────────┘
              ↓
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│   NXP BSP + meta-ros layers     │  ← Foundation Layers
└─────────────────────────────────┘
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