I am developing a custom simulation model for Gazebo and ArduPilot and need to understand how sensor values are transmitted from Gazebo to ArduPilot. While I am familiar with the JSON interface for passing formatted sensor data via MAVLink, I would like to know how the native Gazebo-ArduPilot interface handles this process.
Based on some example models I’ve seen, IMU sensors are included, but I cannot confirm whether ArduPilot actually utilizes them.
A single IMU is supported (required), and there are fields for some other sensors such as range finders and wind speed and direction, but it represents a subset of what can be measured in Gazebo, and in particular the JSON message does not support GPS data.