feat(dummy_traffic_light_publisher): add new node to publish traffic light message instead of Rviz

[takam5f2]

Description

Add autoware_dummy_traffic_light_publisher — a dedicated simulator node that publishes dummy traffic light signals for Planning Simulator environments where the traffic light recognition pipeline is not available.

Background

In the current Planning Simulator workflow, traffic light signals are injected via the tier4_traffic_light_rviz_plugin (TrafficLightPublishPanel), which publishes directly to /perception/traffic_light_recognition/traffic_signals. This procedure is documented in the official Autoware documentation:

• Traffic light recognition simulation — Set traffic light

However, an RViz plugin — a GUI visualization tool — should not publish messages directly to topics that the autonomous driving system consumes as sensor/perception input. This creates an implicit and undesirable dependency between the visualization layer and the AD control logic.

This PR introduces a simulator node (autoware_dummy_traffic_light_publisher) that sits between external inputs (e.g., the RViz plugin) and the AD system, so that the plugin no longer needs to publish directly to a perception topic.

Features

• Standalone mode: Cycles all traffic lights through Green → Yellow → Red based on the vector map
• Empty mode: Publishes empty TrafficLightGroupArray (no signal information)
• Pass-through mode: Relays external input (e.g., from the RViz plugin) as-is; falls back to the configured mode after a timeout

Architecture

Layer	Class	Role
ROS I/O	DummyTrafficLightPublisherNode	Subscriptions (take()), timer, publisher, vector map parsing
Message assembly	DummyTrafficLight	Pass-through judgment, traffic light ID management, TrafficLightGroupArray construction
Signal generation	TrafficLightCycle	Phase transition and TrafficLightElement output

Related links

Parent Issue:

• feat(dummy_perception_publisher): add publisher for empty traffic light group array #12077

Relevant documentation (current behavior to be updated):

• Traffic light recognition simulation

How was this PR tested?

• Unit tests for TrafficLightCycle (14 tests) and DummyTrafficLight (14 tests) — all pass

• Code coverage: traffic_light_cycle.cpp 100%, dummy_traffic_light.cpp 95% (uncovered lines are closing braces only)

• Verified with Planning Simulator (standalone mode):

  Ego vehicle passes the intersection on green signal after stopping on red signal:

Ego vehicle is not engaged and traffic lights state changes time by time.

Notes for reviewers

• The node uses subscription->take() in the timer callback instead of subscription callbacks
• Logic is fully separated from the ROS Node for testability — Node-level tests are intentionally omitted
• autoware_launch integration (adding to simulator.launch.xml) and RViz plugin topic redirection will be handled in separate PRs

Interface changes

Topic changes

Additions and removals

Change type	Topic Type	Topic Name	Message Type	Description
Added	Sub	~/input/vector_map	autoware_map_msgs/msg/LaneletMapBin	Lanelet2 map to extract traffic light IDs
Added	Sub	~/input/traffic_signals	autoware_perception_msgs/msg/TrafficLightGroupArray	External signals for pass-through
Added	Pub	~/output/traffic_signals	autoware_perception_msgs/msg/TrafficLightGroupArray	Generated or relayed traffic light signals

Modifications

None.

ROS Parameter Changes

Additions and removals

Change type	Parameter Name	Type	Default Value	Description
Added	mode	string	"empty"	Operating mode: "standalone" or "empty"
Added	publish_rate	double	10.0	Publishing frequency [Hz]
Added	green_duration	double	30.0	Green phase duration [s]
Added	yellow_duration	double	3.0	Yellow phase duration [s]
Added	red_duration	double	30.0	Red phase duration [s]
Added	passthrough_timeout	double	1.0	Timeout before fallback to configured mode [s]

Modifications

None.

Effects on system behavior

None. This is a new standalone package with no integration into existing launch files yet.

[github-actions]

Thank you for contributing to the Autoware project!

🚧 If your pull request is in progress, switch it to draft mode.

Please ensure:

• You've checked our contribution guidelines.
• Your PR follows our pull request guidelines.
• All required CI checks pass before marking the PR ready for review.

[takam5f2]

@sasakisasaki
I'd like you to check this PR rather than #12077. Best,