title: Real-time model based electrical powered wheelchair control.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of three different control methods on driving speed variation and wheel slip of an electric-powered wheelchair (EPW). A kinematic model as well as 3D dynamic model was developed to control the velocity and traction of the wheelchair. A smart wheelchair platform was designed and built with a computerized controller and encoders to record wheel speeds and to detect the slip. A model based, a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) and an open-loop controller were applied with the EPW driving on four different surfaces at three specified speeds. The speed errors, variation, rise time, settling time and slip coefficient were calculated and compared for a speed step-response input. Experimental results showed that model based control performed best on all surfaces across the speeds.
authors.affiliation: Human Engineering Research Laboratories, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA 15206, USA.
authors.forename: Hongwu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Salatin
authors.forename: Garrett G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Grindle
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Rory A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Cooper
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000465:Algorithms; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003201:Computers; D004560:Electricity; D004867:Equipment Design / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D016571:Neural Networks, Computer; D012371:Robotics; D012984:Software; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D014910:Wheelchairs