Abstract
In an indoor area with clear route for movement, an electric wheelchair should run automatically while avoiding obstacles and stopping at hallway intersections to wait for user input. We previously proposed a path control method for vehicles using a time-state control form with rototranslational coordinate transformations. Here, we propose a path control method with a disturbance observer for electric wheelchairs using an intersection recognition technique. Using labeling processing, the least squares method, and other processes, the intersection recognition technique estimates the center of intersections from laser rangefinder data, and the disturbance observer reduces the influence of the driver’s weight. These methods are combined and applied to a remodeled electric wheelchair, and its effectiveness is confirmed by experiments.
