JP5229068B2 - Electric wheelchair - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric wheelchair, and more particularly to an operation interface of the electric wheelchair.

  There has been proposed an electric wheelchair that performs power assist with a driving force of a motor according to the magnitude of an operation torque applied to a hand rim (for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3). Patent Document 4 discloses a technique using one joystick or a trackball as an operation means of an electric wheelchair.

JP-A-10-165453 JP-A-9-2371 JP-A-9-248320 JP 2008-194192 A

  The power assist type electric wheelchair disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 feels inconvenience to the act of turning the wheel due to physical restrictions when the passenger who operates is an elderly person or a disabled person. There is a problem that it is difficult to.

  Further, in the method of operating an electric wheelchair through one interface as disclosed in Patent Document 4, there is a difference between the direction in which the passenger wants to move the electric wheelchair and the direction in which the passenger teaches through the interface. There is a problem that the operation of the wheelchair becomes awkward. This is because a wheelchair originally enables a delicate operation by utilizing a rotation difference generated by turning an adjustment wheel using both hands.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object thereof is to provide an electric wheelchair that can be intuitively operated while reducing a burden on a passenger's body.

  The electric wheelchair according to the present invention is operated with the right hand finger of the passenger and outputs a first operation signal according to the operation, and the second operation according to the operation which is operated with the left hand finger of the passenger. A left interface for outputting a signal, and a first drive signal for driving the right wheel based on the first operation signal are generated and output, and the left wheel is driven based on the second operation signal. A control unit that generates and outputs the second drive signal, right wheel drive means that drives the right wheel based on the first drive signal, and left wheel that drives the left wheel based on the second drive signal Drive means.

  Here, the right interface and the left interface are each preferably a scroll wheel device operated by rotating a scroll wheel.

  Further, the control unit compares the first operation signal and the second operation signal, and when the difference is equal to or less than a set value, the first drive signal and the second drive signal are the same. It is preferable to use the signal.

  A first rotation detection unit that detects rotation of the right wheel and outputs a first detection signal; and a second rotation detection unit that detects rotation of the left wheel and outputs a second detection signal. The right interface further includes a first actuator that rotationally drives the scroll wheel in response to a third drive signal, and the left interface rotationally drives the scroll wheel in response to the fourth drive signal. The controller further includes a second actuator, and based on the first detection signal, the control unit outputs a third drive signal for driving the scroll wheel of the right interface to exhibit the same rotational behavior as the right wheel. Generated and output to the right interface, and based on the second detection signal, the scroll wheel of the left interface exhibits the same rotational behavior as the left wheel. Generating a fourth driving signal for driving such, it is preferable to output to the left interface.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the right interface and the left interface are respectively provided at the tip of the armrest.

  In addition, the control unit generates the first drive signal so that an additional torque amount is proportional to the operation amount of the first operation signal, and the addition is proportional to the operation amount of the second operation signal. It is desirable to generate the second drive signal so as to obtain a torque amount.

  The present invention can provide an electric wheelchair that can be intuitively operated while reducing a burden on a passenger's body.

It is the side view and front view of the electric wheelchair concerning embodiment of invention. It is a control block diagram of the electric wheelchair concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of control of the electric wheelchair concerning embodiment of invention. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating control of the electric wheelchair concerning embodiment of invention. It is a top view which shows the behavior of the electric wheelchair concerning embodiment of invention. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating control of the electric wheelchair concerning embodiment of invention. It is a top view which shows the behavior of the electric wheelchair concerning embodiment of invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the electric wheelchair concerning embodiment of invention.

  The configuration of the electric wheelchair according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The electric wheelchair 1 is supported by a pair of left and right casters 4a and 4b, a right wheel 3a, and a left wheel 3b before and after a pipe frame-like frame 2.

  A seat 5 for a passenger to sit on is provided at the center of the frame 2. Each of the left and right armrests provided on the frame 2 is provided with interfaces 6a and 6b that can be operated by a passenger near the tip. The interface 6a is a scroll wheel device that is a wheel type input interface that can be operated by the right hand (especially a fingertip) of the passenger. The interface 6b is a scroll wheel device that is a wheel-type input interface that can be operated by the left hand (especially a fingertip) of the passenger.

  A specific configuration example of the interface 6 will be described. The interface 6 includes a scroll wheel that is a rotating body, and a housing that is rotatably held around a rotation axis in the pitch direction with a part of the scroll wheel exposed. The passenger operates by touching the exposed portion of the scroll wheel with his / her hand and rotating the scroll wheel in the direction in which the wheel 3 is to be rotated. An encoder (rotation detection means) that detects the rotation direction of the scroll wheel is installed in the housing. The rotation information detected by the encoder in the interface 6 is output as operation information to the control computer 7 described later.

  An actuator for rotating the scroll wheel is provided in the housing of the interface 6. The actuator rotationally drives the scroll wheel in accordance with a drive signal from a control unit described later. The actuator is composed of, for example, a motor and a speed reducer.

  The electric wheelchair 1 includes a control computer 7 (ECU: engine control unit) as a control unit below the seat 5. The control computer 7 basically controls the wheel 3 based on the operation signal output from the interface 6 and realizes movement according to the operation. The control computer 7 controls the rotation so that the operation amount with respect to the interface 6 and the torque amount with respect to the wheel 3 are in direct proportion.

  The control computer 7 includes a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a communication interface, and the like. And this control computer 7 performs various control according to the control program stored, for example in ROM.

  Actuators / sensors 8a and 8b are fixed to the frame 2 inside the left and right wheels 3a and 3b, respectively. The actuator sensors 8a and 8b drive the left and right wheels 3a and 3b based on the drive signal output from the control computer 7, respectively. This function is constituted by, for example, a motor and a speed reducer. Further, the actuator sensors 8 a and 8 b detect the rotation operations of the left and right wheels 3 a and 3 b and output detection signals to the control computer 7. This function is constituted by an encoder, for example. Although the electric wheelchair of this example uses an actuator / sensor having both the function of the actuator and the function of the sensor, the actuator and the sensor may be provided separately.

  FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the electric wheelchair according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the control unit 7 inputs operation signals from the interfaces 6a and 6b and detection signals from the actuator sensors 8a and 8b, respectively. The control unit 7 outputs drive signals to the interfaces 6a and 6b, and outputs drive signals to the actuators and sensors 8a and 8b.

  The interfaces 6 a and 6 b detect the rotation of the scroll wheel, generate an operation signal, and output the operation signal to the control unit 7. Further, the interfaces 6 a and 6 b rotate the scroll wheel by an actuator in accordance with the drive signal output from the control unit 7.

  The actuators / sensors 8a and 8b rotate and drive the wheels 3a and 3b according to the drive signal output from the control unit 7. The actuator sensors 8 a and 8 b detect the rotation of the wheels 3 a and 3 b and output detection signals to the control unit 7.

Next, the flow of control of the electric wheelchair according to the present embodiment will be described using the flowchart of FIG.
The control unit 7 inputs an operation signal from the left fingertip from the interface 6b (S101), and further inputs an operation signal from the right fingertip from the interface 6a (S102). The control unit 7 compares the operation signal from the left fingertip with the operation signal from the right fingertip, and determines whether the difference exceeds a preset value (set value) (S103).

  When it is determined that the difference between the two signals does not exceed the set value as a result of the determination, the control unit 7 outputs a drive signal that is the same signal to the left and right actuator sensors 8a and 8b (S104). . At this time, since the rotation of the right wheel 3a and the left wheel 3b is the same, the electric wheelchair 1 moves linearly.

  When it is determined that the difference between the two signals exceeds the set value as a result of the determination, the control unit 7 independently calculates the additional torque values for the right wheel 3a and the left wheel 3b based on the respective operation signals. Then, different drive signals are output to the left and right actuator sensors 8a and 8b based on the additional torque value (S105). At this time, since the right wheel 3a and the left wheel 3b rotate differently, the electric wheelchair 1 moves while moving in a curve, that is, turning.

  The control unit 7 acquires the rotation speeds of the right wheel 3a and the left wheel 3b, that is, rotation information from the actuator sensors 8a and 8b (S106). The control unit 7 outputs the rotation information of the left wheel 3b to the left interface 6b (S107). At this time, the interface 6b rotates the scroll wheel so as to rotate according to the rotation of the left wheel 3b. Thereby, the scroll wheel of the interface 6b rotates in synchronization with the left wheel 3b. More specifically, the interface 6b rotationally drives the scroll wheel so that the rotation direction and the rotation speed of the left wheel 3b are the same.

  The control unit 7 outputs the rotation information of the right wheel 3a to the right interface 6a (S108). At this time, the interface 6a rotates the scroll wheel so as to rotate according to the rotation of the right wheel 3a. Thereby, the scroll wheel of the interface 6a rotates in synchronization with the right wheel 3a. More specifically, the interface 6a rotationally drives the scroll wheel so that the rotation direction and the rotation speed of the right wheel 3a are the same.

  When the processes of step S107 and step S108 are completed, the processes after step S101 are repeated again.

  Here, a process for driving the left and right actuators (hereinafter referred to as a basic drive process) based on an operation performed on the left and right interfaces 6a and 6b will be described more specifically.

  As shown in the explanatory diagram of FIG. 4, in the basic drive process, the control unit 7 inputs an operation signal from the left interface 6b (S201), and calculates an additional torque value based on the operation amount specified by the operation signal. Then, a drive signal corresponding to the additional torque value is output to the left actuator sensor 8b (S202). As shown in the graph of FIG. 4, the change in the operation amount for the interface 6b and the change in the additional torque amount are substantially the same, and the additional torque amount is determined linearly according to the operation amount for the interface 6b. I understand that.

  Similarly, an operation signal is input from the right interface 6a (S301), an additional torque value is calculated based on the operation amount specified by the operation signal, and a drive signal corresponding to the additional torque value is sent to the right actuator sensor 8a. Output (S302). As shown in the graph of FIG. 4, the change in the operation amount for the interface 6a and the change in the additional torque amount are substantially the same, and the additional torque amount is determined linearly according to the operation amount for the interface 6a. I understand that.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the curvature of the curve in which the electric wheelchair 1 moves is determined based on the difference between the additional torque values for the left and right wheels 3a and 3b calculated in this way. In this example, the electric wheelchair 1 moves according to the arrow shown in FIG.

  Subsequently, a process when there is a difference in operation from the left and right interfaces 6a and 6b (hereinafter referred to as an input difference adjustment process) will be described more specifically.

  As shown in the explanatory diagram of FIG. 6, the control unit 7 inputs an operation signal including an operation amount from the left interface 6b (S401) and also inputs an operation signal including an operation amount from the right interface 6a. (S402). Each operation signal is assumed to change over time as shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b).

  Next, the control unit 7 compares both signals and determines whether or not the difference exceeds the set value (S403). When it is determined that the difference between the two signals does not exceed the set value as a result of the determination, the control unit 7 outputs a drive signal serving as the same command to the left and right actuators / sensors 8a and 8b (S404). . That is, if the difference between the two signals is less than the set value, the difference is ignored.

  At this time, since the rotation of the right wheel 3a and the left wheel 3b is the same, the electric wheelchair 1 moves linearly. In this example, as shown in FIG. 6C, since the difference between the two signals does not exceed the set value in the period T1, a drive signal that is the same signal is output to the right actuator sensors 8a and 8b. Is done.

  When it is determined that the difference between the two signals exceeds the set value as a result of the determination, the control unit 7 independently calculates the additional torque values for the right wheel 3a and the left wheel 3b based on the respective operation signals. Then, different drive signals are output to the left and right actuator sensors 8a and 8b (S405). At this time, since the right wheel 3a and the left wheel 3b rotate differently, the electric wheelchair 1 moves while moving in a curve, that is, turning. In this example, as shown in FIG. 6C, since the difference between the two signals exceeds the set value in the period T2, a drive signal serving as a different command is output to the right actuator / sensor 8a, 8b. Is done.

  FIG. 7A shows the movement behavior of the electric wheelchair when the input difference adjustment process is performed. FIG. 7B shows the movement behavior of the electric wheelchair when the input difference adjustment process is not performed. As shown in FIG. 7, in the period T1, the electric wheelchair moves without being distorted left and right when the input difference adjustment processing is not performed, but when the input difference adjustment processing is performed, the electric wheelchair moves without being distorted left and right. I understand.

  Next, a process of detecting the rotation of both wheels and feeding back to each interface (hereinafter referred to as a rotation feedback process) will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  The control unit 7 acquires the rotation speeds of the right wheel 3a and the left wheel 3b, that is, rotation information from the actuator sensors 8a and 8b (S501). The control unit 7 outputs the rotation information of the left wheel 3b to the left interface 6b (S502). At this time, the interface 6b rotates the scroll wheel so as to rotate according to the rotation of the left wheel 3b. Thereby, the scroll wheel of the interface 6b rotates in synchronization with the left wheel 3b. More specifically, the interface 6b rotationally drives the scroll wheel so that the rotation direction and the rotation speed of the left wheel 3b are the same.

  The control unit 7 outputs the rotation information of the right wheel 3a to the right interface 6a (S503). At this time, the interface 6a rotates the scroll wheel so as to rotate according to the rotation of the right wheel 3a. Thereby, the scroll wheel of the interface 6a rotates in synchronization with the right wheel 3a. More specifically, the interface 6a rotationally drives the scroll wheel so that the rotation direction and the rotation speed of the right wheel 3a are the same.

  As described above, the electric wheelchair according to the present embodiment has an interface that can be operated with the fingers of the left and right hands of the passenger, and drives and controls the right wheel and the left wheel according to each interface. Therefore, since commands can be given to the left and right wheels independently, an intuitive operation close to a manual wheelchair using the difference in rotation between the two wheels can be performed. Further, as the interface, for example, a scroll wheel that can be operated with the fingers of the left and right hands of the passenger is used, so that it is not necessary to rotate the wheel, so that the load on the passenger's body can be reduced.

  Furthermore, in the electric wheelchair according to the present embodiment, when the difference between the input values of the left and right interfaces is equal to or less than the set value, the same command value is output as there is no difference. Can move. In addition, the electric wheelchair according to the present embodiment acquires the rotational speeds of the left and right wheels, and controls the interface so that the interface rotates in the same manner according to each rotation. It can be recognized, and more intuitive operation is possible as if the wheel is directly operated.

Other embodiments.
In the embodiment of the invention described above, the electric wheelchair that performs all of the basic driving process, the input difference adjustment process, and the rotation feedback process has been described as an example. Any configuration of an electric wheelchair that performs processing, and an electric wheelchair that performs basic drive processing and rotation feedback processing may be employed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric wheelchair 2 Frame 3 Wheel 4 Caster 5 Seat 6 Interface 7 Control computer (control part)
8 Actuator / Sensor

Claims (3)

Includes a right scroll wheel that will be rotated in the right hand fingers of the occupant, and a right scroll wheel device that outputs a first rotation information corresponding to the rotation of the right scroll wheel,
Includes a left scroll wheel that will be rotated by the left hand fingers of the occupant, a left scroll wheel device that outputs a second rotation information in accordance with the rotation of the left scroll wheel,
Generates and outputs a first drive signal for driving the right wheel based on the first rotation information , and generates a second drive signal for driving the left wheel based on the second rotation information. And a control unit for outputting,
And right wheel driving means for driving the right wheel based on the first drive signal,
And a left wheel driving means for driving the left wheel on the basis of the second drive signal,
The control unit generates the first drive signal so that an additional torque amount applied to the right wheel by the right wheel drive unit is proportional to the first rotation information, and the left wheel drive unit Generating the second drive signal so that the amount of additional torque applied to the left wheel is proportional to the second rotation information;
First rotation detecting means for detecting rotation of the right wheel and outputting a first detection signal;
Second rotation detection means for detecting rotation of the left wheel and outputting a second detection signal;
The right scroll wheel device further includes a first actuator that rotationally drives the right scroll wheel in response to a third drive signal,
The left scroll wheel device further includes a second actuator that rotationally drives the left scroll wheel in response to a fourth drive signal,
Based on the first detection signal, the control unit generates a third drive signal that drives the right scroll wheel to exhibit the same rotational behavior as the right wheel, and outputs the third drive signal to the right scroll wheel device. Then, based on the second detection signal, an electric wheelchair that generates a fourth drive signal for driving the left scroll wheel to exhibit the same rotational behavior as the left wheel and outputs the fourth drive signal to the left scroll wheel device . The control unit compares the first rotation information with the second rotation information , and when the difference is equal to or less than a set value , the rotation of the right wheel and the left wheel is the same . electric wheelchair according to claim 1 Symbol placement and generates and said the drive signal the second driving signal. 3. The electric wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the right scroll wheel device and the left scroll wheel device are respectively provided at a distal end portion of an armrest.

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