| This work describes how to improve the safety
of the outdoor powered wheelchair. To make
the outdoor powered wheelchair be a safe
and convenient vehicle, we proposed to employ
the sensor fusion to support the powered
wheelchair navigation, and developed a prototype
outdoor intelligent powered wheelchair. This
outdoor intelligent wheelchair employed the
ultrasonic sensors, the video camera, GPS
(global positioning system), and PHS (personal
handy system). It has the following four
main functions. 1) It detects the obstacles
on road, and avoids them autonomously. 2)
It keeps watch on the operations of the rider.
If the operation of the rider may collide
with obstacle or may cause falling down of
the wheelchair, the wheelchair will be stopped
compulsorily. 3) In the pedestrian crossing
with traffic light, it will catch the changes
of the traffic light, and inform the rider
by the voice message. And in the pedestrian
crossing without traffic light, it will recognize
the traffic situation, and try to cross the
pedestrian crossing autonomously. 4) It sends
the rough route map and the image from the
video camera to the computer at home or care
center at a constant interval, to let the
people at home or care center know where
and what state the powered wheelchair is
in. |
