A Study on Control of a Power-assisted Chair Based on Motion-sensing Concept

Generally, a power-assisting device should provide appropriate support for various physical conditions of persons who need supports. Therefore motion-sensing concept is introduced into the control system for the power-assisted chair, which is driven by a pneumatic cylinder. The concept is based on real-time modification of a desired path. The path is transformed with respect to time axis according to difference between a standard force pattern and an actual force pattern acting on a floor. This method is expected to realize more adaptive assisting. The control system was implemented to the power-assisted chair. The effect was investigated by experiment on the system