Masters Thesis

Infrared (IR) range finder sensors for wheelchair drop-off prevention

This project focused mainly on developing drop-off prevention for wheelchair using infrared (IR) range finder sensors. The report presented the research and selection of suitable sensors to use for drop-off detection and prevention for a Brain Control Interface (BCI) wheelchair. After suitable IR sensors were selected, a computer program was developed, using LabVIEW programming software (SW), to detect the distance of a target on the ground. The sensors detect any drop-off around the wheelchair and report their readings in an array to the onboard navigation program to avoid the drop-off. To detect the drop-off effectively in all directions, three pairs of sensors, with each pair symmetrically located, are mounted on the wheelchair, which cover the front, side and back of the wheelchair. These six sensors produce analog voltage signals and the LabVIEW program acquired the signals using an analog to digital converter, NI DAQ (national instrument data acquisition unit). Then, these data were converted into distance information to detect potential drop-offs. During the project development, signal noise was present when the system is in operation but it was able to overcome by offsetting the noise level with drop-off distance threshold in the LabVIEW program. Thus, successful drop-off prevention method was developed for the safety of the wheelchair users.

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