Synchronized motion control for 2D joystick-based electric wheelchair driven by two wheel motors

How to maintain the speed and direction of a wheelchair simultaneously in an unknown environment is essential. This paper presents a prototype of the wheelchair driven by dual direct-drive wheel motors, and the synchronized control scheme of the wheelchair system according to the motion mode of a joystick is proposed. By analyzing the dynamic behavior of a wheelchair, the synchronized error of dual direct-drive wheel motors is derived and a synchronized motion control method is utilized to coordinate the output of a pair of wheel motors to significantly reduce the synchronized error. Simulation and experimental results are given to validate the performance of the synchronized motion control for the wheelchair system.