Document Type

Conference Paper

Rights

This item is available under a Creative Commons License for non-commercial use only

Publication Details

Proceedings of the IFAC Workshop on Programmable Devices and Embedded Systems (PdeS 2006), pp. 21-25, Brno, Czech Republic, February, 2006.

Abstract

A wheeled walking aid with an embedded controlled braking system is described. The frame of the prototype is based on combining features of standard available wheeled walking aids. A braking scheme has been designed using hydraulic disc brakes to facilitate accurate and sensitive controlled stopping of the walker by the user, and if called upon, by automatic action. Braking force is modulated via a linear actuating stepping motor. A microcontroller is used for control of both stepper movement and for supervisory control. An encoder is used to supervise walker movement in terms of time, distance and speed.