INTRODUCTION TO ACCELEROMETER CONTROLLED

WHEEL CHAIR
The increase in human-machine interactions in our daily lives has made user
interface technology progressively more important. Physical gestures as intuitive
expressions will greatly ease the interaction process and enable humans to more
naturally command computers or machines. For example, in tele robotics, slave
robots have been demonstrated to follow the masters hand motions remotely.
Other

proposed

applications

of

recognizing

hand

gestures

include

characterrecognition in 3-D space using inertial sensors, gesture recognition to

control a television set remotely [4], enabling a hand as a 3-D mouse, and using
hand gestures as a control mechanism in virtual reality. In todays fast world,
everyone is busy and there are less people to care for the increasing number of
elderly and the physically challenged people. Also these people find it tough to
even navigate inside the home without external aids. The elderly people find
automated wheelchairs as an easy way for locomotion. Having known about
these facts, we have designed automated wheelchair which can be used by both
the elderly and the physically challenged people in a user friendly manner using
hand gestures for operation
Wheel Chair is a mobility device designed for shifting patients, moving physically
challenged people from one place to another with the help of attendee or by
means of self-propelling. The wheel chair is divided into two different types
based on the power used for mobility: 1. Manually powered wheelchairs. 2.
Electric powered wheelchairs (automated). Manual powered wheelchairs are

driven by manual power. Electrical powered wheel chairs runs with electric power
and operation of chair depend upon the instruction given by the patient hand
gestures.
Robots are generally controlled by remote or cell phone or keyboard connection.
But limitations of these robots are that they are much more complex and are
difficult to operate . Moreover their cost are high even for low application
activities. So we decided to design a robot which can serve as wheelchair for
disabled and which can be controlled by the accelerometer which will be driving
itself according to position of it. Hardware required is very less.
This wheelchair consists of mainly three parts. First is sensor, which works as
vision of robot. We have used accelerometer that act as sensor for our
robot.second is arduino uno which act as brain of robot and last is motor driver
which takes signals from arduino according to the motion of accelerometer and
controls the position of wheels of wheelchair.
A Gesture Controlled robot is a kind of robot which can be controlled by slight
hand gestures not by old buttons. You just need to wear a small transmitting
device in your hand which includes an accelerometer.ACCELEROMETER SENSOR
is a Micro Electro Mechanical Sensor which is a highly sensitive sensor and
capable of detecting the tilt. This sensor finds the tilt and makes use of the
accelerometer to change the direction of the wheel chair depending on tilt. For
example if the tilt is to the right side then the wheel chair moves in right
direction or if the tilt is to the left side then the wheel chair moves in left
direction.
As user makes movements of his hand in front of it, it senses and according to
that it sends the signal for decision. Output from accelerometer is gathered for
process by arduino uno.
As per sensor output, the controller on arduino is made to work according to the
program written inside it and it sends the respective signal to third part which is
motor driver. This is the last part which drives the wheels of our Robot. It controls
two dc motors to make movement.All things are mounted on metal chassis.

LITERATURE SURVEY
Several approaches [2-3] have been presented on the concept of the wheelchair
with different ideas. The various approaches were done in [2] which were as it
shares the vehicle control decisions by joystick, obstacle avoidance by ultrasonic
sensor, safe object approach protection for the patient includes security of the
patient on the wheel chair, the maintenance of a straight path and other
navigational issues.
Accordingly to study a dynamic model and design a suitable dynamic controller
is useful for increasing the tracking performance in a real situation. [2] It consists
of a navigation system of line tracer. This application of the technology it is used
for the blind person by selecting the destination and the patient can reach the
destination. [2] This proposal consists of two mode; (1) Manual mode (2)
Automatic mode. In manual mode joystick is used to navigate and relocate in left
and right direction. In Y direction will result in the variation of speed. In
Automatic mode two camera are used to sense the width of the corridors. This
proposal has drawback as it consist of a color cameras which obtains images and
transmits them to an on-board laptop computer. So the wheelchair tends to be
very bulky and hence it is costly. [4] Used Voice control system to control the
locomotion of the wheelchair. They store the default commands in the PIC IC
(micro controller) by the usage this commands the wheelchair can move. Change
in the words restricts the wheelchair movement. They used eyebrow muscle
activity to obtain required signal. By using the signal the wheelchair movement
has been controlled as the movement of the eyebrow was not easier so it had
some difficulties. [5] Used head and finger movement for wheelchair locomotion.
In finger movement they use flex sensor, placed on the finger. It is analog
resistors usually in the form of strip long vary resistance. Due to the bending of
finger the resistance varies which controls the locomotion of the wheelchair.

MATHEMATICAL MODELING

3.1 BLOCK DIAGRAM

Fig.3.1 BLOCK DIAGRAM OF ACCELEROMETER CONTROLLED

WHEELCHAIR
Block diagram consist of three parts namely
1.
2.
3.

Sensing Unit
Controlling Unit
Driving Unit
Sensing Unit comprises of the most important component that is
Accelerometer(ADXL335),which reads the data from the person based on hand

gestures.
Controlling Unit comprises of microcontroller board that is Arduino uno which reads
and process the analog readings given to it by ADXL335 and gives output to motor

driver that is L298D.

Driving Unit comprises of motor driver and two DC motors which gets input from
controlling unit and the entire unit is powered up by external power supply.

3.2 ALGORITHM
Algorithm for ADXL335 controlled wheelchair will be as follows:
1. Start the system
2. Arduino reads data from ADXL335
3. If ADX335 gives the reading which are in the range given to arduino for
moving forward then Arduino will give respective signal to L298D motor
driver and wheelchair will move in forward direction.
4. Else if ADX335 gives the reading which are in the range given to arduino for
moving backward then Arduino will give signal to motor driver for moving
backward.
5. Else if ADX335 gives the reading which are in the range given to arduino for
moving right then Arduino will give signal to motor driver for moving right.
6. Else if ADX335 gives the reading which are in the range given to arduino for
moving left then Arduino will make the wheelchair to move in the left
direction.
7. Else wheelchair will be in stop condition for all other conditions and signals
given by ADXL335 to Arduino and the entire system will be at step 1.

3.3 RANGE OF VALUES GIVEN BY ACCELEROMETER FOR DIFFERENT

POSITIONS

TABLE 3.3.1 RANGE OF VALUES OF x,y,z FOR DIFFERENT POSITION OF

ADXL335

POSITION OF
ADXL335

ANALOG VALUES GIVEN BY

ADXL335

FORWARD

y<290 and z<380

BACKWARD
RIGHT
LEFT

y>380 and z<350

x<280 and z<370
x>380 and z<360

4. IMPLEMENTATION

4.1 COMPONENTS

4.1.1 ARDUINO UNO BOARD

4.1.2 ACCELEROMETER(ADXL 335)
4.1.3MOTOR DRIVER (LM 298)
4.1.4 DC MOTORS

4.1.1 ARDUINO UNO BOARD

Arduino Uno is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega328P. It has 14 digital
input/output pins (of which 6 can be used as PWM outputs), 6 analog inputs, a 16 MHz
quartz crystal, a USB connection, a power jack, an ICSP header and a reset button. It contains
everything needed to support the microcontroller; simply connect it to a computer with a
USB cable or power it with a AC-to-DC adapter or battery to get started.
Table 4.1 Technical specification
Microcontroller
Operating Voltage
Input Voltage (recommended)
Input Voltage (limit)
Digital I/O Pins
PWM Digital I/O Pins
Analog Input Pins
DC Current per I/O Pin
DC Current for 3.3V Pin
Flash Memory
SRAM
EEPROM
Clock Speed

ATmega328P
5V
7-12V
6-20V
14 (of which 6 provide PWM output)
6
6
20 mA
50 mA
32
KB
(ATmega328P)
of which 0.5 KB used by bootloader
2 KB (ATmega328P)
1 KB (ATmega328P)
16 MHz

Fig.4.1 ARDUINO BOARD

PIN DESCRIPTION:
1. POWER
The board can operate on an external supply from 6 to 20 volts. If supplied with less than 7V,
however, the 5V pin may supply less than five volts and the board may become unstable. If
using more than 12V, the voltage regulator may overheat and damage the board. The
recommended range is 7 to 12 volts.
The power pins are as follows:

Vin. The input voltage to the Arduino/Genuino board when it's using an external
power source (as opposed to 5 volts from the USB connection or other regulated power
source). You can supply voltage through this pin, or, if supplying voltage via the power jack,
access it through this pin.

5V.This pin outputs a regulated 5V from the regulator on the board. The board can be
supplied with power either from the DC power jack (7 - 12V), the USB connector (5V), or

the VIN pin of the board (7-12V). Supplying voltage via the 5V or 3.3V pins bypasses the
regulator, and can damage your board. We don't advise it.

3V3. A 3.3 volt supply generated by the on-board regulator. Maximum current draw is
50 mA.

GND. Ground pins.

IOREF. This pin on the Arduino/Genuino board provides the voltage reference with
which the microcontroller operates. A properly configured shield can read the IOREF pin
voltage and select the appropriate power source or enable voltage translators on the outputs to
work with the 5V or 3.3V.

2.INPUT AND OUTPUT

Each of the 14 digital pins on the Uno can be used as an input or output,
using pinMode(),digitalWrite(), and digitalRead() functions. They operate at 5 volts. Each pin
can provide or receive 20 mA as recommended operating condition and has an internal pullup resistor (disconnected by default) of 20-50k ohm. A maximum of 40mA is the value that
must not be exceeded on any I/O pin to avoid permanent damage to the microcontroller.
In addition, some pins have specialized functions:

Serial: 0 (RX) and 1 (TX). Used to receive (RX) and transmit (TX) TTL serial data.
These pins are connected to the corresponding pins of the ATmega8U2 USB-to-TTL Serial
chip.

External Interrupts: 2 and 3. These pins can be configured to trigger an interrupt on a

low value, a rising or falling edge, or a change in value. See the attachInterrupt() function for
details.

PWM: 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, and 11. Provide 8-bit PWM output with the analogWrite()
function.

SPI: 10 (SS), 11 (MOSI), 12 (MISO), 13 (SCK). These pins support SPI

communication using the SPI library.

LED: 13. There is a built-in LED driven by digital pin 13. When the pin is HIGH
value, the LED is on, when the pin is LOW, it's off.

TWI: A4 or SDA pin and A5 or SCL pin. Support TWI communication using the Wire
library.
The Uno has 6 analog inputs, labeled A0 through A5, each of which provide 10 bits of
resolution (i.e. 1024 different values). By default they measure from ground to 5 volts,
though is it possible to change the upper end of their range using the AREF pin and the
analogReference()function.
There are a couple of other pins on the board:

AREF. Reference voltage for the analog inputs. Used with analogReference().

Reset. Bring this line LOW to reset the microcontroller. Typically used to add a reset
button to shields which block the one on the board.

4.1.2 ACCLEROMETER (ADXL 335)

What is an accelerometer?
An accelerometer is an electromechanical device that will measure acceleration forces. These
forces may be static, like the constant force of gravity pulling at your feet, or they could be
dynamic - caused by moving or vibrating the accelerometer.

What are accelerometers useful for?

By measuring the amount of static acceleration due to gravity, you can find out the angle the
device is tilted at with respect to the earth. By sensing the amount of dynamic acceleration,
you can analyze the way the device is moving. At first, measuring tilt and acceleration doesn't
seem all that exciting. However, engineers have come up with many ways to make really
useful products with them.
An accelerometer can help your project understand its surroundings better. Is it driving
uphill? Is it going to fall over when it takes another step? Is it flying horizontally or is it dive
bombing your professor? A good programmer can write code to answer all of these questions
using the data provided by an accelerometer

How do accelerometers work?

There are many different ways to make an accelerometer! Some accelerometers use the
piezoelectric effect - they contain microscopic crystal structures that get stressed by
accelerative forces, which cause a voltage to be generated. Another way to do it is by sensing
changes in capacitance. If you have two microstructures next to each other, they have a
certain capacitance between them. If an accelerative force moves one of the structures, then
the capacitance will change. Add some circuitry to convert from capacitance to voltage, and
you will get an accelerometer. There are even more methods, including use of the
piezoresistive effect, hot air bubbles, and light

Types of Accelerometer
There are several different principles upon which an analog accelerometer can be built. Two
very common types utilize capacitive sensing and the piezoelectric effect to sense the
displacement of the proof mass proportional to the applied acceleration.

1.Capacitive
Accelerometers that implement capacitive sensing output a voltage dependent on the distance
between two planar surfaces. One or both of these plates are charged with an electrical
current. Changing the gap between the plates changes the electrical capacity of the system,
which can be measured as a voltage output. This method of sensing is known for its high
accuracy and stability. Capacitive accelerometers are also less prone to noise and variation
with temperature, typically dissipates less power, and can have larger bandwidths due to
internal feedback circuitry. (Elwenspoek 1993) ter.

2.Piezoelectric
Piezoelectric sensing of acceleration is natural, as acceleration is directly proportional to
force. When certain types of crystal are compressed, charges of opposite polarity accumulate
on opposite sides of the crystal. This is known as the piezoelectric effect. In a piezoelectric
accelerometer, charge accumulates on the crystal and is translated and amplified into either an
output current or voltage

Piezoelectric accelerometers only respond to AC phenomenon such as vibration or shock.

They have a wide dynamic range, but can be expensive depending on their quality (Doscher
2005)
Piezo-film based accelerometers are best used to measure AC phenomenon such as vibration
or shock, rather than DC phenomenon such as the acceleration of gravity. They are
inexpensive, and respond to other phenomenon such as temperature, sound, and pressure
(Doscher 2005)

3.Other
There are many other types of accelerometer that are less important to musical applications,
including:
Piezoresistive Thermal
Null-balance
Servo force balance Strain gauge
Resonance
Magnetic induction Optical

ADXL 335
An Accelerometer is a kind of sensor which gives an analog data while moving in X,Y,Z
direction or may be X,Y direction only depends on the type of the sensor. Here is a small
image of an Accelerometer shown. We can see in the image that there are some arrows
showing if we tilt these sensors in that direction then the data at that corresponding pin will
change in the analog form.

Fig 4.2 ADXL 335

Fig. 4.3 BLOCK DIAGRAM OF ADXL 335

The Accelerometer having 6 pins1- VDD- We will give the +5volt to this pin
2- GND- We simply connects this pin to the ground for biasing.

3- X- On this pin we will receive the analog data for x direction movement.
4- Y- On this pin we will receive the analog data for y direction movement.
5- Z- On this pin we will receive the analog data for z direction movement.
6- ST- this pin is use to set the sensitivity of the accelerometer 1.5g/2g/3g/4g.

THEORY OF OPERATION
The ADXL335 is a complete 3-axis acceleration measurement system. The ADXL335 has a
measurement range of 3 g minimum. It contains poly-silicon surface micro machined sensor
and signal conditioning circuitry to implement open-loop acceleration measurement
architecture. The output signals are analog Voltages that are proportional to acceleration.
The accelerometer can measure the static acceleration of gravity in tilt-sensing applications as
well as dynamic acceleration resulting from motion, shock, or vibration. The sensor is a polysilicon surface-micro machined structure built on top of a silicon wafer. Poly-silicon springs
suspend the structure over the surface of the wafer and provide a resistance against
acceleration forces. Deflection of the structure is measured using a differential capacitor that
consists of independent fixed plates and plates attached to the moving mass.
If you have two microstructures next to each other, they have a certain capacitance between
them. If an accelerative force moves one of the structures, then the capacitance will change.
Add some circuitry to convert from capacitance to voltage, and you will get an accelerometer.
There are even more methods, including use of the piezoresistive effect, hot air bubbles, and
light.
The fixed plates are driven By 180 out-of-phase square waves. Acceleration deflects the
moving mass and unbalances the differential capacitor resulting in a sensor output whose
amplitude is proportional to acceleration. Phase-sensitive demodulation techniques are then
used to determine the magnitude and direction of the acceleration.

FEATURES:

Wide power range DC3V to 5V

Grove outline

3 axis sensing

Small, low441.45mm

profile

package:

LFCSP

Low power

350A

at

3V

(typical)

High

10,000

BW
single

sensitive
g

shock survival
adjustment with a
capacitor per axis

Fig. 4.4 PIN DIAGRAM OF ADXL335

Table 4.2 Pin Function Description

Fig .4.5 Interfacing ADXL 335 with arduino

4.1.3 MOTOR DRIVER (LM 298)

What Is Motor Driver IC?
A motor driver IC is an integrated circuit chip which is usually used to control motors in
autonomous robots. Motor driver ICs act as an interface between microprocessors in robots
and the motors in the robot. The most commonly used motor driver ICs are from the LM29X
series such as LM293D, LM298, etc. These ICs are designed to control 2 DC motors
simultaneously. L298D consist of two H-bridge. H-bridge is the simplest circuit for
controlling a low current rated motor. For this tutorial we will be referring the motor driver
IC as L298D only. L298D has 16 pins, they are comprised as follows:
Ground Pins - 4
Input Pins - 4
Output Pins - 4
Enable pins - 2
Voltage Pins - 2
The workings of the individual pins are explained in detail, later in the tutorial.

Why We Need Motor Driver IC?

Motor Driver ICs are primarily used in autonomous robotics only. Also most microprocessors
operate at low voltages and require a small amount of current to operate while the motors
require a relatively higher voltages and current . Thus current cannot be supplied to the
motors from the microprocessor. This is the primary need for the motor driver IC.
How Motor Driver Operates?
The L298D IC receives signals from the microprocessor and transmits the relative signal to
the motors. It has two voltage pins, one of which is used to draw current for the working of
the L298D and the other is used to apply voltage to the motors. The L298D switches it output
signal

according

to

the

input

received

from

the

microprocessor.

For Example: If the microprocessor sends a 1(digital high) to the Input Pin of L298D, then
the L298D transmits a 1(digital high) to the motor from its Output Pin. An important thing to

note is that the L298D simply transmits the signal it receives. It does not change the signal in
any case.

Working of A H-bridge

H-bridge is given this name because it can be modelled as four switches on the corners of
H. The basic diagram of H-bridge is given below :
Fig. 4.5 H- BRIDGE

`In the given diagram, the arrow on the left points to the higher potential side of the input
voltage of the circuit. Now if the switches S1 & S4 are kept in a closed position while the

switches S2 & S3 are kept in a open position meaning that the circuit gets shorted across the
switches S1 & S4. This creates a path for the current to flow, starting from the V input to
switch S1 to the motor, then to switch S4 and then the exiting from the circuit. This flow
ofthe current would make the motor turn in one direction. The direction of motion of the
motor can be clockwise or anti-clockwise, this is because the rotation of the motor depends
upon the connection of the terminals of the motor with the switches.
For simplicity, lets assume that in this condition the motor rotates in a clockwise direction.
Now, when S3 and S2 are closed then and S1 and S4 are kept open then the current flows
from the other direction and the motor will now definitely rotates in counter-clockwise
direction
When S1 and S3 areclosedand S2 and S4 are open then
the STALL condition
willoccur(The
motorwillbreak).
StallCondition:
When the motor is applied positive voltage on both sides then the voltage from both the sides
brings the motor shaft to a halt

Fig. 4.6 LM298

Pins:

Out 1: Motor A lead out

Out 2: Motor A lead out

Out 3: Motor B lead out

Out 4: Mo (Can actually be from 5v-35v, just marked as 12v)

GND: Ground

5v: 5v input (unnecessary if your power source is 7v-35v, if the power source is 7v35v then it can act as a 5v out)

EnA: Enables PWM signal for Motor A

In1: Enable Motor A

In2: Enable Motor A

In3: Enable Motor B

In4: Enable Motor B

EnB: Enables PWM signal for Motor B

Specifications:

Double H bridge Drive Chip: L298N

Logical voltage: 5V Drive voltage: 5V-35V

Logical current: 0-36mA Drive current: 2A (MAX single bridge)

Max power: 25W

Dimensions: 43 x 43 x 26mm

Weight: 26g

Fig . 4.7. Interfacing of Motor Driver and DC Motor with Arduino

4.1.4 DC MOTORS
A machine that converts DC power into mechanical power is known as a DC motor. Its
operationis based on the principle that when a current carrying conductor is placed in a
magnetic field, the conductor experiences a mechanical force.

Fig. 4.8. DC MOTOR

DC motors have a revolving armature winding but non-revolving armature magnetic field and
a stationary field winding or permanent magnet. Different connections of the field and
armature winding provide different speed/torque regulation features. The speed of a DC
motor can becontrolled by changing the voltage applied to the armature or by changing the
field current.

4.1.4.1 DC GEAR MOTORS

A geared DC Motor has a gear assembly devoted to the motor. The speed of motor is counted
in terms of rotations of the shaft per minute and is termed as RPM .The gear assembly helps
in increasing the torque and dropping the speed. Using the correct arrangement of gears in a

gear motor, its speed can be reduced to any required figure. This concept of reducing the
speed with the help of gears and increasing the torque is known as gear reduction.

Fig. 4.9 DC GEAR MOTOR

Reducing the speed put out by the motor while increasing the quantity of applied torque is a
important feature of the reduction gear trains found in a gear motor. The decrease in speed is
inversely relative to the increase in torque. This association means that, in this sort of device,
if the torque were to double, the speed would decrease by one half. Small electric motors,
such as the gear motor, are able to move and stand very heavy loads because of these
reduction gear trains. While the speed and ability of larger motors is greater, small electric
motors are sufficient to bear these loads.

CONCLUSION
We have achieved our objective of making the life of disabled easier by designing a
wheelchair that will enable the disabled person to control the wheelchair by just wearing the
device which has accelerometer attached to it.Person has to just move his palm in particular
direction in which he wishes to drive his wheelchair.We have replaced various complicated
modes of operation such as joysticks,switches,etc by most simple mode that is hand gestures.
Our robot is capable to control the wheelchair motion for disabled people using hand
gestures.Improvements can be made by using various body gestures such as eye gaze, leg
movement or head movement accordingly.

RESULT
The robot is showing proper responses whenever signal is given to it in form of hand
gestures.
Different Hand gestures to make the robot move in specific directions are as follow:

Fig 5-1 Move Forward

Fig 5-2 Move Backward

Fig 5-3 Move Right

Fig 5.4 Move Left

The robot only moves when the accelerometer is moved in a specific direction. The valid
movements are as follows:
Table 5.1 Accelerometer Orientation
DIRECTION

ACCELEROMETER ORIENTATION

Forward

+y

Backward

-y

Right

+x

Left

-x

Stop

Rest

FUTURE SCOPE
This project can be modified largely in future for making life of disabled more easier.Various
features can be added to such wheelchair such as obstacle detection,displaying instructions on
lcd showing further way to disabled which will help them to take prior decision which will
enable efficient control of wheel chair,moreover entire system can be shifted to wireless
system by using various wireless technologies such as Bluetooth,Zigbee,wi-fi and RF
technology which will reduce the complexities related to wired system.Voice monitoring
helps the disabled person to determine the obstacle by acknowledging with alarm signals with
slight modification in power section by monitoring the battery voltage levels to enhance the
speed and estimate the delay for action to be taken to enhance the speed of the wheelchair.
DC motors can be replaced by servomotors.

11.REFERENCES
[1] Paralysis resource centre , Avalaible :http://www.christopherreeve.org/site/c.mtKZKg
MWKwG/b.5184189/k.5587/Paralysis_Facts__Figures.html
[2] Simon P. Levine, David A. Bell, Lincoln A. Jaros, Richard C.Simpson, Yoram Koren,
Senior Member, IEEE, and Johann Borenstein, Member, IEEE IEEE transactions on
rehabilitation engineering, vol. 7, no. 4, December 1999. The NavChair Assistive
Wheelchair Navigation System .
[3] Benjamn Romero, Abraham Camacho, Jorge Varona, Carlos Delgado and Ramiro Vel
azquez Mecatronica y Control de Mexico. IEEE AFRICON 2009 23 - 25 September 2009,
Nairobi,Kenya A Low-Cost Electric Power Wheelchair with Manual and Vision-Based
Control Systems
[4] S.Tameemsultana and N. Kali Saranya, Implementation of Head and Finger Movement
Based Automatic Wheel Chair,Bonfring International Journal of Power Systems and
Integrated
Circuits, vol. 1, Special Issue, pp 48-51, December 2011.
[5] Sangmeshwar S. Kendreet. Al, Voice activated Multiprocessor embedded System to
improve the control of a motorized wheelchair, International Journal of Engineering Science
andTechnology, vol 2(11), pp 6812-6818, 2010.