SMART Wheelchair

User Manual

Version 5

© CALL Centre, 2000

Smart Wheelchair User Manual i

 Don’t panic !

Phone 01635 37550

 Play and Exploration are the cornerstones of learning. A person with
poor co-ordination and control, communication problems, or one who cannot
walk, has less chance to explore and play and is less effective when they do
so.

For a person with all these problems, learning is difficult. It’s a vicious circle -
lack of physical control means no mobility - no mobility restricts the ability to
explore the surroundings thus leading to an inability to learn how to learn.
Communicating with others involves new learning - tasks like tracking,
scanning or coding. Even if learning is successful, the results don’t transfer
because the skills needed for another task, say mobility, are rarely the same.

The Smart Wheelchair was designed to help, by providing:

- a common learning environment for communication, mobility, and some

structured play and exploration, in which skills transfer from task to task.

- some relief from the responsibility for mundane mobility tasks, whilst new
skills are acquired.

This Manual should be read in conjunction with the Wheelchair Playbook,

which sketches out things to do with the Smart Wheelchair, as well as
outlining some of the background to its development.

How to Use this Manual

The Smart Wheelchair design has been evolving since 1991, and this process
continues. As we discover new uses for the wheelchair and add new features,
we will be issuing new versions of the Manual. This can be quite confusing,
especially if you try to use an old version of the Manual or if you have to look
through the new version to find out what is changed.

As we introduce new information, these will be given out as amendment sheets

that can be inserted into the appropriate place and the old sheet removed if
required.

Any comments or suggestions that you would like to see incorporated into the
Manual will be gratefully received by Smile Rehab and CALL.

Have fun!
Smart Wheelchair User Manual iii
 CONTENTS
1 The Smart Wheelchair: An Introduction
What is the Smart Wheelchair? 1.1
What the wheelchair does 1.2
Who’s running this thing anyway? 1.3

2 The Smart Wheelchair: A Description

The Smart Wheelchair 2.1
The Smart Controller, Power Module and Controls 2.2
The Drive Wheels 2.3
Seating 2.3
Battery Charging 2.4

3 Smart Wheelchair Controller

Smart Wheelchair Controller box 3.1
Switching on and off 3.1
The chair switches itself off 3.1
‘OK so what do I do now?’ 3.2

4 Driving the chair with switches

Types of switches 4.1
Connecting switches 4.1
Choosing switches 4.2
Switch connectors 4.2

5 Smart Wheelchair ToolBox

Adjusting Speed 5.1
Adjusting Distance 5.1
Adjusting Response 5.2
Using the Programme switch on the ToolBox 5.2
Programming speeds 5.3
Programming veer 5.3
Programming distance for ‘Timed’ motion 5.4
Programming chair response 5.4
Programming switch response 5.4
Resetting default values 5.5
Muting Tool speech feedback 5.5
Software version 5.5

6 Smart Wheelchair Motion Tools

Motion Tools 6.1

Smart Wheelchair User Manual iv

 Characteristics and functions of Motion Tools 6.1
Selecting separate go and turn Motion Tools 6.2

7 Integrating a computer or communication device to the chair

Using the Switch Output sockets 7.1
Driving the chair with a computer or communication aid 7.2
Sending commands to the chair 7.2

8 Driving with the Scanner

The Scanner box 8.1
Function of the Scanner and Scan Leds 8.2
Scan Leds 8.2
Visual Feedback using the Scanner and Scan Leds 8.3
Scanner Tools 8.4
One switch scan 8.4
Two switch scan 8.4
4/8 direction scan 8.5
Smart scan 8.5
Auditory Scanning 8.5
Setting scan speed 8.5
Setting number of scan cycles 8.5
Three switch scan 8.5
Three switch smart scan 8.6

9 Smart Wheelchair Bump Tools

Bump Tools 9.1
No bump 9.2
Bump and Stop 9.2
Bump and Backoff 9.2
Bump and Turn 9.2
Bump and Choose Turn 9.2
Bump and Avoid 9.3
User/chair Bump Control 9.3
Programming the Bump parameters 9.3
Bumper fault finding and adjusting sensitivity 9.4

10 Smart Wheelchair Line Follower Tools

Line Follower Tools 10.1
Line Following On 10.1
Line Following with Junctions 10.1
junction Scanning 10.1
Safety Fence 10.2
User/chair Line Control 10.2
Line Follower accuracy 10.2

Smart Wheelchair User Manual v

 Line Follower box and tape 10.3
Who might use a Line Follower? 10.3
Finding the line 10.5
Following the line 10.5
Leaving the line 10.6
Line Junctions 10.6
Laying out a line 10.6
Line Follower tape 10.6
Corners 10.6
Line Follower ‘circuits’ 10.7
Line Junctions 10.7
Who might use a Doorway Funne? 10.9
Using a Doorway Funnel 10.10
Laying tape for a Doorway Funnel 10.11

11 Smart Wheelchair Observer Speech Tool 11.1

12 Maintenance and safety

Maintenance 12.1
General 12.1
Electronic components 12.1
Safety warnings 12.2
Supervision 12.2
The wheelchair must not be operated... 12.2
In case of fire 12.2
General use 12.3
Emergency stop 12.3
Weight and lifting 12.3
Transporting the chair 12.3
Electronics and controls 12.4
Trouble-shooting 12.5
The chair will not switch on 12.5
The green light on the Smart Controller flashes when you switch on 12.5
The chair stops and the red light on the Smart Controller comes on 12.5
The chair drives in different directions when I press the forward switch 12.5
The chair chats away as though it’s stuck in a loop and behaves 12.5
strangley when I switch on
The green light on the joystick flashes when you switch on 12.6
The chair does not move when I press the switch 12.7
The chair does not follow the line properly 12.8
Suppliers 12.9
.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual vi

 1 The Smart Wheelchair: An Introduction

What is the Smart Wheelchair?

The Smart Wheelchair is an electric wheelchair with a computer-based controller and special
sensors which help the wheelchair pilot in three different ways:

• Firstly, the Smart systems provide some safeguards for riders who cannot control the
wheelchair completely independently. The special bumpers and sensors do not make
the wheelchair completely safe though - responsibility for safety still lies with the pilot
and his or her helpers and carers.

• Secondly, the Smarts can help the rider control the wheelchair by taking over some of
the responsibility for steering and avoiding objects until he or she is ready to handle the
job. The amount of work that the rider chooses to do, and how much control is taken by
the chair is decided by the rider and his or her carers.

This division of labour can range from:

1. (at one extreme) total driver control of the wheelchair through the controls in
the normal way, to
2. (at the other extreme) allowing the wheelchair to decide where it is going, with
the rider merely demanding when to move, and steering and stopping being
controlled by the wheelchair.

• The wheelchair can also integrate with communication aids and computers; the pilot can
use the same controls to drive the wheelchair and operate another assistive device, or
even use the communication aid or computer to drive the wheelchair directly. This same
system also allows you to put the control of the wheelchair into the care of smarter
computers than the internal one it carries round with it, although we won't be describing
this aspect in any detail here.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: An Introduction 1.1

 What the Wheelchair does
Mobility is fun, exciting and motivating. Being able to move opens up new opportunities for
play and exploration. Mobile children and adults are more curious, active, assertive, and learn
more effectively. People with very severe physical, communication, sensory or learning
difficulties have even more to gain from powered mobility because they have very few other
ways to demonstrate their individuality, and experience control. Yet controlling a powered
wheelchair is hard for many people with severe disabilities. The Smart Wheelchair was
therefore designed with several beliefs in mind:

(1) When you are learning a new and difficult task, it helps to be able to share some of
the load with someone or something else. In this case, your partner is the wheelchair.

(2) Some skills which you might use for communication purposes (such as switching
and tracking) shouldn't have to be relearned for mobility purposes, and vice versa.

(3) It should be possible to progress gently from simpler to more complex tasks as your
skill level increases.

You can think of the wheelchair as an assistant which can take some of the load from you
whilst you are learning to drive or communicate and which makes it simpler to transfer skills
from one task to another. You and the wheelchair share the work. How much each of you
does is up to you: you can change your mind and take more control yourself, or decide to
hand over more responsibility to the wheelchair at any time.

The diagram below shows how the pilot uses the chair’s facilities to gradually develop better
driving skills whilst reducing the amount of control taken by the chair itself.
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Smart Wheelchair User Manual: An Introduction 1.2

 Who’s running this thing anyway
What sort of work might you share? When you’re driving a powered wheelchair there are
several decisions to be made and tasks to be performed. You have to decide where you want
to go, and what sequence of movements must be made in order to get there. To actually make
these movements, you must be able to start, stop and steer the wheelchair. You might also
have to try to avoid unexpected obstacles or get out of trouble if you do collide with them.
The wheelchair is able to help with some of the more simple tasks to do with moving or
dealing with collisions. The central idea is that you can concentrate on learning and practising
one task while the wheelchair takes care of another. For example, you might want the
wheelchair to deal with bumps, or guide you from room to room, while you get on with the
important things like deciding when to move.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: An Introduction 1.3

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: An Introduction 1.4
 2 The Smart Wheelchair: A Description

The Smart Wheelchair

Let’s have a guided tour of the wheelchair chassis with the footplates removed:

DX Power Module Smart Controller

Scanner

DX joystick

Line Follower

Motor

Circuit breaker
reset Bumpers

The Smart Wheelchair consists of the:

• wheelchair chassis
• ‘DX Power Module’, which drives the wheels
• ‘DX joystick’, which can be used by a helper to drive the chair
• Smart Wheelchair Controller, which contains the computer that controls the system
• Bumpers
• Line Follower
• Scanner

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: A Description 2.1

 The Smart Controller, Power Module and Controls
Underneath the seat and on top of the battery box is the Smart Wheelchair Controller, and
the Control Dynamics DX Power Module. There will also be a Control Dynamics joystick,
which is usually mounted on the back of the user’s seat. The joystick and the Smart
Controller are both DX ‘modules’, that send signals along the ‘DX bus’ to the Power
Module. The Power Module converts the signals into high current outputs for driving the
two motors. The DX Power Module is fully programmable to cater for a wide range of chair
types and user needs. Correct installation and programming are essential to ensure optimum
performance and safety. The Power Module has been pre-programmed for the Smart
Wheelchair chassis and electronics: these settings must not be changed. Any adjustments to
speeds and other options must be made using the Smart Wheelchair programming options,
described in Section 5.

The joystick allows the chair to be driven by a helper or attendant. The joystick and Smart
Wheelchair Controller MUST be connected to the Power Module for correct operation of
the Smart Wheelchair.

The main wheelchair off/on switch is the large white oblong pad towards the top of the
joystick. You press it once to turn the chair on and then press it again to turn the chair off.

Battery Level
Indicator

On/Off Switch

Mode Switch System

Indicator

The blue Mode button switches control of the chair between the joystick and the Smart
Controller. To drive the chair with the joystick press the mode button till the Mode indicator
reads 2; to switch back to driving with the Smart Controller press the Mode button again so
that the indicator reads 1.

NOTE: The Smart Wheelchair sensors and systems (Bumpers, Line Follower etc.) do not
operate when the chair is driven with the joystick.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: A Description 2.2

 The Drive Wheels
The Drive Wheels must be engaged in order for the chair to be driven by the motors -
similarly, disengaging the wheels enables the wheelchair to be pushed. To engage and
disengage the wheels, pull out the red lever in the centre of the drive wheels.

The rear wheels have pneumatic tyres: keep those pumped up to the correct pressure.

To disengage the Drive To engage the Drive

Wheel: Wheel:

Turn and
Pull out and click
turn

Seating
The wheelchair seat can be removed by pressing down the two catches at the rear mounts,
and tipping the seat forward and lifting it off. Putting it back is just the reverse. Make sure
the rear seat latches lock the seat in position.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: A Description 2.3

 Battery Charging
The battery charge level is indicated by a set of six lights at the top of the joystick.

With a fully charged battery, all six lights light up. As the battery voltage drops, the green
then yellow, then red lights go out. When the two red lights only are flashing, there is
approximately 10% of battery capacity left and the battery should be charged.

If the chair is used all day, every day, charge the batteries overnight, every night.

If you use the chair for short periods every day, charge it once or twice a week.

Even if you don’t use the chair for a while, you should charge the batteries at least once a
month.

To charge the batteries, plug the charger into the socket on the front of the joystick, then
plug the charger into the mains electricity socket. Only use the charger supplied with
the chair - using a different charger may damage the batteries and/or the charger.
The batteries should be charged in a well ventilated area as the batteries may emit gas.
prevent flames and sparks.

Switch on the mains and the three lights on the charger will come on briefly while the
charger tests itself. The Smart Wheelchair will also switch on - if you want you can switch it
off with the on/off switch on the joystick and the batteries will still charge.

The red Mains On lamp on the charger will light, and the yellow Charging indicator will
light to show the battery is connected correctly and being charged. When the battery is
about 80% fully charged, the Charging light will start to flash; when the green
Float/Standby indicator comes on, the battery is fully charged and ready for use. Switch
off and unplug from the mains before disconnecting the charger from the joystick.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: A Description 2.4

 3 Smart Wheelchair Controller

Smart Wheelchair Control Box

The Smart Wheelchair Controller is the large black unit which sits on top of the wheelchair
chassis. The Control Dynamics DX Power Module (PM) that drives the motors sits
underneath the Smart Controller at the rear. The Smart Wheelchair Controller contains the
‘brains’ of the wheelchair, together with the speech synthesiser, the switch and control
connectors, and the ‘ToolBox’ for selecting the various wheelchair functions. A Dynamics
joystick is also provided for attendant control (see section 2).

Switching On and Off

To switch the wheelchair on, press the power button on the Joystick and select Mode 1. If the
system is functioning properly, the green indicator on the joystick with be on, and the green
light on the Smart Wheelchair Controller will come on. If the speech is switched on, the
wheelchair will also talk. Once this has happened the Smart Wheelchair is ready to drive.

If the green light on the Smart Wheelchair Controller starts to flash when you switch on,
don’t panic. If the light is flashing once a second this means the Smart Wheelchair is in
programming mode - turn programming mode off with the Program switch on the ToolBox.
Flashing twice a second indicates that a bumper is stuck on, which may mean the bumpers
need adjustment (see bump tools section on bumper adjustment). If after adjusting the
bumpers you still get a stuck indication contact Smile Rehab. In this condition the chair will
still operate but you will not be able to use the Bump Tools and they should be turned off on
the ToolBox. Both of the above conditions are reported by the Speech if you have it switched
on.

If the green indicator on the Joystick starts to flash when you power on it means the DX
Power Module has detected a fault in the system. See Section 12 for a description of what the
the DX ‘flash codes’ mean. If a DX fault is shown, first switch the chair off, wait five
seconds, and then switch on again. If it still flashes go through the trouble-shooting in section
12 and if you cannot find the fault, contact Smile Rehab.

The chair switches itself off

The DX Power Module and joystick, and the Smart Controller are continually checking their
own internal operation. If they discovers anything wrong, they shut down the system, on the
grounds that it is better to be safe than sorry. The red light on the Smart Wheelchair

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Smart Controller 3.1

 Controller will come on and/or the green indicator on the attendant Joystick will start flashing.
If this happens try switching the power on again as normal. If the chair immediately switches
itself off again, go through the trouble-shooting procedure and if you cannot find the fault,
contact Smile Rehab.

‘Ok, so what do I do now’

Setting up the Smart Wheelchair for your own particular tasks involves making some
decisions. We think about tackling tasks using tools. Both of you (that is the wheelchair and
you) has a bag of tools which you can choose to use for a particular task.

To make the wheelchair start, stop and change direction, the driver needs to be able to instruct
and communicate with the chair - we’ve called the things to do this User Tools and they
include switches, joysticks, computers, scanning displays, or communication aids. User tools
are connected to the chair via the sockets on the front panel (for switches and Scanner), or via
the ‘RS232’ socket at the back of the box.

The chair’s own sensing systems such as the bumpers and line follower are called System
Tools. The Line Sensors plug into the fron panel, while the Bumpers connect to the rear and
both are set up with the switches on the ToolBox.

Let’s plug in a user tool first and see what happens.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Smart Controller 3.2

 4 Driving the chair with switches

Types of switches
You can drive the Smart Wheelchair with almost any switch, provided it has a jack plug on the
end. Switches can be operated by hand, head, finger, foot, elbow, tongue, breathing in and out,
touch, sound. In most cases Smile Rehab or CALL will have recommended and supplied
particular switches but as the driver’s skills develeop you may want to introduce new
switches, or try different arrannements. This is particularly true where the Smart Wheelchair
is being shared between several pilots. The chair has been specifically designed so that
relatively ‘non-technical’ people can connect and try out different types of switches easily: to
connect a switch, you simply plug it into the socket for the direction you want to move.

Connecting switches

Ordinary single switches plug into the 3.5mm ‘jack’ sockets on the SwitchBox at the front of
the Smart Controller. Multiple switches or switched joysticks (e.g. TASH 5-way switch,
Dudley Heavy Duty joystick) connect to the ‘Multiple switch’ plug.

Plug the drive switches Press the ‘swap’ switch Jack sockets for
into these jack sockets to send Forward and switch signals from
LEDs light up when
Far Far
Right switch signals to chair to other
the line sensors
Right Right Left Left Out1 and Out2 devices
detect the track

Forward Back Left Right Stop Swap Out 1 Out 2

Line Multiple Switch

Sensors Scanner

Line Follower Scanner plugs in Multiple switch units LEDs light up when a
plugs in here here and switched joysticks switch is pressed
plug int here

The SwitchBox Front Panel

Select the driving tool you want and plug it in. The wheelchair immediately knows that you
have chosen the tool and will attend to its demands. So, for example, we will suppose that you
want to control the wheelchair using a simple ‘Buddy Button’ or ‘Jelly Bean’ switch as a
forward control. Get the switch mounted on the wheelchair in a position that will allow you to

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Driving the chair with switches 4.1
 control it and plug it in to the Forward socket. The wheelchair now presumes that you want
to control its starting and stopping and is ready to obey you immediately.

But say all you want to do is to make the chair go and leave the chair to look after the stopping
itself. This is when you choose another set of user tools to do just that, called Motion Tools.
These are to be found on a separate box called the ToolBox, which we’ll look at in the next
section.

Choosing switches
can be a hard, complex process. Don’t expect to get it right first time. When assessing for
controls for the Smart chair, we aim for a control scheme which is:

• accurate: ideally, the user should be able to start and stop motion accurately;
• safe: the switch should not be activated by accident;
• extendible: although you may start with only one switch, you will be hoping the user
will develop use of several switches, or a scanning selector;
• understandable: there should be a clear link between the switch and the result, at least
in the early stages. Some children with learning difficulties simply do not understand,
even after lots of practice, how the small movements of a conventional proportional
joystick can cause quite large movements of the chair. However, we have found that
such children may learn how to drive using separate switches for forward, back, left or
right, or using a gated, switched joystick, where the cause and effect is clearer.
• accessible: obviously, the control should be accessible to the driver. Less obviously,
it should still be accessible when the wheelchair is moving and the driver shifting
around in the seat, and ideally the rider should be able to operate the control without
having to search for it.

Switch Connectors
Single switches 3.5 mm jack sockets, Barrel 0v common, Tip signal

Multiple switch Pin Action

9 pin ‘D’ plug
1 Forward
2 Back
3 Left
4 Right
5 Swap
6 Stop
7 Out 1
8 0v common
9 Out 2

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Driving the chair with switches 4.2
 5 Smart Wheelchair ToolBox

Motion Tools Scanner Bumpers Line Follower Speech

Latched 2 switch & Turn Fence
1 switch Volume
Timed & Backoff Junctions
Momentary Off & Stop Follow On
Off Off

Scan Leds light up

Speed Speed when bumpers Speech
are activated

User User
4 / 8 Scan Bump Line Motion
directions Control Control Speech
Distance

Bump
Auditory and Scan at
Response scan Avoid junctions Programme

Status Fault Computers and

Bumpers communication aids
plug in here Bumpers plug in here RS232

The ToolBox is used to make Tool selections and adjustments to the Smart Wheelchair. The
function of each tool is described in the later sections of the handbook.

Adjusting Speed
The Speed control sets the overall speeds for the Smart Wheelchair. It ‘scales’ all the other
individual speeds (like forward/back, rotation, speed reversing from collisions etc etc). With
the pointer in the middle the scale is 1, i.e. all speeds are unchanged. Fully anti-clockwise
divides the speeds by 2, and fully clockwise multiplies by 2.

Adjusting Distance
The Distance control sets the overall distances moved by the Smart Wheelchair for Timed
moves, and when backing off and turning away from an obstacle. Again, it ‘scales’ all the
individual distances. With the pointer in the middle the scale is 1, i.e. all distances are as
programmed. Fully anti-clockwise divides the distances by 2, and fully clockwise multiplies
by 2.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: ToolBox 5.1

 Adjusting Response
The Response knob sets the overall acceleration and deceleration for the Smart Wheelchair. It
also ‘scales’ the individual values, such as forward/back accaleration/deceleration, and turn
acceleration/deceleration. Set the pointer in the middle for acceleration as programmed; turn it
fully anti-clockwise to divide the responses by 2, and fully clockwise to multiply by 2.

Using the programme switch on the ToolBox

The Smart Wheelchair ‘Speed’, ‘Response’ and ‘Distance’ knobs set overall values. If you
want, you can set individual quantities (for example, forward/backward speed, bump reverse
distance etc) separately using the ‘Programme’ switch on the ToolBox. After setting these
individual values, the Speed, Response and Distance knobs ‘scale’ them up or down. Values
are remembered after you switch the power off.

The overall procedure for programming is the same whatever is being adjusted:

1. Switch Programming on - the Observer will say ‘Program mode on’ and the green light
will flash.
2. Set Motion Tools to Momentary, Bump, Line and Scan Tools off.
3. Select the tool whose settings you want to adjust, with the appropriate Tool switch(es).
4. Adjust the setting using the Speed, Distance or Response control.
5. Press and release the appropriate switch to fix the setting.
6. Switch Programming off - synthesiser will say ‘Program mode off’ and the green light
will go back on.
7. Turn the Tool switches and Speed, Distance and Response controls knob back to where
they were before you started programming.

The sections below describe how the various parameters can be set. Often you will never
need to change the standard settings, but some individuals and environments may need special
control or tool arrangements. To avoid having to repeat these instructions throughout the rest
of the Manual, we’ll use a table like the one below to show the setting to be adjusted, the
Control knob which adjusts it, the Tool switches which define it, and the switch which sets the
value.

The example below shows how to set individual straightline and rotation speeds. For
example, to set straightline speech, you would:

1. Turn Programming On.

2. Select Momentary motion tool.
3. Adjust the Speed knob up or down as required
4. Press and release the forward switch to fix the setting.
5. Turn Programming Off.
6. Turn all controls and tool switches back to where they were before.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: ToolBox 5.2

 The parameter to Which of the three Control knobs -
be adjusted Speed, Response or Distance - are used
to set the parameter

Parameter User Control Motion Tool Bump Tool Line Tool Scan Tool
Switch knob

Straightline speed Forward Speed Momentary None None None

Rotation speed Right Speed Momentary None None None

Press and release this switch to

fix the parameter to the value Tool switch
set by the Control knob setting

Summary table for programming Smart Wheelchair values

Programming Speeds
The Programming switch can be used to set straightline (forward and back) and rotation (turn
left and right) speeds individually (see the table below).

Parameter User Control Motion Tool Bump Tool Line Tool Scan Tool
Switch knob

Forward speed Forward Speed Momentary None None None

Back speed Back Speed Momentary None None None
Rotation speed Right Speed Momentary None None None

Programming Veer
One of the most common problems with electric wheelchairs, particularly when driving with
switches, is getting them to go in a straight line. Sticky castors, uneven weight distribution,
sloping surfaces, and unbalanced motors all cause the chair to veer to left or right instead of
going straight forwards. You can adjust the Smart Controller to compensate for these
imbalances by using the programming switch.

Parameter User Control Motion Tool Bump Tool Line Tool Scan Tool
Switch knob

Adjust veer Left Speed Momentary None None None

For veer adjustment, the Speed control acts like a ‘balance’ knob - set it in the mid position
(12 o’clock) for zero compensation, turn anti-clockwise to make the chair veer left, and

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: ToolBox 5.3

 clockwise to veer right. Press and release the Left switch to set the value. Test the straightline
accuracy by lining the chair up on flat ground, with the castors pointing forwards, then press a
forward switch. If the chair veers off within a few metres, try adjusting the veer to
compensate.

Programming Distance for ‘Timed’ motion

The overall Distance of the chair is set with the Distance control on the ToolBox. It scales all
the individual distances by +/- 75%. Individual distances can be set using the programming
switch as shown below. The maximum distance that can be set is 5m.

Parameter User Control Motion Tool Bump Tool Line Tool Scan Tool
Switch knob

Forward distance Forward Distance Timed None None None

Back distance Back Distance Timed None None None
Rotation distance Right Distance Timed None None None

Programming chair response

The overall response of the chair is set with the Response control on the Smart Controller. It
controls the acceleration and deceleration of the chair. Turn it anticlockwise to make the chair
accelerate and decelerate slowly and clockwise to make it faster. Again, it scales all the other
factors, from a divide-by-2 factor, to 1, to times-2. Individual responses can be set using the
programming switch as shown over leaf.

Parameter User Control M o t i o n T o o l Bump Tool Line Tool Scan Tool

Switch knob

Straightline acceleration Forward Response Latched None None None

Straightline deceleration Back Response Latched None None None
Rotational acceleration Right Response Latched None None None
Rotational deceleration Left Response Latched None None None

Programming switch response

Some people with tremor or other difficulties may hit the switch by mistake. The input
acceptance time sets the minimum time that the switch must be held on, before the chair
accepts it. Some people will hit the switch several times by mistake, after first operating it.
These extra activations can be rejected by increasing the post acceptance delay.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: ToolBox 5.4

 Parameter User Control Motion Tool Bump Tool Line Tool Scan Tool
Switch knob

Input acceptance time Stop Response Momentary None None None

Post acceptance delay Stop Response Timed None None None

Resetting default values

On delivery the Smart Wheelchair comes set up with default values for all the programmable
parameters. If at any time you want to reset the chair back to these default settings: switch the
chair off, plug switches into the Back and Stop sockets, hold them on, then turn the chair on.
The Observer will report “Resetting tools and default values”.

Muting Tool speech feedback

You can stop the wheelchair reporting the tool selections when you make changes with the
ToolBox. To do this, hold down the Stop switch when you turn the power on.

Software version
Like all computer-controlled equipment, the Smart Wheelchair software program is
continually being improved and developed. When a new version is completed, Smile Rehab
will contact you to arrange an upgrade. To find out which version you have, hold down the
Forward and Stop switches while you power up, and the speech synthesiser will tell you
(provided the speech is switched on).

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: ToolBox 5.5

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: ToolBox 5.6
 6 Smart Wheelchair Motion Tools

Motion Tools
The rotary switch on the ToolBox labelled Motion Tools is used to select the switch action:

Momentary: go whilst I press the button, and stop when I release

it: like operating a doorbell,

Timed: go when I press the button; and keep going for a

fixed time - set by the Distance control

Latched: go when I press the button, and stop when I press it

a second time, or when I press the Stop switch - like
turning on a house light

Characteristics and functions of Motion Tools

Momentary
Momentary control gives the majority of drivers most accurate control over starting and
stopping. It also gives clear cause and effect when driving - the chair moves when the switch
is pressed, and stops when the switch is released. However, momentary control does require
the pilot to maintain the switch closure, and release it with good timing, so some children may
find it difficult to manage, or fatiguing.

Timed
Timed Control is often useful when introducing children to the Smart chair for the first time,
because the child just has to activate the switch, and the chair stops itself. It lets the child gain
maximum mobility for minimum effort, and once the chair is moving, the child is free to
experience the movement without having to worry about stopping the chair. The disadvantage
of timed control is that the driver does not have control over stopping (unless a separate
switch is used, plugged into the Stop socket).

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Motion Tools 6.1

 Latched
Latched control is for drivers who can accurately activate a switch, but cannot hold the switch
on. Cause and effect of latched control is slightly more complex, since the switch has two
opposite effects. We have found that few drivers use Latched turning, so we recommend that
the rotation Motion Tool is re-programmed to be timed or momentary (see next section).

Selecting separate go and turn Motion Tools

Usually, all switches use the same Motion Tool. However, it is possible to set up different
motion tools for turning, than for going forward and back. For example, a useful arrangement
for pilots who can only operate one switch at a time is Latched Forward motion, and
Momentary steering - the driver can press the Forward switch to start moving, and then
briefly press each turn switch to adjust the direction as he or she drives along.

Once the Motion Tool for turning is programmed, it stays that way until you program it to a
different tool, or ‘de-program’ it. The Motion Tool switch then acts only on Forward/Back
motion - if you program turning to be Momentary say, then it stays Momentary whether you
then select Momentary, Timed, or Latched for the Forward/Back motion. If you want the
Motion Tool switch to control rotational motion again, you must ‘de-program’ the turn
Motion Tool.

Use the Programming Switch to set the turning motion tool: flick the Bump Control switch
down, to User, hold down the Right switch, select the Motion Tool with the Motion Tool
switch, and then release the Right switch.

To ‘de-program’ the rotation Motion Tool, switch Programming ON, set Bump Control to
User , then press and release the Left switch.

(We know that setting the Bump Control switch to User does not make much sense, for
selecting motion tools, but we have run out of options! If you have any suggestions which
make more sense, please tell us!)

Parameter Tool User Control Motion Bump Tool L i n e T o o l Scan Tool

Switch Switch knob Tool
Program Bump Right - Select None None None
Rotation motion Control set Momentary,
tool to USER timed or
latched

'De-program' Bump Left - - None None None

Rotation Motion Control set
Tool to USER

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Motion Tools 6.2

 7 Integrating a computer or
communication device to the chair

There are two ways in which you can control and integrate a laptop computer or
communication aid with the Smart Wheelchair. Either you can connect the computer or
VOCA to the ‘RS232’ socket, and drive the chair from the VOCA; or you can use the
separate ‘Switch output sockets’ on the SwitchBox to send the switch signals to the chair, or
to the VOCA.

Using the switch output sockets

By adding an extra ‘Swap’ switch you can swap the signals from the Forward and Right
input switches between the Smart chair, and a switch-operated computer or VOCA.

‘Drive’ switch plugged into

SwitchBox, eg. Forward socket

Forward

Out 1
SWAP

Switch plugged into SWAP socket Connect Out 1 socket to

swaps Drive switch between chair VOCA
and VOCA

Using a Swap switch to control the chair and VOCA with the same switch

Plug your ‘Swap’ switch (the one you are going to use to swap the switch signals between the
chair and the VOCA) into the Swap socket on the SwitchBox. Then plug lead(s) from the
Out 1 and/or Out 2 sockets into the VOCA. When you press and release the Swap switch,
the Forward and Right switches will be connected to the VOCA and operate it; when you
press and release the Swap switch again, they will drive the chair as normal.

On pressing the Swap switch the speech synthesiser will report that you are using the Out
sockets and if the Scanner is connected all the Red lights will come on. When you operate the
Swap switch again (to drive the chair) the speech synthesiser will report this and the Scanner
lights will go off.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Integrating Communication Aids 7.1

 Driving the chair with a computer or
communication aid
You can connect a laptop computer or communication aid to the Smart Controller, via the
RS232 socket. This is wired up like a PC ‘COM’ connector as shown below, so you should
be able to use a standard RS232 serial cable to connect your computer/VOCA to the chair.

Pin 2: Rx (Input to chair)

1 5 Pin 3: Tx (Output from chair)
6 9 Pin 5: GND

9 way D type plug

The chair transmits and receives RS232 data at:

9600 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity, with XON/XOFF handshaking.

Sending commands to the chair

The table below gives the current set of commands which you can use to drive the Smart chair.
The commands consist of letters followed by a full stop: to make the chair move forward, for
example, you would send ‘!f.’; to stop ‘!s.’; and so on. We are currently adding new
commands which will let you use your computer or communication aid to programme the
chair to move a set distance, switch Tools on and off, and programme speeds and distances.

Command Action

!f move Forward
!b move Back
!l move Left
!r move Right
!fl move Forward and Right
!fr move Forward and left
!bl move Back and right
!br move Back and left
!s stop

If you want more information about driving the chair from a particular computer or
communication aid, contact the CALL Centre. We can provide information on driving the
chair using Clicker and other switch access programs on PC; using speech recognition
programs; and using communication aids such as the DynaVox.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Integrating Communication Aids 7.2

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Integrating Communication Aids 7.3
Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Integrating Communication Aids 7.4
 8 Driving with the Scanner

The Scanner box

The Scanner is a small unit with 8 pairs of Leds which correspond to each of the 8 directions
the chair moves.

Smart Wheelchair Scanner

The Scanner must obviously be mounted so that the wheelchair driver can see it. The Scanner
is supplied with a bracket for attaching it to a wheelchair tray, or it can be positioned using a
proprietary mounting systems such as the Universal Switch Mount, Mighty Mount, the Slim
Armstrong, the QED ‘Mobilia’ or Techess ‘Daessy’ system. Smile Rehab can supply
clamps and poles if necessary. The Scanner plugs into the Scanner socket on the SwitchBox.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Driving with the Scanner 8.1

 Function of the Scanner and Scan LEDs
The Scanner and Scan Leds (Led stands for ‘light emitting diode’) do three things:

1. They can give visual confirmation of the direction the chair is currently moving (a
visual ‘Observer’): for example, if “forward” is selected the “forward” Led lights
up. See Section 11.4 for a description of this visual feedback.

2. They can present choices of possible direction at Track Junctions, or after collisions.
This is done in two ways:

For children using several switches to drive the chair directly, the available directions
(say, forward and left at a line junction) light up, and the pilot presses the appropriate
switch (in this example, the left or forward switch) to make a choice. Section 11.4
describes this further.

For children using one or two switches and scanning, the available choices are
illuminated one at a time - and the child presses a switch when the one they want is lit.
See 11.5 for how to switch on this ‘Scanning Control’.

3. The Scanner can give full control over all directions of motion, for children who can
only operate one or two switches. Each of the 8 directions (forward, back, left, right,
and those in between - forward-right, back-left, etc) light up in turn, and the pilot
selects the direction by pressing a switch. Driving with the Scanner is described in
11.5.

Scan LEDs
Some children may find the Scanner lights too abstract for giving feedback or choices: they
may have difficulty relating the forward direction, say, to the top lights on the Scanner box.
The Scan Leds are separate lights which can be connected in place of the ordinary scanner.
Then the lights are positioned far apart, perhaps inside large coloured cardboard arrows, so
that the relationship between the light and direction is clearer.

Similarly, children using switches to drive the chair directly might find it easier to understand
if the Scan Led is positioned beside, or actually inside, each control switch. Instead of the
scanner, you can plug in up to eight separate Leds for each of the eight directions. In practice,
you might just want to plug in four Leds and attach them to separate switches.

Separate Leds are available from Smile Rehab, or you can make up your own, according to
the instructions given below.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Driving with the Scanner 8.2

 Scanner Pin Direction
One or two LEDs can be
9 pin ‘D’ socket
connected.
1 Right
2 Back/right Direction, The LEDs are driven by a +12v
3 Back eg. pin 1 source, via a 470R resistor
4 Back/left
inside the Smart Controller.
5 Left
6 Forward/left
There is no need to use another
7 Forward 0v, pin 8
resistor unless you want to use
8 0v common
low current LEDs.
9 Forward/right

Many children will have difficulty with the concept of left and right etc, so it can be helpful to
colour code the switches and Leds, and attach meaningful symbols to them. You might use:
Green switch for GO Forward
Red switch for RIGHT turn
Yellow switch for LEFT turn
Blue switch for BACK

Green, red and yellow Leds are readily available in sizes from 3mm to 20 mm (the ones in the
Scanner are 10mm). Blue Leds are less common and are only available in 3 or 5mm sizes.
You can buy Leds from electronic suppliers like MPS or CPC (see Section 13).

Visual feedback using the Scanner and Scan LEDs

Motion indication
When the chair moves, the appropriate Led direction indicator lights up. This can be
especially useful with Latched Control.

Choices after bumps

With Bump and Stop on, if the chair hits an obstacle to the front, it stops, and will not let you
go forward again - only turn left or right.

The Scanner or Scan Leds indicate this, by lighting up the left, right, or back Leds. The pilot
uses the switches to drive off in any of these directions. Similarly, choices to turn with Bump
and Choose turn are given using the Scanner/Scan Leds.

Choices at Line Junctions

If the chair finds a line junction, say to the left, it stops and lights up the left and forward Leds
to indicate these are the possible choices. The driver presses the left or the forward
switch to choose the track to follow.

Note: here, we are talking about using the Leds to reinforce choices, for children
using several switches to drive the chair directly. If you want these choices to be
scanned, see below.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Driving with the Scanner 8.3

 Scanner Tools
Scanner Use the Scan Tools controls on the ToolBox to select scanning
control and either one or two switch scan.
2 switch
1 switch
Off

The Scan speed can be altered with the speed control.

Scan
Speed
The scanner can either scan through 4 or 8 directions.

4 / 8 Scan And choices can be offered using speech, as well as with the Scanner
directions lights.

Auditory
scan

One switch scan

Plug your ‘Drive’ switch into the Forward socket. Press
and release the switch to start the scan, then press the switch
when the required direction lights. The chosen direction
will stay on while the chair is moving (according to the
motion tool chosen). When the chair stops, press the switch
to start the Scanner again at the beginning. If no direction is
selected after 3 cycles round, the scanner stops until the
switch is pressed again. The Scan Speed and number of
scan cycles are adjustable (see below).

Two switch scan

Plug the ‘Drive’ switch into the Forward socket, and the
‘Scan’ switch into the Right socket. Press and release the
Scan switch to light up each direction in turn until you get
the one you want, then press the Drive switch to move in that
direction. If the Scan switch is held down, the Scanner
scans at the speed set by the Scan Speed control. Movement
is controlled with the selected Motion Tool.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Driving with the Scanner 8.4

 4 / 8 direction scan
You can scan either 4 or 8 directions.
8 4 directions
Pilots who need a slow scan speed may choose to select
from 4 rather than 8 directions.
8 directions
Driving with 8 directions is much easier than with only 4,
provided the pilot can control the Scanner accurately.
4

Smart Scan This scanning approach is for good scanning users and
gives them better control of the chair as they are driving
forward.

Smart Scan works with both the Latched and Timed

Motion Tools. While moving forward or back the driver is
offered nudge left/right, or stop. The nudge left/right are on
momentary control i.e. the nudge stops when you release
the switch.

Auditory scan
With auditory scan, the speech synthesiser will speak out
the choices as they are offered. This can be helpful for
visually impaired pilots, or to help teach driving direction
vocabulary.

Setting Scan speed

The scan speed is set by turning the Scan speed knob on the Toolbox.

Setting number of scan cycles

This setting controls the number of times the scanner cycles round, before it stops and waits
for another switch press. Use the Programming Switch, set Single Switch Scan, turn the Scan
Speed knob to select the number of Scan Cycles, then press and release the Right switch.
Parameter User Control Motion Bump Tool Line Tool Scan Tool
Switch knob Tool
Number of scan cycles Right - - None None Single Switch
Scan and set
cycles with
Scan Speed
control

Three-switch scan
Three switch scan operates like two-switch, except that a third switch plugged into Left lets the
driver scan anti-clockwise as well as clockwise.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Driving with the Scanner 8.5

 Three Switch Smart scan
With three switch Smart Scan, the two turn switches act like momentary turn switches if the
chair is moving forward, but if it is stopped, they scan the display. It’s a lot more intuitive
than it sounds! And gives good control. To turn Three Switch Smart Scan on or off, use the
Programming Switch: switch on Double Switch scan and set Smart Scan ON, press and
release the Forward switch to turn it on, or the Back Switch to turn it off, then switch
Programming off.

Parameter User Control Motion Bump Tool Line Tool Scan Tool
Switch knob Tool
3 switch Smart Scan ON Forward - - None None Double Switch
and Smart
Scan ON

3 switch Smart Scan OFF Back - - None None Double Switch

and Smart
Scan ON

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Driving with the Scanner 8.6

 9 Smart Wheelchair Bump Tools

Bump Tools
Suppose now that you want to delegate the responsibility for dealing with impacts to the
wheelchair itself, leaving you with just the task of deciding when to go or stop. The
wheelchair tools to do that are called Bump Tools.

The Bump detectors are mounted all round the chair. Separate sensors at front, back and
sides let the chair sense the location of the obstacle. The Bumpers plug into the ‘Bumper’
socket on the back of the Smart Controller. The bumpers are rubber tubes connected to
pressure switches: when the chair hits something, the tube is squashed and the air inside
operates the pressure switch.

The Bump sensors do not make the chair completely safe: it is physically impossible to spot
a 60 kg. wheelchair, plus rider, moving even quite slowly, before the rubber compresses and
the metal bumpers contact.
Bumpers
& Turn Bump Tools allow the user to let the chair deal with any obstacle
& Backoff that might cross its path, while the user is able to concentrate on
& Stop making it go. Bump Tools can be used by independent drivers to
Off
help protect the user and environment (Bump and Stop), to help get
out of trouble after a collision (Bump and Back Off or Bump and
Avoid), or to give a crude means of exploration and play (Bump and
Turn).

There are several different bump tools, all selected using the
Bump indicators ToolBox.
User
Bump
Control

Bump
and
Avoid

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Bump Tools 9.1

 No Bump

The chair will do nothing on colliding with an object

Bump and Stop

Recognises that the chair has collided with an object,

stops the motors and waits for you to press go again.
If you try to keep going at the object, the chair will not
let you - it knows that there is an obstacle in your way
and will only let you move off in a different direction.
Bump and Stop is essentially a safety system.

Bump and Backoff

Recognises that the chair has collided with an object,

stops the motors and backs away from the obstruction.
Useful for pilots who can drive and steer, but need a
little help to get out of tight corners.

Bump and Turn

Recognises that the chair has collided with an object,
stops the motors, backs away slightly and turns the
chair through a small angle to allow you to go off in
another direction. The direction of the turn (left or
right) is set up with the ToolBox programming switch.
Bump and Turn is useful to introduce steering; play
games; and for a single switch user to explore.

Bump and ChooseTurn

Bump and Choose Turn, offers choices to the user over
which direction to go after a bump. Bump and Turn
must be selected on the ToolBox for this tool to be on.
To program Bump and Turn for choices the following
programming must be carried out.
.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Bump Tools 9.2

 Parameter Tool User Control Motion Bump Tool Line Tool Scan Tool
Switch Switch knob Tool
Scanning Bump - Forward - - Bump and None Single /
Choices ON Turn ON Double Scan
Scanning Bump - Back - - Bump and None Single /
Choices OFF Turn ON Double Scan

Bump and Avoid

Standard Bump Tools are very simple and easy to

understand, and are good for games and early
exploration.

Bump and Avoid is for pilots who want slightly better

functional mobility. If the chair is going forward, say,
and glances against something to the left or right, the
Tool ‘nudges’ the chair away to avoid the obstacle. If
the chair hits something straight on and the chair decides
it can’t be ‘avoided’, the other selected Bump Tool
(Bump and Stop, or whatever) is activated.

User / Chair Bump Control

The selected Bump Tools can operate under User or

Bump Chair control.
User Chair Chair Control: the selected Bump Tool operates
Control Control automatically, i.e. for Bump and Turn it reverses and
then turns by itself. The chair ignores any
commands from the user while it is manoeuvring.

User Control: the distance reversed and/or turned is

controlled by the user’s switch, with whatever Motion
Tool is selected. This gives better mobility, provided
the pilot can control the backoff and turn distances
accurately.

Programming the Bump parameters

The speed and distance or angle moved with the Bump Tools can be adjusted with the Speed
and Distance controls. They can also be set individually - see below.
Parameter User Control Motion Tool Bump Tool Line Tool Scan Tool
Switch knob

Bump reverse speed Forward Speed Momentary Bump & Backoff None None
Bump turn speed Right Speed Momentary Bump & Backoff None None
Bump reverse distance Forward Distance Timed Bump & Turn None None
Bump turn distance Right Distance Timed Bump & Turn None None
Bump turn to left Left - Momentary Bump & Turn None None
Bump turn to right Right - Momentary Bump & Turn None None

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Bump Tools 9.3

 Bumper fault finding and adjusting sensitivity
The bumpers are designed to take a lot of punishment but sometimes faults can develop. The
operation of the bumpers can be checked by monitoring the bump indicators on the Smart
Wheelchair ToolBox panel.

Bumpers

& Turn
& Backoff
& Stop
Off

Bump indicators
Rear bumper
User
Bump
tube
Control Adjusting screw

Bump
and
Avoid

Bumper sensors
When a bumper detects an object the indicator light up. If you think one of the bumpers is not
working you can test it by pressing the area you think is faulty and check the indicator comes
on. Another possible fault is where a bumper is stuck on - the indicator is on all the time. If
there is this type of fault the Smart Wheelchair will detect it when you power on, and report it
using the speech synthesiser.

If the Bumpers do not come on, or are stuck on, you can try and adjust the sensors by
inserting a small screwdriver into the adjustment holes and turning the adjusting screws
clockwise or anti-clockwise. If the fault is a non-working bumper try turning the screw
clockwise until the indicator comes on all the time. Once you have reached this point turn the
screw anti-clockwise about a quarter turn and check to see if the bumper works. If you can’t
adjust the bumpers so that they operate correctly, contact Smile Rehab.

If the bumper is stuck on, follow the same procedure except this time you turn the screw anti-
clockwise until the indicator goes off. If the indicator doesn't go off contact Smile Rehab for
help.

If you have successfully managed to adjust the bumpers, try making small adjustments to the
bumper so that the indicator comes on for about one to two seconds when a bump is detected.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Bump Tools 9.4

 10 Line Follower

Line Follower Tools

The Line Follower system also provides the chair with a number of different “tools”.

None The chair ignores any tape it sees on the floor.

Line Following On
With Line Following turned on the chair will follow track on
the ground. In this mode the chair will ignore any junctions
it finds.

If you want short sections of track for guiding the chair

through doorways or tight spaces this is the tool to choose.

Line Following with

Junctions This tool lets the chair follow the tape track laid on the floor,
perhaps around home, between rooms in school, or around
the classroom. When a junction is found, the driver selects
the track to be followed by pressing the appropriate switch
(i.e. left, right, forward or back), or by selecting from the
choices offered visually or aurally by the Scanner and
Observer.

Junction Scanning
If Scanning Control is switched off, choices at line junctions are
offered simultaneously: e.g. forward and left lights up at the same
time. Some children, even if they are driving the chair directly with
separate switches, might find it easier if they are offered only one
choice at a time, by scanning. Some children may be driving with a
Forward switch and a Left turn switch, but if they come to a Right
junction, they can’t choose because they don’t have a Right turn
switch.
Scanning Line Control is for these pilots. It lets the pilot control the
chair directly with switches when not on the line, but offers
scanning choices at line junctions.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Line Tools 10.1

 Safety fence
The chair stops when it detects a line. Tapes can be laid
around dangerous features like stairwells, to stop the chair
reaching them. The safety fence can work just like bumpers
by programming i.e. whatever the bump tool is set to when
the chair detects a line it will treat it as a bump or it can work
independently of the bump tool and just stop the chair.

The programming for the safety fence options is:

Parameter User Control Motion Bump Tool Line Tool Scan Tool
Switch knob Tool

Safety with bump ON Forward - Momentary Bump tool ON Safety None

Safety only Forward - Momentary Bump tool OFF Safety None

User / chair Line Control

User Control: if the pilot wants to turn off the line at
Line any point, s/he simply turns to the right or left until
Follower the chair is free of the line. Then the chair stops and
User Chair
Control Control
says “Lost Line”.

Chair Control: any instructions to turn off the line

are ignored.

Line Follower accuracy

When following a track, the chair speed is limited to give reasonable accuracy. The speed can be
turned down below this maximum value, and it is also possible to change the ‘sensitivity’ and
‘damping’ of the line follower. If the chair seems to waver when following the line, try turning
the speed down a little. Heavier users may need the line following speed increased a little. Note
that the chair will always follow the line at the set speed - turning the Speed knob on the Smart
Controller only effects the speed away from the line and has no effect when line following.

NOTE: The Line Sensitivity is there to let us adjust the Line Follower to different types
of wheelchair - don’t adjust it unless you’re sure you really need to!

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Line Tools 10.2

 Parameter User Control Motion Bump Tool Line Tool Scan Tool
Switch knob Tool

Line following speed Forward Speed Momentary None LineFollow On None

Line following sensitivity Right Speed Momentary None LineFollow On None

Programming the Line Speed

Line Follower box and tape

The Line Follower is a black box mounted on the front of the chair, with infra-red sensors which
detect retroreflective tape. The sensors work regardless of background light and don’t care
whether the line is on dark or light floor coverings, whether carpet or lino. Their function is to
detect where the line is in relation to the chair so that the chair can follow it. If the middle two
sensors ‘see’ the tape, the chair goes straight. If sensors to left or right come on, the chair
adjusts the heading to try and get back on line.

50 yards of tape is supplied with the chair and more tape can be ordered from Smile Rehab.

The Line Detector plugs into the connector on the front of the Smart Wheelchair Controller.
Switch the power off before you connect the line follower.

Who might use a Line Follower?

The line follower might be considered for several reasons and for several groups of children.

First, if a child has learning difficulties, then using the chair with or without collision sensors may
be too complex to understand: in order to move around the child must have an idea of where they
wish to go, of the sequence of movements that will take them there, and the ability to correct this
plan if unexpected events like obstacles are encountered. A line follower is much simpler to
operate: the child just needs to know that if he or she presses the switch, the destination will be
reached (assuming that the line goes somewhere interesting and the child knows that).

A second use might be to motivate a child who seems unexcited by the wheelchair and bump
tools, possibly again for cognitive reasons. One of the reasons for the child’s lack of interest
may be that he or she doesn’t connect the simple movements of the chair with going anywhere
useful or interesting - the basic understanding of the use of mobility is not there. By pressing the
switch and travelling around, the usefulness, and hopefully motivation, of mobility are
experienced with the minimum of cognitive, physical and perceptual demands on the pilot.

A third group are those children who have very limited physical control skills: single switch

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Line Tools 10.3

 users, possibly with unreliable control over a second switch. Again, while bump tools offer
exploration in unstructured environments and limited functional mobility in structured
environments, a line follower enables the child to move from place to place without the need for
supervision.

The final potential user group are pilots who do have good control skills, but suffer from fatigue
and cannot maintain a high level of control for long periods. They could use the line follower like
a bus, which can be joined and left at any point, to reduce the effort involved in moving around.

Discussion: a comparison between Line Follower and Bump Tools

It should be clear that the line follower has quite different uses compared to the bump tools. Line
following can provide a means of independent functional mobility for quite severely disabled
children who might find the bump tools too challenging. Bump & Stop and Bump & Reverse are
mainly safety tools: usually, the pilot will be reasonably capable of moving, stopping and
steering. Bump & Turn provides exploration in a different sense to the line follower, and
functional mobility for single switch users in certain situations such as games but again requires
the user to have an idea of where and why they want to move. The line follower makes fewer
demands on children’s physical, cognitive and perceptual skills and so can be used by more
severely disabled children. It provides a complementary set of experiences to the bump tools:
while the bump tools give the child quite direct control of movement - moving for the sake of
moving because the actual motion and collision is fun, the line follower takes more of the load
and gives experience of mobility as a skill for moving around to where you want to be.
Expanding these ideas a little further, we might class bump tools as get-you-out-of-trouble; Sonar
Bump tools (using the experimental obstacle detection system which is still in development) as
help-prevent-you-getting-into-trouble; and line follower as stop-you-getting-into-trouble-in-the-
first-place; with corresponding implications for control demands and learning experiences.

There is consequently a danger that in relying on the line follower the child will not have a chance
of developing or learning new skills. With the bump tools and motion tools, we have an
expectation that children will develop new skills and a “path” to get them there (start off with one
switch, add another, then a third, and so on).

Lastly, bump tools (particularly bump and turn) often require supervision from adults since they
do not prevent pilots getting stuck in corners completely whereas a child should be able to follow
the line from one place to another and have reasonable confidence of getting there, thereby giving
experience of successful mobility without help from others.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Line Tools 10.4

 Finding the line
The line follower has no effect on the chair’s motion until it finds a line to follow. If a line is
detected under the chair it will stop and say “Found line”. If you want to follow the line, press
Forward. If you don’t, steer away from it until it says “Lost line”. Generally the chair follows
the line in the direction you approached it, but sometimes it might get it wrong and try to move in
the opposite direction (see the diagram below). Also, if you travel up to the line very quickly, you
may overshoot it before the chair stops - this should not be a problem because the chair will
remember where it saw the line and turn towards it, but occasionally it might miss and the chair
will say “Lost line” and you’ll have to reverse back to it until it says “Found line”. If you cross
the line very fast, the sensors may not see the track at all - but most line follower users will not be
driving that fast.

Finding and joining a line

Following the line

The key fact to remember is that once the chair has found the line it will follow it unless a) you
tell it to leave by steering off or b) the chair runs straight off the end of it (as for leaving a
doorway funnel). Once on the line, the chair moves at a limited speed while told to go forward
(or reverse - the chair will also follow the line backwards but not very well - like an articulated
truck reversing with a drunk driver). The Line Follower works with the motion tools as you
would expect: momentary, timed and latched. It also works with the bump tools, although
inevitably it changes the way they work a little. With bump and stop, the chair will stop on
collision and allow you to back off or turn. If you reverse, the chair will go back along the line.
If you turn, it will leave the line. With bump and backoff it will stop and reverse back along the
line. With bump and turn it will stop, back along the line and then try to turn off it: whether it
succeeds depends on the angle of turn you’ve set.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Line Tools 10.5

 Leaving the line
If the chair is following the line and the line suddenly stops, it will stop and say “Lost Line”.
The user can either try to find it again by turning around or go straight on and leave it behind. If
Line User Control is on, the pilot can also leave the line at any point just by turning off it. If Line
User Control is off, the chair will ignore any instructions to turn right or left off the line.

Line Junctions
The Line Follower will detect junctions like the ones below, stop, and offer a choice using the
Observer and/or Scanner about which track to take. The pilot presses any switch to select a line,
and the chair will move on to the correct track, and then stop and wait for a new command. If you
don’t want the chair to offer choices at junctions, select the line following tool and it will just
carry straight on and ignore the junction.

Laying out a line

Line Follower Tape
The tape is quite sticky and reasonably robust. Before sticking it down permanently, it’s best to
lay it on the floor and try out the chair along it. It might also be worth while sticking the tape
down for a few days with sellotape, blue tac or velcro until you’re sure about the position. As
well as being annoying if you stick it down in the wrong place, it’s also quite expensive. Give
some thought to where you want the tape to go before you start laying.

Corners
The line tape consists of straight and corner sections. When laying through tight gaps, keep in
mind the obvious, like the width of the chair. You can make the corners as tight as you want and
the chair will try to follow them, but if you make them too tight it will swing out from the tape and
not follow it accurately - it will still get there in the end, but not exactly on top of the line. It’s
best to try and lay corners no tighter than the one shown below.

0.5 m

0.5 m

Suitable corner section made up of two segments

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Line Tools 10.6

 Line Follower ‘circuits’
In a classroom, you might want a circuit of the room taking in various interesting “stations”.
These stations can be activity areas, or different floor materials such as knobby man-hole cover
type things, ramps, grids, or pressure pad switches connected to Mains Switchers, Big Macks or
toys.

In the school generally, try to arrange circuits rather than single lines - note that you can have the
line going along corridors and into loops in rooms. You can make sure the chair follows the line
round the loop consistently (assuming you don’t want to choose at junctions) by using layout (a)
below because the chair tends to follow the path it is currently on. Occasionally you might find
the chair following the loop the wrong way round. If you don’t care which way round the loop
the chair should go, make the loop symmetrical (layout (b)).

(a) Laying loops round a room (b)

For crossings where you have the Doorway Funnel on, and you want the chair to ignore the
junction, layout (a) shown below works best. If the two lines cross at an acute angle there is a
danger that the chair will follow the wrong one (b).

The ideal line crossing (a) A potentially confusing crossing (b)

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Line Tools 10.7

 Line Junctions
The chair recognises a junction when three or more of the sensors see tape. To detect a junction,
the chair must be following the line reasonably accurately, without weaving, otherwise it might
miss the junction.

Here’s how it works. If the chair is accurately tracking the track, the middle two sensors are on.
If the far right sensor detects tape as well, the chair stops, nudges forward a bit and then has
another look. If it can still see the line it offers Forward or Right. If there is no line going
forward it assumes that it has found a ‘T’ or ‘Y’ junction.

When you have the junction tool on, and you want the chair to detect a junction, it helps the chair
recognise it if you have a small piece of tape ‘leading in’ to the junction.

corners leading in the junction

Leading into line junctions

The chair recognises junction types (a) to (f) below, but the most reliable type is the ‘T’ (e) or
‘Y’ (f).

(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f)

At the moment, it will not reliably recognise a cross-road (g) - if you need a crossroads, try
staggering the junctions so you have a left, then a right junction in succession (h).

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Line Tools 10.8

 (g) (h)

Use staggered junctions (h) instead of crossroads (g)

If you are laying out a track where you want pupils to choose at junctions in all three directions
try and use ‘T’ or ‘Y’ junctions. At the moment the chair will recognise the junction when going
from right to left (a), but may not recognise it properly when going from left to right (b) or when
joining the main line from the ‘spur’ (c). Sometimes it will offer Left or Right and sometimes it
will go straight on following the line. Use ‘T’ or ‘Y’ junctions to get a consistent response.

(b) (a)

(c)

Use ‘T’ or ‘Y’ junctions where chairs are coming from all three directions

Who might use a doorway funnel?

Some pilots have full (using three or four switches, a joystick or communication aid) but erratic
control over the chair and find it difficult to get through tight or awkward spaces such as
doorways. For these children, some help in negotiating these contexts would increase
independence and reduce frustration. We know that Bump tools can help a little, but often they
help too late due to the sharp irregularities of doors. Using a line follower section should solve
the problem almost completely if the line is laid to give clearance of the sides of the doorjamb or
obstacle.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Line Tools 10.9

 Using the doorway funnel
The basic doorway funnel layout is given below. The user drives up to the line and doesn't have
to be too careful about accuracy provided the chair goes over the line. When the chair detects it, it
will stop and say “Line found”. The pilot then presses Forward and the chair will follow the
line through the doorway until it reaches the end of the straight piece, when it will stop and say
“Line Lost”, leaving the pilot to move on. Note that the user can leave the line at any point by
turning off it (provided Line Control is set to User).

The Doorway Funnel is not clairvoyant and so may occasionally get it wrong. For example, if
you approach the capture funnel at a really extreme angle the chair might follow the line in the
wrong direction.

Joining the funnel at an acute angle

If you approach the line very fast there is a small but finite possibility that the chair will
overshoot the line and lose it, although this is unlikely since the chair remembers where it last saw
the line and should turn towards it. It is also possible for the chair to join one side of the funnel
and when it comes to the neck, to follow the other side of the funnel rather than the neck. To
avoid this, “stagger” the two funnel sides where they join the neck.

Chair follows other funnel instead of neck.... avoided by staggered funnels

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Line Tools 10.10
 Laying tape for a doorway funnel
Key features of a successful funnel are sufficient width to capture all the traffic approaching the
door, and sufficient clearance in front of the door to stop and turn speed freaks before they hit the
wall. The angle of the funnel is not particularly important, although the shallower the angle the
tighter the chair has to turn: 45° is probably a good compromise. Note that the funnel joins the
neck a little from its end: this “tail” is needed so that when the chair goes through the neck to
the far side, it carries straight on until the line is lost. If the tail was not there, the chair would try
to follow one of the funnel sides on the way out.

Leave a small tail at

each end of the funnel
for leaving the line -
about 8 - 10 cm

Leave clearance to give the

chair room to turn and
follow the funnel

The funnel should cover the width of

the doorway plus a bit - enough to
capture any wayward drivers

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Line Tools 10.11

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Line Tools 10.12
 11 Observer Speech Tool
You are now armed with a set of tools that can allow you to drive your wheelchair while
delegating other responsibilities to the chair, but that can leave you with a problem: how do
you know when you’re in control of the chair, and when the chair has taken over the control
itself? For example, you have your switch plugged into Forwards; Timed tool selected and
Bump and Turn on. You bump into something and your chair stops, backs off and turns -
who’s done what?

The Smart Wheelchair has a tool which watches the operation of the chair and reports back
using a speech synthesiser - we call it the Observer. The Observer will tell you when certain
events occur, for example “Oops, I have hit something!”, when a Bump occurs; “Found
line” when a line in encountered; or “I am going forwards”, when a forward command is
given. The Observer also uses the Scanner lights to give choices and indicate options.

There are several other reasons why we might want this facility:
• to provide reinforcing feedback when a user is learning to use the system. In the early
stages of use, this is very helpful in explaining the chair’s actions to a new user;
• as a first introduction to communication using an artificial voice;
• to encourage communication using voice output, by choosing functionally useful
communicative contexts and messages, i.e. so that the user communicates not by
selecting from a display (although this would be the eventual aim), but by driving the
chair into the situations where the messages are generated;
• as a warning that the chair is moving - for example, if there are children with a visual
impairment, and/or learning difficulties nearby.

The table below gives some currently stored contexts and messages.

Context and Event Message

Forward "I am going forwards"
Back "I am going back"
Left "I am turning left"
Right "I am turning right"
Stop "I am stopping"
Bump and Stop "Oops, I have hit something"
Bump and Reverse "Oops, I have hit something. I'll try to back off."
Bump and Turn "Oops, I have hit something I'll try to back off and turn left"
Encountering line "Found Line"
Leaving line "Lost Line"

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Observer 11. 1

 Speech
Volume
The volume knob sets the speech volume.

Speech The speech can be turned off completely by pressing the Speech
switch on the ToolBox.

Certain Observer messages can be turned on or off depending on

Motion
what you require or how annoying they get. The motion speech can be
Speech
turned off with the Motion Speech switch on the ToolBox so the chair
won’t say ‘I am gong forward’, ‘I am stopping’ etc but will still
report collisions or finding the line.
Programme
The Programme switch is used to set speeds and distances - use it
with care, and refer to Section 5 before you change anything.

The Observer also reports which tools have been selected when you turn on or when you
change them. This can be turned off by holding the Stop switch down when you power the
chair on. When you change tool settings, the Observer won’t report it. To turn this reporting
on again switch off and hold the Stop switch down again as you turn the chair on..

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Observer 11. 2

 12 Maintenance and safety

Maintenance

All the normal practices employed in looking after an electric wheelchair apply to the Smart
Wheelchair.

General
1. The tyre pressure should be checked regularly. The recommended pressure is 35 p.s.i. If
tyres are not correctly inflated, the performance and stability of the chair may be effected.
2. The battery charge should be checked before and after every session and if necessary, the
batteries charged.
3. Any loose bolts or fasteners should be tightened.
4. The chair should be kept clean and free from grease and dirt.
5. Battery terminals must be kept clean, tight and coated with petroleum jelly (Vaseline).

Electronic components
1. The DX System and Smart Controller should be regularly checked for integrity. Loose,
damaged or corroded connectors or terminals, or damaged cabling should be replaced.
2. All switchable functions on the DX System should be regularly tested to ensure they
function correctly.
3. All system components should be kept free of dust, dirt and liquids. If necessary wipe with
a cloth dampened with warm water or alcohol. Do not use solvents or abrasive cleaners.
4. Where any doubt exists, consult Smile Rehab.
5. There are no user-serviceable parts in any DX System or Smart Wheelchair component - do
not attempt to open any case.
6. Warning : If any DX or Smart Wheelchair component is damaged in any way, or if internal
damage may have occurred (for example by being dropped), have it checked by qualified
personnel before operating the chair.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Maintenance and Safety 12.1

 Safety warnings

You must read and understand all the warnings throughout this handbook and heed them - if
in doubt ask Smile Rehab for advice.

Supervision
Most Smart Wheelchair users will not be able to fully control the chair independently and
safely - if they could, they would not need a Smart Wheelchair. Although the bumpers, line
follower and other systems will assist the user, they cannot prevent collisions happening.
Therefore, the Smart Wheelchair pilot should always be supervised by a competent assistant
who can stop the chair in potentially unsafe situations.

The Wheelchair must not be operated

•near ponds, lakes or other water masses.
•near roads.
•on steep or slippery slopes.
•near fires or similar hazards (such as chemical or electrical laboratories, or where heavy
machinery is in use).
The Smart Wheelchair is an indoor chair. It may be also be used outside but only on flat, even
and firm surfaces such as concrete or paved paths and patios. Do not attempt to use the chair
outdoors on rough, uneven or inclined surfaces or on grass.

In case of fire
First Preference is to move the child and chair
The procedure is
• switch off
• unlock the rear wheels
• push the chair out of danger.

Second preference is to remove the child

Unstrapping might take longer, but there are situations when the chair could not be pushed
over obstacles.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Maintenance and Safety 12.2

 General use
Treat the chair driver as you would a very young child, thinking of all the hazards that
might confront him or her

1. Make sure the driver is always securely strapped into the chair when s/he is using it,
2. Always fit the driver’s seat securely to the chassis, with the locking catches engaged.
3. Do not let the driver operate the chair in the close vicinity of stairs either inside or out.
4. Do not allow the child to drive alone in a room with a fire, or to drive too close to a fire. Be
careful too of wall heaters - the driver may have decreased sensation and not know when he
is burning.
5. Be especially careful of the driver in the kitchen. Again, think of all the hazards that you
would be wary of with a young child.
6. Do not encourage the child to use people to bump into, as the child may have little
appreciation of pain.
7. Be careful of flexes - their height could be a potential hazard to a child in a wheelchair - you
can duck, but they can’t! Also, because the child driver could pull electrical things on top of
them.
8. Be very careful of tables - the bumpers will only stop the chair if they make contact with the
table leg, and the table is heavy or fixed to the floor or wall. Lightweight items of furniture
will be pushed across the room without activating the bumpers.
9. Switch off the power and engage the rear wheels before entering or leaving the chair.
10. Do not stand on the foot plates or bumpers when entering or leaving the chair.
11. Do not hand heavy objects on the back of the seat that could cause the chair to become
unstable, particularly when negotiating inclines.

Emergency stop
• Stopping/ Shutting down fast - use the OFF switch.

Weight and lifting

1. Do not try to lift the chair unless absolutely necessary - it is very heavy. If you must lift it,
get help from other people.
2. Lift it by the steel bumper or bumper supports, not by the rubber bumper tubing. Do not try
to lift the chair by holding on to the Smart Controller, joystick, switches, or any other
electronic component. Do not lift the chair by cables or wires.
3. Do not lift the wheelchair with the child in it.

Transporting the chair

1. The best way to transport the chair is in a van with wheelchair ramp or lift, and special
clamps or straps. Check with the clamp manufacturer that the clamps are strong enough to
hold electric wheelchairs.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Maintenance and Safety 12.3

 2. We recommend that the user does not sit in the Smart Wheelchair to travel - use an
approved seat and restraint belt. If you wish to transport the user in the Smart Wheelchair,
check that the clamps can hold the chair; and that the seat and seatbelts are approved for
road transportation.
3. The chair can also be transported by car. With an estate, we recommend use of wheelchair
ramps. You may have to remove the seat from the wheelchair.
4. You can also fit the Smart Wheelchair into most hatchbacks, provided the seating is
removed first. Take care when lifting it in - use wheelchair ramps or lift the chair with three
or more people.
5. Make sure the wheels are engaged with the motor as this acts as a braking mechanism to
stop it moving around as you are driving.

Electronics and controls

1. Disconnect the charger before entering the chair.
2. Turn the speed to low before using the chair.
3. The DX Power Module, joystick and Smart Controller must not be used in any way other
than in the manner described in this manual.
4. All programmable options on the DX Power Module, joystick and Smart Controller must be
correctly adjusted for safe operation prior to use.
5. A warning must be conveyed to the wheelchair operator that the controller could cause the
chair to come to a sudden stop. In situations where this may affect the safety of the user,
this will require the fitting and wearing of a seat belt.
6. Performance adjustments to the DX Power Module should only be made by professionals
of the health care field or persons fully conversant with this process and the drivers
capabilities. Incorrect settings could cause injury to the driver or bystanders, or damage to
the wheelchair or surrounding property.
7. Do not operate the wheelchair if it behaves erratically, or shows abnormal heating, smoke or
arcing. Turn the system off at once and consult Smile Rehab.
8. Do not operate the wheelchair if the battery is nearly flat as a dangerous situation may result
due to loss of power in an inopportune place.
9. Ensure the controller is turned off when not in use.
10. No connector pins should be touched, as contamination or damage due to electrostatic
discharge may result.
11. Most electronic equipment is influenced by Radio Frequency Interference (RFI). The Smart
Wheelchair has been designed and tested to meet current standards for immunity from RFI
but caution should be exercised with regard to the use of portable communications
equipment. If RFI causes erratic behaviour, shut the wheelchair off immediately. Leave off
while transmission is in progress.
12. If the AC power lead on the battery charger becomes damaged, the charger should not be
used.
13. Report any malfunctions immediately to Smile Rehab.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Maintenance and Safety 12.4

 Troubleshooting

The chair will not switch on...

• Check the DX cables are securely connected to the joystick, Smart Controller and Power
Module.
• Check the Safety Cut-Out button on the right side of the chassis. If it has popped out, press
it back in and try switching on again.
• Try charging the batteries first, then switching on.
• If all else fails, contact Smile Rehab.

The green light on the Smart Controller flashes when you

switch on...
• If the light is flashing once a second, the Smart Wheelchair is in programming mode - turn
programming mode off with the Program switch on the ToolBox.
• Flashing twice a second indicates that a bumper is stuck on, which may mean the bumpers
need adjustment (see bump tools section on bumper adjustment). The chair will still operate
with stuck bumpers but you will not be able to use the Bump Tools and they should be
turned off on the ToolBox. Both of the above conditions are reported by the Speech
Synthesiser if you have it connected.

The chair stops and the red light on the Smart Controller
comes on...
• means the Smart Controller has detected a fault and switched itself off. Try switching off
and on again. If the fault repeats, contact Smile Rehab.

The chair drives in different directions when I press the

forward switch...
You probably have Scanning Control switched on - switch it off.

The chair chats away as though it’s stuck in a loop and

behaves strangely when I switch on...
It has probably lost it’s settings. Switch off, hold down Back and Stop switches, and power
up. Then release the switches. The chair should say ‘Resetting Tools and Default values’, and
behave normally. If the chair keeps losing the settings it may be because the backup battery is
flat (if the chair has not been used for a very long time, the battery will go flat) and you should
contact Smile Rehab for a replacement.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Maintenance and Safety 12.5

 The green light on the joystick flashes when you switch on...
• the DX Power Module has detected a fault in the system. Switch the chair off, wait five
seconds, and then switch on again.
• The light will flash one or more times, then pause, and then flash again. The number of
times it flashes is called the Flash Code; different flash codes indicate different faults. The
codes and what they mean are listed below. Faults which may effect safety will cause the
chair to stop. Some faults are automatically cleared when the fault is fixed; others are
‘latched’ and must be cleared by switching off, waiting for two seconds, and then switching
on again. If the fault is not safety-critical, the chair may go into ‘Limp mode’ where it can
be driven, but only slowly. If a DX fault is shown, first switch the chair off, wait five
seconds, and then switch on again. If it still flashes make a note of the flash code and then
contact Smile Rehab.

No. of flashes Fault Chair stops? Fault latched? Limp Mode?

1 DX Module faulty Depends on module Depends on fault If PM or Joystick
2 DX Accessory fault Depends on fault Depends on fault No
3 Left M1 Motor fault Yes Yes No
4 Right M2 Motor fault Yes Yes No
5 Left (M1) Parkbrake fault Yes Yes No
6 Right (M1) Parkbrake fault Yes Yes No
7 Low battery fault Yes No No
8 Over voltage fault Yes No No
9 CANL fault Yes No Yes
10 CANH fault Yes Yes Yes
11 Stall Time Out Yes Yes No
12 Module mismatch Yes Yes No

When you want to turn the wheelchair off (whether or not the chair is running i.e. in an
emergency or at the end of a session), just press the on/off button on the joystick.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Maintenance and Safety 12.6

 The chair does not move when I press the switch...
There are several reason why this may be happening. Follow the table below to try and find
the reason - if you can’t, phone Smile Rehab.

OBSERVATION SOLUTION
Is the wheelchair switched on? Switch it on.

Are the wheels engaged? Engage the wheels

Is the Joystick on Mode 1? If not, set to Mode 1

Is the speed turned right down? Turn it up

Is Scanning selected Turn scanning off

Is Programme Mode on? Turn Programme Mode off

Has the chair just hit a bump? Back away from the bump and try again.

Has the chair just hit a bump particularly hard? Check the Safety Cut-Out button has not popped
out - press it in.

Has the speed been altered with the Check and if necessary adjust it
programming switch?

Switch on Motion Speech. Does the chair say If yes, and the chair does not move, there is a
'I'm going ....' when the switch is pressed? fault with the Smart Controller or the DX
Power Module. Contact Smile Rehab.
Is the switch light on the front panel coming on If yes, then the switch is OK. If not, either the
when the switch is pressed? switch is faulty or there is a fault in the Smart
Controller.
Plug a different switch into the socket If it works, the switch is duff. If it doesn't
work, the Smart Controller may be faulty.

Plug the switch into a different socket If it works, the first socket may be faulty. If
not the switch or the Smart Controller is faulty

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Maintenance and Safety 12.7

 The chair does not follow the line properly...

OBSERVATION SOLUTION
Is Line Following switched on on the toolbox? Switch it on.

Is the Line Follower unit plugged into the front If not, plug it in
of the Smart Controller?

Wave some tape under the Line Follower. Do If yes, the line follower is working OK. If one
ALL the 'Line Sensor' lights light up on the light does not come on, one of the line sensors
Smart Controller front panel as the tape is may be faulty - contact Smile Rehab. If no
The chair swings out at corners Use wider, gentler corners.

The chair moves too slowly on the line Try increasing the Line Following speed with
the Programming Switch - but carefully.

The chair does not 'find line' when it goes Approach the line more slowly
across it

The chair does not 'lose line' Have a straight piece of tape before the line
stops

The chair does not detect junctions Switch Line Junctions on. See Section 10 on
laying line junctions.

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Maintenance and Safety 12.8

 Suppliers
If you need help with anything to do with the Smart Wheelchair, contact Smile Rehab in the
first instance.

However, the chair is designed so that you can try out different switches, controls, training
ideas and activities without having to always call in an engineer or technician, or occupational
or physiotherapist. To help you with this, we have listed some suppliers of switches and
controls below. It is worth obtaining their catalogues so you have a good idea of what is
available.

CALL Centre, University of Edinburgh, Paterson's Land, Holyrood Road, Edinburgh,

EH8 8AQ. Tel. 0131 651 6236. http://callcentre.education.ed.ac.uk. Designers of
the Smart Wheelchair.

Controls Dynamic, Lisle Avenue, Kidderminster, Worcs.. Tel. 01562 820 055
www.DynamicMobility.co.nz. Manufacturers of wheelchair controlllers and joysticks.

Dudley Controls Ltd., 10 Peverel Drive, Milton Keynes, Bucks MK1 1NL. Tel. 01908
640777. Manufacturers of wheelchair controlllers, joysticks and switches.

Cambridge Adaptive Communication, The Mount, Toft, Cambridge CB3 7RL. Tel.
01223 264 244. www.camad.demon.co.uk. Suppliers of switches and switch
mounts, communication aids, access devices and software.

CPC, Component House, Faraday Drive, Fulwood, Preston, Lancs. PR2 9PP. Tel.
01772 654455. http://www.cpc.co.uk. Electronic components - good for cables,
adapters, velcro and general components.

Inclusive Technology, Saddleworth Business Centre, Huddersfield Road, Oldham

OL3 5DF, Tel. 01457 819790. http://www.inclusive.co.uk Switches and switch
mounts, plus Mac and PC SEN software and hardware.

QED 2000, 1 Prince Alfred Street, Gosport, Hampshire, PO12 1QH. Tel: 0870-78-78-
850. Suppliers of a very wide range of switches, switch mounts, interfaces and
communication devices, including TASH switches and Mobilia switch mounts.

SEMERC, Granada Learning, Granada Television, Quay Street, Manchester M60 9EA.
Tel. 0161 827 2927. http://www.semerc.com. Switches, switch mounts, and Acorn
and PC SEN software and hardware.

Smile Rehab Ltd. 3 Bone Lane, Newbury RG14 5SH. Tel. 01635 42305
http://www.smilerehab.com/ Manufactuers of the Bobcat and Smart Wheelchairs.

Techcess, Unit 12, Willow Park Industrial Estate, Upton Lane, Stoke Golding, Nuneaton,
Warwickshire CV13 6EU. Tel. 01455 213708. Suppliers of a wide range of switches,
and other devices including TASH switches and Daessy mounts..

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Maintenance and Safety 12.9

Smart Wheelchair User Manual: Maintenance and Safety 12.10