Electric wheelchair, drive system for mounting on electric wheelchair, method for controlling electric wheelchair, and non-transitory information storage medium storing program

An electric wheelchair comprising:

• a right wheel;
• a left wheel;
• and
• a drive system,
• the drive system including:
• a right wheel motor that drives the right wheel;
• a left wheel motor that drives the left wheel;
• a force sensor that detects an externally applied force to turn the electric wheelchair;
• and
• a control device that controls the right wheel motor and the left wheel motor based on a common reference speed, wherein
• the control device is configured to:
• at a time of a left turn in which the force to turn the electric wheelchair in a left direction is detected, increase a rotational speed of the right wheel motor from a rotational speed corresponding to the common reference speed and decrease a rotational speed of the left wheel motor from the rotational speed corresponding to the common reference speed, and
• at a time of a right turn in which the force to turn the electric wheelchair in a right direction is detected, increase a rotational speed of the left wheel motor from a rotational speed corresponding to the common reference speed and decrease a rotational speed of the right wheel motor from the rotational speed corresponding to the common reference speed.

A method for controlling an electric wheelchair including a right wheel, a left wheel, a right wheel motor that drives the right wheel, and a left wheel motor that drives the left wheel, the method comprising;

• detecting an externally applied force to turn the electric wheelchair;
• and
• controlling the right wheel motor and the left wheel motor based on a common reference speed, wherein
• the controlling step includes:
• at a time of a left turn in which the force to turn the electric wheelchair in a left direction is detected, increasing a rotational speed of the right wheel motor from a rotational speed corresponding to the common reference speed and decreasing a rotational speed of the left wheel motor from the rotational speed corresponding to the common reference speed, and
• at a time of a right turn in which the force to turn the electric wheelchair in a right direction is detected, increasing a rotational speed of the left wheel motor from a rotational speed corresponding to the common reference speed and decreasing a rotational speed of the right wheel motor from the rotational speed corresponding to the common reference speed.

A non-transitory information storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as a control device of an electric wheelchair including a right wheel, a left wheel, a right wheel motor that drives the right wheel, and a left wheel motor that drives the left wheel, the program for causing the computer to function as:

• a detector for detecting an externally applied force to turn the electric wheelchair;
• and
• a controller for controlling the right wheel motor and the left wheel motor based on a common reference speed, wherein
• the contoller includes:
• at a time of a left turn in which the force to turn the electric wheelchair in a left direction is detected, increasing a rotational speed of the right wheel motor from a rotational speed corresponding to the common reference speed and decreasing a rotational speed of the left wheel motor from the rotational speed corresponding to the common reference speed, and
• at a time of a right turn in which the force to turn the electric wheelchair in a right direction is detected, increasing a rotational speed of the left wheel motor from a rotational speed corresponding to the common reference speed and decreasing a rotational speed of the right wheel motor from the rotational speed corresponding to the common reference speed.