An electric wheelchair as a tool for motivating students in power electronics

Nowadays the education on electrical engineering, in European countries, is facing on one side a high demand for engineers coming from industry and on the other hand a reduced interest from younger generation, whose interest is highly polarised by information and communication technologies. A permanent-magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) controller for an electric wheelchair demo track has been set up, in order to reinforce the demonstrative aspects of modern technology as a contribution to the motivation of students for the industrial electronics world. The motors are controlled at different operating conditions by means of a current control law using a low cost microcontroller board. The prototype has been designed specifically to meet the requirement of low cost and it contains all of the active functions required to implement the control of the electric wheelchair. The resulting prototype has a very low cost compared to commercial ldquoblack-boxrdquo modules. This prototype allows a first approach between a real technical system and power electronics, increasing the studentpsilas motivation for the power electronics area and to significantly enhance their skills to measure and interpret measurements and comparing those to theoretical predictions.