System and Method of Monitoring Disturbance Force in an Independent Cart System, Compensation of Said Disturbance Force

An apparatus for monitoring disturbance force in an independent cart system, the apparatus comprising:

• a track having a length;
• a plurality of coils spaced along the length of the track;
• at least one mover configured to travel along the track;
• a position feedback assembly configured to generate a feedback signal corresponding to operation of the at least one mover, wherein the feedback signal is a measured position, a measured velocity, or both a measured position and a measured velocity;
• and
• a controller configured to:
• (a) generate a commanded current to be provided to the plurality of coils,
• (b) regulate a desired current output to the plurality of coils, wherein the desired current corresponds to the commanded current and establishes an electromagnetic field that interacts with the at least one mover to propel the mover along the track,
• (c) periodically store the commanded current and the feedback signal in memory of the controller, and
• (d) determine a disturbance force experienced by the at least one mover at a plurality of positions along the track, wherein the disturbance force is a function of the commanded current and the stored feedback signal.

A method for monitoring disturbance force in a linear drive system, wherein the linear drive system includes a plurality of movers configured to travel along a track, the method comprising performing the following steps for each of the plurality of movers:

• generating a commanded current to be provided to a series of coils spaced along a length of the track in the linear drive system with a controller;
• regulating a desired current provided to each of the series of coils with the controller, wherein the desired current corresponds to the commanded current and establishes an electromagnetic field that interacts with one of the plurality of movers in the linear drive system to propel the mover along the track;
• receiving a feedback signal at the controller, wherein the feedback signal is a measured position of the mover as it is propelled along the track by the desired current;
• determining a disturbance force experienced by the mover at a plurality of positions along the track, wherein the disturbance force is determined by the controller and is a function of the commanded current;
• and
• storing the feedback signal and the disturbance force experienced by the mover in memory of the controller.