Persistent Vehicle Identification for an Independent Cart System

A system for identifying movers in an independent cart system, the system comprising:

• a plurality of movers operative to travel along a length of a track for the independent cart system;
• a first sensor positioned in a first location with respect to a width of the track, wherein the first sensor generates a first feedback signal having a first waveform responsive to detecting a first mover, selected from the plurality of movers, travelling along the track;
• a second sensor positioned in a second location with respect to a width of the track, wherein the second sensor generates a second feedback signal having a second waveform responsive to detecting the first mover travelling along the track, wherein the first waveform is different than the second waveform;
• a memory operative to store a plurality of instructions, a plurality of identifiers, wherein each identifier corresponds to one of the plurality of movers, and a plurality of digital representations of waveforms, wherein each of the plurality of digital representations of waveforms corresponds to a waveform generated by one the plurality of movers travelling past either the first sensor or the second sensor;
• and
• a controller operative to execute the plurality of instructions to:
• receive the first feedback signal and the second feedback signal,
• determine a first identifier, selected from the plurality of identifiers, corresponding to the first mover as a function of the first waveform and of the second waveform.

A method for identifying movers in an independent cart system, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving a feedback signal from a sensor as a first mover, selected from a plurality of movers, travels past the sensor and along a track for the independent cart system, wherein the feedback signal has a first waveform unique to the first mover;
• determining a first identifier for the first mover as a function of the first waveform;
• receiving a second identifier corresponding to a second mover, selected from the plurality of movers, wherein the second mover is one position either upstream or downstream along the track;
• and
• verifying that the second mover is properly located one position either upstream or downstream from the first mover.