Patent ID: 8733661

Claim:
An apparatus for positioning a workpiece carrier with respect to an assembly line workstation comprising: a workpiece carrier for transporting a workpiece along an assembly line path of travel relative to a workstation; a drive for selectively moving the workpiece carrier along the path of travel; a code reader positioned at the workstation along the path of travel; a coded strip positioned along the path of travel wherein one of the code reader and the coded strip is selectively movable relative to one another, the coded strip having a first end and a second end defining a code strip length and including: (a) a first identification information segment of at least one of the workpiece carrier type or the workpiece type for positive identification of the carrier type or the workpiece type; and (b) a logistical positioning information segment for positive positioning of code strip relative to the code reader; and a controller in electronic communication with the code reader and the drive defining a closed-loop feedback control system to selectively position the carrier in a desired location.