Patent ID: 11884518
Assignee: CATERPILLAR INC.
Field: Handling (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  G | IPC B  G

Claim 14:
15. A pipelayer machine comprising:
a propulsion system;
an electronic device having a user interface;
one or more sensors; and
a controller in communication with the propulsion system, the user interface, and the one or more sensors, the controller being configured to:
determine, based on the one or more sensors, a load distribution between the pipelayer machine and a plurality of adjacent pipelayer machines;
determine a first distance that the pipelayer machine is to maintain between the pipelayer machine and each of the plurality of adjacent pipelayer machines based at least in part on the load distribution,
wherein the plurality of adjacent pipelayer machines includes a first pipelayer machine positioned in front of the pipelayer machine and a second pipelayer machine positioned behind the pipelayer machine;

determine, via the one or more sensors, a second distance between the pipelayer machine and the first pipelayer machine;
determine whether the second distance is within an acceptable range of the first distance;
determine, via the one or more sensors, a third distance between the pipelayer machine and the second pipelayer machine;
determine whether the third distance is within the acceptable range of the first distance; and
cause, via the controller, the pipelayer machine to navigate in order to adjust a position of the pipelayer machine relative to each of the first pipelayer machine and the second pipelayer machine based at least in part on determining that the second distance or the third distance is outside of the acceptable range of the first distance.