Object collection system and method

A method for an object collection system, the object collection system including a vehicle connected to a bucket, the multiple cameras connected to the vehicle, an object picking assembly configured to pick up objects off of ground, the object picking assembly disposed at a front-end of the bucket, a sensor array disposed on the bucket, a memory that stores computer instructions, and a processor that executes the stored computer instructions, the method comprising:

• scanning a region that includes a catcher swath to identify one or more objects;
• guiding the object collection system over the target geographical area toward the one or more identified objects based on object information;
• capturing, via the multiple cameras, a plurality of images of the ground relative to an object picker as the object collection system is guided towards the one or more identified objects, the object picker having the catcher swath to pick up the one or more objects;
• identifying a target object on the ground from among the one or more identified objects in the plurality of images based on a dataset of known object features;
• tracking movement of the ground relative to the moving vehicle across the plurality of images as the object collection system is guided towards the one or more identified objects;
• and
• employing the tracked movement of the ground to instruct the object picker to pick up the target object.

An object-collection system, the system including:

• an object picking assembly configured to pick up objects off of ground, the object picking assembly positioned at a front-end of a bucket;
• a processor;
• and
• a memory that stores computer instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
• scan a region that includes a catcher swath to identify one or more objects;
• guide the object-collection system over a target geographical area toward the one or more identified objects based on object information;
• receive a plurality of images of the ground relative to an object picker as the object-collection system is guided towards the one or more identified objects, the object picker having the catcher swath to pick up the one or more objects;
• identify a target object on the ground from among the one or more identified objects in the plurality of images based on a dataset of known object features;
• track movement of the ground relative to the moving vehicle across the plurality of images as the object-collection system is guided towards the one or more identified objects;
• and
• employ the tracked movement of the ground to instruct the object picker to pick up the target object.