System and method for controlling an implement on a work machine using machine vision

A method for determining a position and orientation of an implement on a vehicle, comprising:

• determining, with a three-dimensional (3D) camera, a local three-dimensional position in a local coordinate system of each of a plurality of components of the implement in a field of view of the 3D camera;
• determining, with a global positioning system and an inertial measurement unit, a global three-dimensional position and orientation of the 3D camera in a global coordinate system;
• calculating a global three-dimensional position in the global coordinate system for each of the plurality of components using the local three-dimensional position of each of the plurality of components, the global three-dimensional position of the 3D camera, and the global three-dimensional orientation of the 3D camera;
• and
• calculating a position and orientation of the implement based on the calculated global three-dimensional position of each of the plurality of components.

A computer program embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, for determining a position and orientation of an implement on a vehicle, the computer program configured to cause at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

• determining, with a three-dimensional (3D) camera, a local three-dimensional position in a local coordinate system of each of a plurality of components of the implement in a field of view of the 3D camera;
• determining, with a global positioning system and an inertial measurement unit, a global three-dimensional position and orientation in a global coordinate system of the 3D camera;
• calculating a global three-dimensional position in the global coordinate system for each of the plurality of components using the local three-dimensional position of each of the plurality of components, the global three-dimensional position of the 3D camera, and the global three-dimensional orientation of the 3D camera;
• and
• calculating a position and orientation of the implement based on the calculated global three-dimensional position of each of the plurality of components.