Autonomous Agricultural System Including Guidance System for Identifying and Selecting a Transport Vehicle Via Image Recognition and Light Activation and Related Methods

A method of guiding operation of an agricultural vehicle during an agricultural operation, the method comprising:

• capturing image data of at least one transport vehicle via at least one sensor of the agricultural vehicle;
• analyzing the captured image data to determine whether the at least one transport vehicle comprises a single transport vehicle or a plurality of transport vehicles;
• responsive to determining that the at least one transport vehicle comprises a single transport vehicle, causing the agricultural vehicle to automatically align with the detected single transport vehicle;
• responsive to determining that the at least one transport vehicle comprises a plurality of transport vehicles, analyzing the captured image data to identify a candidate target transport vehicle of the plurality of transport vehicles;
• activating a light emitting device of an intended target transport vehicle;
• detecting light emitted by the light emitting device to verify the candidate target transport vehicle matches the intended target transport vehicle;
• and
• responsive to identifying and verifying the candidate target transport vehicle of the plurality of transport vehicles, causing the agricultural vehicle to automatically align with the candidate target transport vehicle.

An agricultural vehicle having a cart operably coupled thereto, the agricultural vehicle comprising:

• a guidance system for controlling operation of the agricultural vehicle and the cart and comprising:
• at least one processor;
• and
• at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the guidance system, during an agricultural operation, to:
• capture image data of a plurality of transport vehicles;
• analyze the captured image data to identify a candidate target transport vehicle of the plurality of transport vehicles;
• activate a light emitting device of an intended target transport vehicle;
• detect light emitted by the light emitting device to verify the candidate target transport vehicle matches the intended target transport vehicle;
• and
• responsive to identifying and verifying the candidate target transport vehicle of the plurality of transport vehicles, cause the agricultural vehicle to automatically align with the candidate target transport vehicle.