The terrain in hilly and mountainous areas is complex, and the level of agricultural mechanization is low. This article systematically reviews the research progress of key technologies for agricultural machinery power chassis in hilly and mountainous areas, and conducts an analysis of five aspects: the power system, walking system, steering system, leveling system, and automatic navigation and path tracking control system. In this manuscript, (1) in terms of the power system, the technical characteristics and application scenarios of mechanical, hydraulic, and electric drive systems were compared. (2) In terms of the walking system, the performance differences between wheeled, crawler, legged, and composite walking devices and the application of suspension systems in agricultural machinery chassis were discussed. (3) In terms of the steering system, the steering characteristics of wheeled chassis and crawler chassis were analyzed, respectively. (4) In terms of the leveling system, the research progress on hydraulic and electric leveling mechanisms, as well as intelligent leveling control algorithms, was summarized. (5) The technology of automatic navigation and path tracking for agricultural machinery chassis was discussed, focusing on multi-sensor fusion and advanced control algorithms. In the future, agricultural machinery chassis will develop towards the directions of intelligence, automation, greening, being lightweight, and being multi-functionality.

In this study, an intelligent vehicle (IV) path tracking control method based on curvature optimisation is proposed to reduce the comprehensive performance conflict of the system. This system conflict is caused by the mutual restriction between the path tracking accuracy and the body stability during the movement of the intelligent automobile. First, the working principle of the new IV path tracking control algorithm is briefly introduced. Then, a three-degrees-of-freedom vehicle dynamics model and a preview error model considering vehicle roll are established. In addition, a path tracking control method based on curvature optimisation is designed to solve the deterioration of vehicle stability even when the path tracking accuracy of the IV is improved. Finally, the effectiveness of the IV path tracking control system is validated through simulations and the Hardware in the Loop (HIL) test with various conditions forms. Results clearly show that the optimisation amplitude of the IV lateral deviation is up to 84.10%, and the stability is improved by approximately 2% under the v_x = 10 m/s and ρ = 0.15 m⁻¹ condition; the optimisation amplitude of the lateral deviation is up to 66.80%, and the stability is improved by approximately 4% under the v_x = 10 m/s and ρ = 0.2 m⁻¹ condition; the body stability is improved by 20–30% under the v_x = 15 m/s and ρ = 0.15 m⁻¹ condition, and the boundary conditions of body stability are triggered. The curvature optimisation controller can effectively improve the tracking accuracy of the fuzzy sliding mode controller. The body stability constraint can also ensure the smooth running of the vehicle in the optimisation process.

Thermoelectric generator (TEG) has emerged as a critical technology for automotive exhaust energy recovery, yet there is still a lack of reviews analyzing automotive TEG structure design and optimization methods simultaneously. Therefore, this review consolidates structure design and methods for improving thermoelectric conversion efficiency, focusing on three core components: thermoelectric module (TEM), heat exchanger (HEX), and heat sink (HSK). For TEM, research and development efforts have primarily centered on material innovation and structural optimization, with segmented, non-segmented, and multi-stage configurations emerging as the three primary structural types. HEX development spans external geometries, including plate, polygonal, and annular designs, and internal enhancements such as fin, heat pipe, metal foam, and baffle to augment heat transfer. HSK leverages active, passive, or hybrid cooling systems, with water-cooling designs prevalent in automotive TEG for cold-side thermal management. Optimization methods encompass theoretical analysis, numerical simulation, experimental testing, and hybrid methods, with strategies devised to balance computational efficiency and accuracy based on system complexity and resource availability. This review provides a systematic framework to guide the design and optimization of automotive TEG.

In response to the problems of poor operating stability and easy tipping of small agricultural machinery under the complex terrain of hilly and mountainous areas, this study designed a tracked mobile platform suitable for hilly and mountainous areas and equipped with an omnidirectional leveling function. The omnidirectional leveling system adopted an innovative coordinated leveling scheme with four servo-electric cylinders of “dual lateral and dual longitudinal” structure. Integrated with dual-axis tilt sensors and a PLC control system, the system enabled decoupled leveling in both the lateral and longitudinal directions. Dynamic simulations of the platform’s leveling process under typical working conditions were performed using ADAMS. The simulation results verified the feasibility of the omnidirectional leveling system. Field tests on slopes in hilly and mountainous areas demonstrated that the omnidirectional leveling system achieves rapid leveling on steep slopes within 5–6 s. After leveling, the average fuselage inclination angle was stabilized within 2°, with a standard deviation of less than 3.4°. This study provided a reliable technical solution and design reference for agricultural machinery manufacturers, while offering users a safer and more efficient platform for operations in complex mountainous areas, significantly reducing the risk of overturning.

Agricultural machinery is rapidly developing toward electrification, intelligence, and autonomy, and the electric drive chassis has become a key technology for improving power transmission performance, operational efficiency, and energy utilization. This paper presents a review of research on electric drive chassis for agricultural machinery, focusing on four major aspects: electric drive systems, anti-slip and stability control of electric drive chassis, autonomous navigation system control technologies, and energy management strategies. The electric drive system is reviewed from the perspectives of drive motor technologies and drive architectures. Chassis control technologies are mainly discussed in terms of longitudinal anti-slip control and lateral stability control under complex terrain conditions. Autonomous navigation systems are summarized with respect to multi-source environmental perception, path planning, and path tracking control. Energy management strategies are classified into rule-based, optimization-based, and learning-based approaches according to their control principles, and the characteristics and applicable scenarios of each approach are analyzed. On this basis, the collaborative relationships among drive architecture, chassis control, autonomous navigation, and energy management are further discussed. Finally, future research directions are proposed, including highly integrated electric drive systems, vehicle-level collaborative control, multi-source sensor fusion, hybrid model-driven and data-driven control, global energy optimization, and multi-machine cooperative operation. This review provides a reference for the design and development of intelligent electric drive chassis for agricultural machinery.

To address the issues of poor operational stability and insufficient omnidirectional leveling capability of tracked electric agricultural machinery in hilly and mountainous areas, this paper presents an electromechanical omnidirectional leveling chassis architecture based on a dual-layer independently driven architecture. Utilizing servo electric cylinders as actuators, a leveling mechanism with physically decoupled upper lateral and lower longitudinal layers was constructed. Based on this structure, a mathematical model relating the electric cylinder displacement to the platform posture was established. Furthermore, an ADAMS dynamics simulation platform was built to conduct simulation analysis and prototype experiments. The results indicate that the designed dual-layer independently driven chassis can achieve a theoretical leveling range of ±28.6° laterally and ±27.7° longitudinally, operating smoothly under the rated 25° slope condition. Dynamic tests demonstrate that when the prototype travels at 3 km/h, the residual inclination angle of the platform can be controlled within ±0.9° in 3 s. The simulation and experimental results are in high agreement, comprehensively revealing the dynamic coupling relationship among the electric cylinder displacement, platform posture, and driving thrust. The experiments verify that the electromechanical omnidirectional leveling system can accomplish adaptive leveling under slope conditions, exhibiting superior performance regarding response speed, control accuracy, and disturbance rejection, with the thrust deviation rate between simulation and experiment within 6.71%.