# The Status of Intelligent Control Technology for the Working Height of a Crop Harvesting Header

**Authors:** Chenxu Zhao, Feng Wu, Fengwei Gu, Xinsheng Zhou, Yanqin Zhang, Peng Chen, Jiayong Pei, Hongguang Yang

PMC · DOI: 10.3390/s25206367 · Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025-10-15

## TL;DR

This paper reviews intelligent control technologies for adjusting the working height of crop harvesting headers to improve efficiency and reduce harvest loss.

## Contribution

The paper systematically reviews current methods and identifies key challenges in intelligent height control for harvesting headers.

## Key findings

- Current methods for controlling working height include mechanical and electro-hydraulic profiling.
- Measurement accuracy in complex terrain and system response time are major issues.
- Control models and strategies are often incompatible, and measurement methods are limited.

## Abstract

As is well known, intelligence and efficiency are important development directions for modern agriculture. The harvesting header, as key components of crop harvesters, have significant implications for achieving intelligent control of their working height, which has a notable impact on reducing harvest loss. To understand the current state of intelligent control technology for the working height of a crop harvesting header, and to explore their application potential, this article provides a relatively systematic literature review. Firstly, we analyzed the structure and principle of the harvesting header of typical grain and oil crops such as rice and peanuts. Secondly, we briefly described the current methods for controlling the working height of the harvesting header. They mainly use two methods: mechanical profiling and electro-hydraulic profiling. Thirdly, we focused on researching and analyzing the measurement methods and control algorithms for the working height of the harvesting header. Finally, we pointed out the problems in the current height control of the harvesting header. These problems mainly include insufficient measurement accuracy of working height in complex terrain, slow response and large delay of working height hydraulic control system, incompatibility between working height control models and strategies, and relatively single working height measurement methods.

## Full-text entities

- **Chemicals:** oil (MESH:D009821)
- **Species:** Oryza sativa (Asian cultivated rice, species) [taxon 4530], Arachis hypogaea (goober, species) [taxon 3818]

## Full text

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## Figures

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## References

104 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12567604/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12567604