Gearing up for long lifetimes

For transmission control engineers, a greater focus on reliability is prompting a shift to standards such as ISO 26262 and an improved diagnostics function that takes a broader view, looking at the overall system vs. individual components.

Transmissions are getting more complex, adding more gears and shifting more often in order to meet demanding fuel consumption requirements. As complexity rises, developers are striving to improve reliability by employing standards and enhancing diagnostic systems.

Automakers who once shied away from adopting standards are now altering their design practices, using ISO 26262 to achieve functional safety goals. At the same time, transmission developers are beginning to employ AUTOSAR (AUTomotive Open System ARchitecture) to add structure to the growing amount of software used to control shifting.