Driving the future of transmission control

 As the leading international supplier of automatic transmission system control units, we provide our customers with solutions for all types of transmissions. Today‘s transmission electronics optimize driving comfort, reduce fuel consumption and emissions from vehicles of all classes, which is why our product portfolio ranges from high-end systems to cost optimized solutions for the growing markets.

Depending on the vehicle and transmission concept, we offer a wide range of control unit solutions, from external control units mounted separately from the transmission to fully integrated applications including electronics, sensors, actuator, wiring and electric set within the transmission.

Packaging and functional benefits

We actively drive forward the integration of control units inside the transmission. On top of saving installation space and weight while reducing the complexity of logistics, integrated applications can be installed as a fully tested sub-system. Moreover, from a logistical point of view, integrated solutions facilitate handling for the vehicle or transmission manufacturer.

Since the control unit is immersed in transmission fluid, this system profits considerably from our extensive expertise in electronics design and manufacturing, ranging from printed circuit boards (PCBs) to extremely shock- and temperature resistant ceramic substrate technology, e.g. Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramics (LTCCs) or Thickfilm Ceramics.

Control unit for double clutch transmission

This innovative transmission technology has been in series production since 2003;

with its smooth gearshifts and no shuddering or traction torque interruption, the DCT combines the ease of an automatic transmission with the dynamism of a manual gearshift, saving fuel and reducing emissions. The heart of the DCT is Continental‘s control unit – one of our development highlights, of which we are proud of and which proofs our expertise and innovative strength.

Electro-hydraulic transmission control module

Another recent example of our expertise is the new transmission electro-hydraulic control module (TEHCM) that integrates the control module, hydraulic pressure switches, solenoids and filter plate in one single unit.  

The first production application is a transversely-mounted six speed automatic transmission which requires sophisticated control functions and precise timing control in particular. To facilitate the highly compact gearbox design, all gear shifts except the first-to-second upshift are done via a clutch-to-clutch concept instead of a freewheeling mechanism. Our high-performance TEHCM contributes to the compact construction of this transmission as well as the freewheeling level of  perfect timing between shifts.