The automotive industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by the need for better fuel economy and speed efficiency, and growing importance of technologies such as torque vectoring and torque sensing. In the last three years alone, there have been over 1.2 million patents filed and granted in the automotive industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Innovation in Automotive: Transmission gear mounting. Buy the report here.
However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilising and reaching maturity.
Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.
290+ innovations will shape the automotive industry
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the automotive industry using innovation intensity models built on over 619,000 patents, there are 290+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Within the emerging innovation stage, resilient spoke wheels, auto-transmission lubrication circuits, and ignition switching engines are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Engine purge actuators, electro-dynamic braking, and adsorptive vapour recovery system estimation are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are collision avoidance braking control system and direct injection type engines, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for the automotive industry
Transmission gear mounting is a key innovation area in automotive
The gearbox mountings support the gearbox in addition to reducing noise and vibration to a level that neither the driver nor the passenger notices them. Protecting delicate or coated materials during preparation and achieving ideal edge retention are the two goals of mounting.
GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 60+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established automotive companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of transmission gear mounting.
Key players in transmission gear mounting – a disruptive innovation in the automotive industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent and broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in and reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to transmission gear mounting
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
NTT is one of the leading innovators in transmission gear mounting with 187 patents. The company provides transmission gear mounting, which addresses the noise, vibration, and harshness issues arising from new transmission designs. The mounting solution reduces gearbox whine, provides weight and cost savings, and improves system endurance. Other companies innovating in this technology domain are LG, BYD, and Dana.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the automotive industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Automotive.
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