The automotive industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by enhanced driving experience, as well as the increasing importance of technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, connected, and autonomous vehicles. 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 Artificial intelligence in Automotive: AI-assisted dimming. Buy the report here.
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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, manufacturability analysis, autonomous parking, and lidar for vehicle anti-collision are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Speed profile estimation, smart light dimmers, and driver drowsiness detection are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are road slope estimation and adaptive cruise control, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for artificial intelligence in the automotive industry

AI-assisted dimming is a key innovation area in artificial intelligence
AI-assisted dimming includes an AI-based data-driven network, which utilises data generated by a series of lighting components, that continuously collect and store the data at a centralised server. The AI algorithms can run sensors for real-time source level decisions or at the centralised server for making centralised decisions.
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 40+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established automotive companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of AI-assisted dimming.
Key players in AI-assisted dimming – 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 AI-assisted dimming
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Koito Manufacturing is one of the leading patent filers in AI-assisted dimming. It recently developed a new sensor lighting module, which incorporates sensors on all four corners of the vehicle. The technology allows for 360-degree monitoring of the vehicle's surroundings and detection of pedestrians and other vehicles. Some other key patent filers in the innovation area include Toyota, Porsche Automobil, Valeo, and Magna International.
To further understand how artificial intelligence is disrupting the automotive industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Automotive.
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