The automotive industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by the increasing number of accidents and rising distractions while lane changing. To enhance vehicle safety, comfort, and efficiency, vehicle lane-changing behavior is influenced by the surrounding traffic environment and flow. This enables the vehicle to make more informed decisions when it comes to changing lanes. Furthermore, growing importance of technologies such as collision avoidance system, traffic sign recognition system, tire pressure monitoring system, and parking assistance systemis driving innovation in the industry. In the last three years alone, there have been over 1.7 million patents filed and granted in the automotive industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Artificial intelligence in automotive: autonomous lane changing. 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 stabilizing 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.

300+ 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 one million patents, there are 300+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Within the emerging innovation stage, autonomous on-demand logistics, end-to-end learning models, and adaptive driver alerting are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Vehicular vision, adaptive cruise control, and predictive acceleration control are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing.

Innovation S-curve for artificial intelligence in the automotive industry

Autonomous lane changing is a key innovation area in artificial intelligence

Autonomous lane changing is the ability of a self-driving vehicle to change lanes on its own without any input from the driver or human operator. The technology incorporates sensors, algorithms, and decision-making models to calculate the safest and quickest possible lane change for the vehicle.

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 30+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established automotive companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of autonomous lane changing.

Key players in autonomous lane changing – a disruptive innovation in the automotive industry

‘Application diversity’ measures the number of applications identified for each patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.  

‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of countries each patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.

Patent volumes related to autonomous lane changing

Company Total patents (2021 - 2023) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
Huawei Investment & Holding 24 Unlock Company Profile
INRIX 106 Unlock Company Profile
Qualcomm 7 Unlock Company Profile
Toyota Motor 15 Unlock Company Profile
Baidu 129 Unlock Company Profile
Alphabet 13 Unlock Company Profile
Robert Bosch Stiftung 3 Unlock Company Profile
Apple 9 Unlock Company Profile
Hyundai Motor 21 Unlock Company Profile
Aptiv 13 Unlock Company Profile
Nissan Motor 57 Unlock Company Profile
Neusoft 14 Unlock Company Profile
Renault 40 Unlock Company Profile
Honda Motor 5 Unlock Company Profile
Panasonic 4 Unlock Company Profile
Porsche Automobil 6 Unlock Company Profile
General Motors 11 Unlock Company Profile
Amazon.com 4 Unlock Company Profile
LG 31 Unlock Company Profile
Wipro 6 Unlock Company Profile
Kia 13 Unlock Company Profile
Intel 191 Unlock Company Profile
Ford Motor 12 Unlock Company Profile
Hyundai Mnsoft 6 Unlock Company Profile
Stellantis 11 Unlock Company Profile
Peloton Technology 45 Unlock Company Profile
FiveAI 23 Unlock Company Profile
Beijing TuSimple Future Technology 12 Unlock Company Profile
Beijing Jingdong Technology 3 Unlock Company Profile
Perceptive Automata 9 Unlock Company Profile
Gatik.ai 8 Unlock Company Profile
Neusoft Ruichi Automotive Technology (Shanghai) 4 Unlock Company Profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

Intel is one of the leading patent filers in autonomous lane-changing technology. Intel's latest autonomous lane-changing technology is named Mobileye SuperVision, which is a camera-based system that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to detect and track other vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists on the road. Mobileye SuperVision can make decisions about when to change lanes safely, without the need for human intervention. Some other key patent filers in autonomous lane changing include Baidu, INRIX, and Nissan Motor

In terms of application diversity, INRIX leads the pack, while Porsche and Intel stood in the second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Intel held the top position, followed by INRIX and FiveAI.

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the automotive industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Automotive.

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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.

GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.