The automotive industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by the need for enhanced in-car experiences, safer and more intelligent mobility, and growing importance of technologies such as forward phase dimming and reverse phase (ELV) dimming. 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: Smart light dimmers. 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.
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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
Smart light dimmers is a key innovation area in artificial intelligence
AI-based smart light dimmers can optimise and tune light parameters by observing and measuring the indoor environment accordingly to improve user experience and well-being. The technology uses sensors to detect the brightness of the surrounding environment and adjusts the brightness of the vehicle’s headlights accordingly. The smart light dimmers can help to improve visibility while driving, especially in low-light conditions. It can also reduce the risk of accidents by ensuring that the vehicle’s headlights are not too bright, which can blind other drivers on the road.
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 100+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established automotive companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of smart light dimmers.
Key players in smart light dimmers – 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 smart light dimmers
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Ford is a key player in the smart light dimmers innovation area with 319 patents filed. The company’s smart light dimmers can automatically turn on or off when required. They have a driver-activated system with a windshield-mounted camera that can scan the road at speeds above 19km per hour and the smart light turns on when it is a very dark road with no traffic. When a vehicle with headlamps is approaching up to 2,000ft or travelling ahead with taillamps visible up to 500ft, the smart light dimmers will dim to low beams to reduce glare and avoid hindering the other motorist. Wolfspeed, AMS, Panasonic and LG are some of the other key players.
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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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.
