The automotive industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by the need for greater safety, and the emergence of autonomous and connected vehicles, and growing importance of technologies such as cloud computing and machine learning. In the last three years alone, there have been over 720,000 patents filed and granted in the automotive industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Artificial intelligence in automotive: speed profile estimation. 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, self-driving neural networks, autonomous lane changing and AV simulation and testing are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Predictive acceleration control, collaborative autonomous driving, and AV perception and control systems are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing.
Innovation S-curve for artificial intelligence in the automotive industry
Speed profile estimation is a key innovation area in artificial intelligence
Speed profile estimation allows drivers to accurately predict their travel times and choose an alternate route or time to travel, when necessary. The traditional method for calculating the fastest routes and estimating travel times relies on road size or legal speed limits that remain the same, regardless of the time and day.
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 80+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established automotive companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of speed profile estimation.
Key players in speed profile estimation – 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 speed profile estimation
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Porsche Automobil is the leading patent filer in the speed profile estimation innovation area. Porsche’s Innodrive predictively sets a vehicle's speed for upcoming road conditions. It analyzes speed limits and topographical road features, such as gradients or corner radii using high-resolution navigation data and information supplied by the radar and video sensors. The InnoDrive modifies the gearshift strategy and speed of the vehicle based on this data. Toyota Motor, Hyundai Motor, Kia, and Tata Motors are some of the other key players.
In terms of application diversity, MC Familiengesellschaft held the top position, while Westinghouse Air Brake and Sumitomo Electric stood in second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Tencent leads the pack, followed by Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin and Eaton.
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.
