The automotive industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by the wider approach for better road safety, enhanced driving experience, as well as the increasing importance of technologies such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, Internet of Things, robotics, electrification, 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 Innovation in Automotive: Electroluminscent vehicle displays.
The dashboard of a car is where electroluminescent display technology is typically used. These boards are used in audio equipment and a display-equipped electronic device. In addition, it is used in display-equipped audio equipment and other electronic devices. Electroluminescent displays have better lighting than LCD displays, and they are also used in calculators, mobile phones, watch dial illumination, and keypad illumination.
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, eccentric crankshaft gears, retarder brake system, and closed-circuit liquid cooling are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Bio-fuel ICEs, electromagnetic valve actuators, and road friction estimation are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are tyre bead fillers and vehicle turbochargers, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for the automotive industry
Electroluminescent vehicle displays is a key innovation area in automotive
Electroluminescent displays work by means of the electroluminescence phenomenon and are used in industrial, instrumentation, and transportation applications.
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 20+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established automotive companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of electroluminescent vehicle displays.
Key players in electroluminescent vehicle displays – 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 electroluminescent vehicle displays
| Company | Total patents (2010 - 2021) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| Ultravision Technologies | 25 | Unlock company profile |
| G-Smatt Global | 22 | Unlock company profile |
| Partners For Growth V | 20 | Unlock company profile |
| Leyard Optoelectronic | 16 | Unlock company profile |
| Sloanmpany | 16 | Unlock company profile |
| Avery Dennison | 13 | Unlock company profile |
| Current Lighting Solutions | 13 | Unlock company profile |
| Dover | 10 | Unlock company profile |
| General Electric | 10 | Unlock company profile |
| ams | 10 | Unlock company profile |
| Cooledge Lighting | 9 | Unlock company profile |
| Federal Signal | 7 | Unlock company profile |
| Zumtobel Group | 6 | Unlock company profile |
| General LED | 6 | Unlock company profile |
| GLUX Visual Effects Tech (Shenzhen) | 6 | Unlock company profile |
| Ecoglo International | 5 | Unlock company profile |
| Ford Motor | 5 | Unlock company profile |
| Goodrich Lighting Systems | 5 | Unlock company profile |
| Grifols | 5 | Unlock company profile |
| Compagnie de Saint-Gobain | 5 | Unlock company profile |
| Litetronics International | 5 | Unlock company profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
G-Smatt Global, with 22 patents, is one of the top companies to file for an electroluminescent vehicle display patents. The company's primary focus is on the production and development of advanced integrated ICT product that possesses the fundamental properties of transparent glass and can simultaneously display media images. Leyard Optoelectronic, Sloanmpany, and Avery Dennison are a few other notable patent filers in the same industry.
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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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.
