The automotive industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by the rise in connected vehicles, safety concerns, and growing importance of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and natural language processing (NLP). 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 Innovation in automotive: in-car voice assistants. 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, multi-spark ignition, integrated multi-motor drivetrains and vehicle auxiliary drives are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Solar range extenders, turbocharger shaft bearings, and multi-lamellar clutches are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are auto-transmission lubrication circuits and electroluminscent vehicle displays, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for the automotive industry
In-car voice assistants is a key innovation area in automotive
In-car voice assistants refer to the technology that allows drivers and passengers to interact with different functions of the car through natural language voice commands. It employs various technologies including speech recognition, natural language processing, and machine learning to understand and interpret the user's voice commands and respond accordingly.
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 in-car voice assistants.
Key players in in-car voice assistants – 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 in-car voice assistants
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Hyundai Motor is one of the leading patent filers in in-car voice assistants. The company introduced its proprietary in-car voice assistant system known as the Hyundai Intelligent Personal Assistant, which is designed to offer a seamless and user-friendly experience for drivers and passengers. It could perform various functions, including adjusting vehicle settings, providing weather and traffic updates, making phone calls, and controlling infotainment features. Kia and Ford Motor are some of the other key patent filers in this space.
In terms of application diversity, Tencent leads the pack, while China South Industries Group and Guangzhou Xiaopeng Motors Technology stood in the second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Intel and Alphabet held the top position, followed by Emerging Automotive and Mitsubishi Electric.
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.
