The automotive industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by enhanced driving experience, range efficiency, and braking performance, and growing importance of technologies such as sensors, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. 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 Internet of Things in Automotive: Brake pedal sensors.
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, smart car seats, tyre sensors, and predictive maintenance systems are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Acoustic vehicle signalling devices, brake temperature monitoring, and autonomous parking are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are disc brake actuators and AI-assisted dimming, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for IoT in the automotive industry
Brake pedal sensors is a key innovation area in IoT
For HEV, PHEV, and EV passenger cars, the brake pedal sensor is a significant factor in regenerative braking optimisation. The brake pedal stroke range, where the regeneration can be maximised, is precisely provided to the inverter.
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 10+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established automotive companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of brake pedal sensors.
Key players in brake pedal sensors – 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 brake pedal sensors
| Company | Total patents (2010 - 2021) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| Hyundai Motor Group | 65 | Unlock company profile |
| Kia | 54 | Unlock company profile |
| Toyota Motor | 47 | Unlock company profile |
| Nissan Motor | 35 | Unlock company profile |
| Mando | 27 | Unlock company profile |
| Hitachi | 20 | Unlock company profile |
| Aisin | 20 | Unlock company profile |
| Ford Motor | 16 | Unlock company profile |
| Robert Bosch Stiftung | 13 | Unlock company profile |
| Honda Motor | 13 | Unlock company profile |
| Panasonic | 13 | Unlock company profile |
| Hyundai Mobis | 10 | Unlock company profile |
| Faurecia | 10 | Unlock company profile |
| Stella Vermogensverwaltungs | 9 | Unlock company profile |
| Texas Instruments | 8 | Unlock company profile |
| Erae Automotive Systems | 6 | Unlock company profile |
| General Motors | 5 | Unlock company profile |
| COSCO Shipping Holdings | 5 | Unlock company profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Hyundai Motor Company engages in the development and manufacture of brake pedal sensors for electromechanical brake systems that improves braking response time by capturing driver intent, even before the brake pedal moves. The company currently holds 65 filed patents in the brake pedal sensors segment. Other prominent companies in the brake pedal sensors segment are Kia, Nissan, and Toyota.
To further understand how IoT is disrupting the automotive industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Internet of Things (IoT) 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.
