Toyota leading the way for driverless car patents
Car maker Toyota is leading the way for filed and granted patents related to driverless cars, a report has showed.
More than 22,000 new inventions were filed during the last five years with established car makers driving innovation.
Toyota tops the list with 2,000 patents filed that are directed to the technology. In second place is Bosch, while Denso, Hyundai, GM and Nissan also make up the list.
Technology company Google is 26th on the list.
The report, published by Thomson Reuters’ IP & Science division and called “ 2016 State of Self-Driving Automotive Innovation”, analysed worldwide applications and granted patents between January 1, 2010 and October 31, 2015. It was released on Wednesday, January 6.
Japan is the leading jurisdiction with Toyota, Denso, Nissan and Honda all among the world’s top 20 filers.
Vin Caraher, president of Thomson Reuters IP & Science, said that the data show that driverless vehicles will probably become a reality in the years to come.
“If we’ve learned anything in the 21st century, it’s that technology seems to be boundless, as long as you have the right collaborators at the helm.
“Our analysis of the patent activity shows some predictable leaders and some surprises. It will be compelling and exciting to watch how their inventions unfold in the year ahead.”
The report was compiled using the Derwent World Patents Index database.
