Patents and self-driving vehicles

Aim of the study Self-driving vehicles (SDVs) are expected to be commercially available from 2025 and have the potential to create a transport revolution. With an estimated potential market of some several hundred billion dollars per year by 2030 (A.T. Kearney, 2016), leading automotive companies are deploying massive R&D capacities to develop new technologies in this field. A more diverse range of industrial enterprises is also becoming involved in the sector, as technology evolves in vehicles. Established automotive firms, known to be extremely innovative, must adapt to disruptive digital technologies coming from other, equally powerful industries, such as wireless communication and big data. While the new entrants traditionally have less experience in safe vehicle design, they lead in software, communication technologies and artificial intelligence (AI). Many of the underlying technologies have already been invented, and thousands of patent applications have been filed to secure the intellectual property rights to them. This study provides a comprehensive picture of current trends and emerging leaders in SDV technologies. By looking at patent applications in this field, it gives a unique insight into the race to innovate in smart, connected and automated vehicles. Drawing on the most recent patent information from the European Patent Office (EPO), including as yet unpublished patent applications, and incorporating advanced technology expertise in the field, it is a unique source of intelligence which will enable policy-makers and industry leaders to understand and anticipate the significant changes that are on the way. What are self-driving vehicles? For the purposes of this study, all technologies enabling the full automation of vehicles have been identified. The corresponding SDV patent applications have been divided into two main technology sectors, each of which is in turn subdivided into a number of SDV technology fields: – The first sector – Automated vehicle platform – encompasses technologies that are embodied in the vehicle itself. It includes inventions that enable vehicles to make autonomous decisions (Perception, analysis & decision), inventions in the automated parts of the vehicle (Vehicle handling) and inventions in the underlying hardware and software technologies (Computing). – The second sector – Smart environment – comprises technologies that enable SDVs to interact with each other and with their surroundings. It includes inventions in vehicle connectivity and related communication infrastructure (Communication) and inventions in traffic management, vehicle identification, automated parking and interfaces between vehicles and the electricity grid (Smart logistics).