The aerospace and defence industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with the conflict in Ukraine driving defence spending and investment, the need to combat emerging technologies such as hypersonics, and growing importance of technologies such as AI and computer vision. In the last three years alone, there have been over 174,000 patents filed and granted in the aerospace and defence industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Robotics in Aerospace, Defence & Security: Imaging sensors in vehicles. Buy the report here.

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According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 262,000 patents to analyse innovation intensity for the aerospace and defence industry, there are 180+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Imaging sensors in vehicles is a key innovation area in robotics

The automotive imaging systems work by providing precise measurements and utilising them for safer driving, automated or not.

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 50+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established aerospace and defence companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of imaging sensors in vehicles.

Key players in imaging sensors in vehicles – a disruptive innovation in the aerospace and defence industry

‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.

‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.

Patent volumes related to imaging sensors in vehicles

Company Total patents (2021 - 2023) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
Intel 277 Unlock Company Profile
Alphabet 237 Unlock Company Profile
Baidu 126 Unlock Company Profile
Ford Motor 93 Unlock Company Profile
Toyota Motor 85 Unlock Company Profile
LG 76 Unlock Company Profile
Aptiv 75 Unlock Company Profile
Porsche Automobil Holding 73 Unlock Company Profile
Honda Motor 65 Unlock Company Profile
Nissan Motor 63 Unlock Company Profile
Hyundai Motor Group 58 Unlock Company Profile
General Motors 56 Unlock Company Profile
Samsung Group 44 Unlock Company Profile
Amazon.com 41 Unlock Company Profile
Robert Bosch Stiftung 41 Unlock Company Profile
Kia 39 Unlock Company Profile
Uatc 33 Unlock Company Profile
Uber Technologies 26 Unlock Company Profile
Continental 24 Unlock Company Profile
NVIDIA 22 Unlock Company Profile
DEKA Research and Development 19 Unlock Company Profile
Valeo 19 Unlock Company Profile
Panasonic 19 Unlock Company Profile
Denso 19 Unlock Company Profile
Luminar Technologies 19 Unlock Company Profile
Mitsubishi Electric 18 Unlock Company Profile
Zhejiang Geely Holding Group 16 Unlock Company Profile
Sony Group 15 Unlock Company Profile
Mando 15 Unlock Company Profile
Stradvision 14 Unlock Company Profile
BlackBerry 14 Unlock Company Profile
Beijing TuSimple Future Technology 13 Unlock Company Profile
Hyundai Mobis 11 Unlock Company Profile
Suzuki Motor 11 Unlock Company Profile
Israel Aerospace Industries 9 Unlock Company Profile
BorgWarner 9 Unlock Company Profile
Uisee Technology (Beijing) 8 Unlock Company Profile
Wipro 8 Unlock Company Profile
DAF Trucks 8 Unlock Company Profile
Nippon Seiki 8 Unlock Company Profile
Magna International 8 Unlock Company Profile
AImotive 8 Unlock Company Profile
Yandex Self Driving Group 7 Unlock Company Profile
Cybernet Systems 7 Unlock Company Profile
Mazda Motor 7 Unlock Company Profile
Wistron 7 Unlock Company Profile
Baoding Innovation Great Wall Asset Management 6 Unlock Company Profile
PACCAR 6 Unlock Company Profile
Seoul Robotics 6 Unlock Company Profile
Hyundai Mnsoft 6 Unlock Company Profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

The largest patent filer in this sector is Intel, which has filed patents on LiDAR and imaging sensors to advance automated driving technology. The second largest patent filer is Alphabet, which is heavily involved in the autonomous vehicle sector, and has filed patents across the sector in order to further autonomous driving capabilities. Baidu is the third largest, and is involved in developing autonomous driving capabilities by filing patents for imaging sensors, which would enhance autonomous capabilities and safety.  

Seoul Robotics has the greatest application diversity, and is seeking to commercialise autonomous vehicle by increasing sensor capabilities in the surrounding environment as well as within vehicles. The company is developing a control tower, which can give vehicles greater awareness of surroundings. Luminar technologies has the second greatest application diversity and is filing patents for LiDAR, which will give better situational awareness and theoretically provide better safety features than the existing computer vision technology. Seoul Robotics also has the largest geographic diversity, solidifying its market position. The second place is occupied by PACCAR Technology, which aims to bring autonomous technology to trucks, providing potential supply chain solutions.

Whilst autonomous vehicles are not yet widespread, the technological advancement as well as variety of companies investing in the technologies will advance the technology in coming years.

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the aerospace and defence industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Defence.

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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.