The aerospace and defense industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by automation, environmental sustainability, and operational efficiency, and the growing importance of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), unmanned systems and satellites. In the last three years alone, there have been over 237,000 patents filed and granted in the aerospace and defense industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Drones in defense: drone anti-collision systems. Buy the report here.
Smarter leaders trust GlobalData
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 206,000 patents to analyze innovation intensity for the aerospace and defense industry, there are 110 innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Drone anti-collision systems is a key innovation area in drones
Drone anti-collision systems are designed to mitigate the risk of collisions between drones and other airspace users, such as manned aircraft. They employ a combination of sensors, communication technologies, and sophisticated algorithms to detect and avoid potential obstacles or conflicting airspace traffic. Common sensor technologies include radar, lidar, cameras, and automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B). These sensors gather data about the drone’s surroundings, enabling the system to identify obstacles and calculate safe trajectories.
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 20+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established aerospace and defense companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of drone anti-collision systems.
Key players in drone anti-collision systems – a disruptive innovation in the aerospace and defense 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 drone anti-collision systems
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Boeing, a prominent player in the drone anti-collision systems sector, is the leading patent filer in this space. The company submitted patents via its subsidiary, Aurora Flight Sciences, focusing on detecting a lost link event that prompts the aircraft to follow a preconfigured protocol in response to the data. Other notable contributors in this field include Israel Aerospace Industries and RTX (Raytheon Technologies). These three companies stand out as leaders in both application diversity and global presence within the industry.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the aerospace and defense industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Drones in Aerospace and Defense.
Data Insights
From
The gold standard of business intelligence.
Blending expert knowledge with cutting-edge technology, GlobalData’s unrivalled proprietary data will enable you to decode what’s happening in your market. You can make better informed decisions and gain a future-proof advantage over your competitors.
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
