The automotive industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by the need for enhanced driving experience, fuel efficiency, and engine performance, and the growing importance of technologies such as electrification, and connected and autonomous vehicles. 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 Innovation in Automotive: TPM mounting accessories.
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 stabilizing 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, resilient spoke wheels, auto-transmission lubrication circuits, and ignition switching engines are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Engine purge actuators, electro-dynamic braking, and adsorptive vapor recovery system estimation are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are collision avoidance braking control systems and direct injection type engines, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for the automotive industry
TPM mounting accessories is a key innovation area in automotive
The air pressure in a vehicle’s pneumatic tires is monitored by a tire-pressure monitoring system (TPMS). Using a gauge, a pictogram display, or a straightforward low-pressure warning light, a TPMS provides the driver with real-time tire-pressure information. Direct (dTPMS) and indirect (iTPMS) TPMS are the two main categories of TPMS.
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 TPM mounting accessories.
Key players in TPM mounting accessories – 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 TPM mounting accessories
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Bridgestone is one of the leading innovators in TPM mounting accessories with 179 patents. Bridgestone has offered tire management solutions to the automotive industry and is one of the top TPMS suppliers, with more than 500 million TPM mounting accessories. Some of the products offered by the company include Bluetooth low energy communication, tire-mounted sensing hardware and virtual sensors that provide insights beyond pressure and temperature. Other companies innovating in this technology domain are Camfin, Omron, and Yokohama Rubber.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the automotive industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Automotive.
Subscribe to our Newsletter
Get industry leading news, data and analysis delivered to your inbox
Subscribe
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.