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For the 11th consecutive year, Toyota (NYSE: TM) has obtained more patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office than any other automotive company, according to the annual report by the Intellectual Property Owners Association. Toyota also remains in the top 10 among all patent recipients with 2428 U.S. patents in 2024.
“Toyota is evolving into a mobility company, and the breadth and depth of our patent acquisitions exemplify the wide range of invention that is taking place at our company,” said Sandra Phillips, senior vice president, Enterprise Integrity, chief sustainability officer and chief legal officer at Toyota Motor North America. “It’s a collective effort from every part of Toyota including contributions from North America R&D, Toyota Research Institute, Toyota Connected, Woven by Toyota and our manufacturing centers.”
Toyota received patents in dozens of areas this past year including cybersecurity, driver assist technology, edge computing, electric and fuel cell vehicles, mobility as a service, manufacturing, materials, robotics, telematics and V2V/V2X connectivity.
Toyota Patents in 2024
- LiDAR Reflective Fabric: LiDAR-based obstacle detection and avoidance systems, most commonly used on autonomous vehicles, have historically not had effective visibility of black-colored items due to their lack of reflectivity. Toyota previously received a patent for a proprietary black pigment based on copper oxide nanocrystals that enable detection by LiDAR. Now, this pigment has been integrated into textiles that can be used in clothing, bags and apparel for improved LiDAR detection safety. INVENTORS: Michael P. Rowe, Songtao Wu, Debasish Banerjee, Charles R. Rutledge, Torin C. Peck and Michael Jones.
- Transport Energy Transfer using Real-time Cost Information: An electric vehicle (EV) with bi-direction power transfer capability is a useful source of distributed energy for the electric power grid. The power grid is not homogenous, and local supply-vs-demand imbalances are reflected in real-time electricity pricing at different locations at different times of the day. A bi-directional EV can charge and discharge power from/to the grid taking advantage of these local price differences. However, it becomes very difficult for the EV owner to track pricing and make decisions of when, where, and how much energy to charge or discharge. Toyota has developed a method to automate the tracking of this information and use it to optimize and recommend the time, location and amount of energy to charge and discharge for maximizing the energy value without impacting the mobility needs of the EV. This method is applicable to both commercial fleet vehicles as well as individual privately-owned vehicles. INVENTORS: Norman Lu and Maximilian Parness.
- Systems and Methods for Managing Cooperative Maneuvering Among Connected Vehicles: In order for automated vehicles to make future traffic more efficient, these vehicles will have to work together, or cooperate, by sharing their future plans through wireless communication. Depending on the traffic situation and the type of maneuver, an automated vehicle may ask different surrounding vehicles to cooperate. Toyota has created methods to select which vehicles are best to cooperate to produce more efficient and smoother flowing traffic. INVENTORS: Sergei S. Avedisov, Yashar Zeiynali Farid and Onur Altintas.
- Modular Fuel Cell System Architecture and A Control System for Distributing Power to The Modules: Hydrogen fuel cell systems represent an important technology for Toyota’s multi-pathway approach for reducing carbon emissions. Toyota is evolving this technology with a new architecture and control system that optimizes power distribution for maintaining efficiency, durability, drivability and/or safety of the system. This equalizes power draw on the battery and can extend battery life. INVENTORS: Christopher M. Bulpitt, Daniel Charles Folick, Jared Farnsworth, Andrew Sata, Arlo C. Eitzer, Laura E. Bower, Daniel K. Lim, Jonathan J. Sander, Luke A. Rippelmeyer, Scott A. Friedman and Takehito Yokoo.
“Toyota takes a strategic approach to patent filing, ensuring that we are building a portfolio of core technology and supporting future goals and objectives,” said Fred Mau, Intellectual Property (IP) counsel and director of Patent Licensing for Toyota IP Solutions. “We are securing a tremendous amount of new IP in growth areas of electrification, new materials and autonomous driving.”
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About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Toyota Top Automaker Again in U.S. Patent Rankings
Click to Enlarge.
For the 11th consecutive year, Toyota (NYSE: TM) has obtained more patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office than any other automotive company, according to the annual report by the Intellectual Property Owners Association. Toyota also remains in the top 10 among all patent recipients with 2428 U.S. patents in 2024.
“Toyota is evolving into a mobility company, and the breadth and depth of our patent acquisitions exemplify the wide range of invention that is taking place at our company,” said Sandra Phillips, senior vice president, Enterprise Integrity, chief sustainability officer and chief legal officer at Toyota Motor North America. “It’s a collective effort from every part of Toyota including contributions from North America R&D, Toyota Research Institute, Toyota Connected, Woven by Toyota and our manufacturing centers.”
Toyota received patents in dozens of areas this past year including cybersecurity, driver assist technology, edge computing, electric and fuel cell vehicles, mobility as a service, manufacturing, materials, robotics, telematics and V2V/V2X connectivity.
Toyota Patents in 2024
“Toyota takes a strategic approach to patent filing, ensuring that we are building a portfolio of core technology and supporting future goals and objectives,” said Fred Mau, Intellectual Property (IP) counsel and director of Patent Licensing for Toyota IP Solutions. “We are securing a tremendous amount of new IP in growth areas of electrification, new materials and autonomous driving.”
AutoInformed on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.