Arguably, Toyota is the world’s most respected automaker. In simple terms, the colossal Japanese car company is the posterchild for doing things right. Toyota’s quality is legendary, the vehicles they build have a well-deserved reputation for lasting so long they’re practically family heirlooms, and this corporation is a leader in innovation, even if Toyota’s cars and trucks are rarely the first to debut exciting new features.
No. 1 In The Automotive Space
Underscoring its commitment to continuous modernization, this automaker just won an important award. Last year, Toyota was granted more patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office than any other automotive company. In fact, this is the 11th consecutive year Toyota earned this title.
In 2024, the automaker received a whopping 2,428 U.S. patents, putting them in the top 10 of all patent recipients. How’s that for innovation?
- Toyota was awarded 2,428 U.S. patents last year
- This is the greatest number of any automotive company
- The automaker has earned this honor for 11 consecutive years
“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,” said Sandra Phillips, senior vice president of enterprise integrity as well as Toyota’s chief sustainability officer and chief legal officer in a media release. “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.”
Of the more than 2,400 patents Toyota received in the U.S. last year, dozens of them relate to electronics. This includes driver assistance technology, cybersecurity, electric vehicles, and fuel cells. Robotics, vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-everything communication, materials, and even manufacturing were well represented in these patents as well.
Toyota’s Relentless March Of Progress
One of the more interesting patents the company earned in 2024 is for a fabric that reflects LiDAR. Normally, black materials are very difficult for these sensors to detect, so in the past, Toyota invented a new pigment based on copper oxide nanocrystals that LiDAR can see. Now, researchers have figured out how to weave this material into fabrics that can be used for clothing, bags or other accessories. This could improve pedestrian safety.
Another intriguing patent is for a new way of optimizing how power is distributed in a fuel cell system. Together, a new architecture design and control system help improve “efficiency, durability, drivability and/or safety of the system,” all important factors when working with hydrogen, which is usually stored under very high pressure.
Practically speaking, there are no true self-driving cars available today. What we do have, however, is limited autonomy, think GM Super Cruise and Ford BlueCruise, systems that do nearly all the driving in certain, limited scenarios. In the future, though, vehicles will drive themselves, and they’ll have to communicate with each other to make this happen. Another one of Toyota’s patents deals with how automated cars and trucks talk to one another in order to help traffic flow more smoothly and efficiently.
Underscoring these innovations, in the same media release mentioned earlier, Fred Mau, intellectual property (IP) counsel and director of patent licensing for Toyota IP Solutions said, “We are securing a tremendous amount of new IP in growth areas of electrification, new materials and autonomous driving.” Adding context, Mau also noted, “Toyota takes a strategic approach to patent filing, ensuring that we are building a portfolio of core technology and supporting future goals and objectives.”
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