- Toyota leads automotive industry for 9 consecutive years
with 3,056 patents in 2022
- Secures highest ranking ever in listing's 40-year history at
#4
- More than half of the awarded patents are related to future
mobility
ANN
ARBOR, Mich., Feb. 14,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- For the 9th
consecutive year in 2022, Toyota was awarded more patents than any
other automaker by the United States Patent and Trademark Office
according to an annual listing by the Intellectual Property Owners
Association (IPO). In addition, Toyota moved up the ranks in
overall patents being awarded to a single company, to fourth
overall this year.
The ranking represents the highest ever achieved in the list's
40-year history, further reinforcing its position as a leader in
technology and innovation among the world's best-known brands. Of
the 3,056 patents the company was awarded in 2022, nearly half are
for future mobility, including 26 percent around electrification
targeting vehicles, batteries and materials, and 14 percent focused
on automation and safety.
"As we aggressively pursue an electrified future, Toyota
continues to amp up its investment in innovation," said
Sandra Phillips-Rogers, senior vice
president of Corporate Resources and chief legal officer at Toyota
Motor North America. "Our engineers, researchers and scientists are
responding with technology that puts Toyota in the best position
both now and for years to come."
"At Toyota, we nurture invention, and it shows in our
performance on the IPO's listing year after year," said
Frederick Mau, intellectual property
counsel and director of Patent Licensing for Toyota Motor North
America. "This not only benefits Toyota, but industry and society
as a whole, since some of our intellectual property is available
for others to license and discover new applications."
Patents awarded in 2022 include:
- Optimizing Energy Transfer During EV Charging – Systems to
optimize the amount of energy transferred to individual EVs from
multiple sources and along a travel route, tracking through
blockchain technique, in order to efficiently use energy
sources.
- Vehicle Control Based on Driver Engagement – Systems and
methods, developed by Toyota's Collaborative Safety Research Center
(CSRC), for safe maneuver and control of a vehicle using
driver-state detection to measure ability of the human to safely
handle external environment anomalies.
- Water System for a Fuel Cell Vehicle - Utilizes the water
generated as a byproduct of the hydrogen fuel cell to provide
further value to the operator of the vehicle. This includes
functions such as increasing radiator capability on demand through
misting as well as providing water for other on-board vehicle
systems.
- Seat Massaging Technology – A shape memory alloy actuator that
enables a new type of seat massage for a shiatsu-style experience.
(Available for licensing through Toyota IP Solutions)
- Vibration Isolation for Bicycles – A new vibration isolator
seat post for bicycles to mitigate bumps from pavement otherwise
felt through the saddle seat. (Available for licensing through
Toyota IP Solutions)
Globally, Toyota spends more than $1
million per hour on R&D to ensure that the company
remains a leader in mobility and vehicle technology that is safe,
high-quality, and appealing to both our customers and beyond.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in
North America for more than 65
years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation
mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than
1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the
design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and
trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota's
14th plant in North
Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for
electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road
than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 20 electrified
options, with more in showrooms later this year.
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights
the way it partners with community, civic, academic and
governmental organizations to address our society's most pressing
mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move,
anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit
www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
Media Contact
Rick Bourgoise
313-405-5972
richard.bourgoise@toyota.com
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SOURCE Toyota Motor North America