Development of technological sector “Driverless vehicles and highly automated vehicles” based on the results of patent search

Abstract

Introduction (problem statement and relevance). In the modern world, the issue of relevance of driverless vehicles and implementation of this technology in economic, legal and technological environment is more acute than ever. The scope of the latest technological solutions grows year by year often drawing attention of the largest companies that are ready to invest effort and finance in improvement of methods, techniques and devices related to production and operation of driverless transport. The purpose of the study is to analyze the main development trends of the driverless vehicle technologies market based on the patent search over the period of 2012–2021, to identify regularities and draw conclusions on the state of the technology market development at the time of the study. Methodology and research methods. In the course of the study, domestic and foreign patent documentation databases were examined, as well as directly the patent documents describing various technical solutions in the technological sector of driverless vehicles. Scientific novelty and results. Following the results of the analysis, conclusions on the high level of interest from inventors and large organizations, especially from the Asian region, in the developments in the “Driverless vehicles and highly automated vehicles” sector were drawn. Based on the data, conclusions on the Russian patent activity were also drawn, in comparison with the indicators of other leading countries. It was noted that the technological sector had been developing rapidly and achieved the peak indicators in 2020 so far. Practical significance. The analysis results can be used by inventors and organizations in order to identify the trends of the world market of technologies and demand for individual developments within the technological sector.