This report created by MarkLines focuses on a number of technical topics surrounding the automotive industry, and is based on patent information obtained from the "Technical Information Distribution Service-swimy" information service provided by Toyota Technical Development Corp. (TTDC). The two business areas of TTDC are in the fields of intellectual property (IP) and measurement control solutions. The intellectual property (IP) side of TTDC is involved in the collection and analysis of information on automotive technology developments globally, and provides services such as consulting for research planning, applying for patents in foreign languages, and technical translation.

 This report describes the trends of patent applications, by company, regarding drowsiness detection, a technology which continues to be equipped in more cars in recent years.

 The number of patent applications in Japan related to drowsiness detection increased from 2000 to 2007 and then trended downwards from 2008 to 2009. Since then, we have seen another upward trend in the number of patent applications from 2009 to 2017. Around 2007, the applicants with the largest number of applications were companies such as Toyota and Denso, but in recent years, those with the largest number of applications are companies such as Denso, Toyota, Omron, and Isuzu.

 Looking at the development items of applicants whose number of patent applications submitted has increased in recent years, most of the applications submitted related to Denso Corporation’s “Driver assistance device” (Development Group 4), Toyota Motor Corporation’s “Vehicle control device” (Development Group 1), “Driver status detection device” (Development Group 1), and “Vehicle travel control device” (Development Group 1), Omron Corporation’s “Concentration degree determination device, concentration degree determination method, and program for determining concentration degree'', and Isuzu Motors Limited’s “Driving state determination device and driving state determination method” and “driving concentration degree determination method and apparatus”.

Source: Technical information distribution service swimy　URL: http://www.toyota-td.jp/business/ip/swimy/
This source (TTDC) has extensive content related to automobiles. Graphs can be created for contents of interest with a single click. The database also supports the detailed display and download of intellectual property related information.

TTDC reports:
Technical Trends of Rearview Mirrors (Sep. 2019）
Electric Motor Technological Trends of Major Automotive Manufacturers (Aug. 2019）
Technical Trends of Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) (Jun. 2019）
Car Sharing-related Technical Trends (Apr. 2019）