LG Innotek ups automotive electronics patents for future mobility
Eui-Myung Park
4 HOURS AGO
(Courtesy of LG Innotek) South Korea’s electronics parts maker LG Innotek Co. actively increased patents on its new growth drive automotive electronics while securing standard-essential patents to speed up expanding its presence in the future mobility industry.
LG Innotek said on Wednesday the company has applied for patents on about 3,500 automotive electronics components for the last five years as it made efforts to foster the business as a future growth engine. The company’s copyrights on automotive electronics made up about 40% of its total patents.
The unit of South Korea’s fourth-largest conglomerate LG Group focused on future automobile sectors such as light detection and ranging (LiDAR), automotive cameras, lights and communication modules for self-driving vehicles.
“We aim to take the lead in technology and patents to secure an advantageous position in the global automotive electronics market,” said LG Innotek Chief Technology Officer S. David Roh in a statement.
LG Innotek aggressively increased standard-essential patents, which protect inventions essential to the implementation of particular technology standards.
The company has recently registered five international standard-essential patents on the electric vehicle communication controller (EVCC), a device on the rechargeable EV that communicates with the charging pile.
The EVCC supports communication between the EV and a charger for the exchange of information including charging voltage, current and the remaining battery capacity.
LG Innotek secured three international standard-essential patents on the EVCC last year.
Those patents are expected to allow LG Innotek to raise its shares in the global EV communication and charging control markets and collect royalties as companies with such intellectual properties can maintain their technology leads, broaden their market dominance and make money.
Only eight companies worldwide such as General Electric Co. and Siemens AG hold international standard-essential patents on the EV charging sector.
LG Innotek is actively working to obtain standard-essential patents on its core future auto parts such as LiDAR systems.
“LG Innotek’s automotive electronics technology is rapidly expanding its global influence by enhancing patent competitiveness and securing standard-essential patents,” Roh said.