SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS, France, September 3, 2025 │ KnowMade announces the release of its new report Imaging Radar for Autonomous Systems – Patent Landscape Analysis 2025. This extensive intellectual property (IP) study provides an in-depth view of global patenting activities in imaging radar, a fast-emerging sensor technology enabling high-resolution 3D/4D perception for autonomous mobility, robotics, and beyond.
Imaging Radar: A Core Driver of High-Resolution Autonomy
Imaging radar goes beyond traditional radar by capturing range, velocity, azimuth, and elevation simultaneously, generating dense 3D/4D point clouds. This capability enables advanced perception functions such as object classification, free-space detection, and scene reconstruction. With proven robustness in adverse weather, low light, and complex environments, imaging radar is emerging as a cornerstone technology for autonomous driving, aerial drones, maritime navigation, robotics, space, and defense systems.
The report identifies more than 22,200 patent applications, grouped into over 10,600 patent families, including 2,800 core inventions of high relevance to imaging radar for autonomous systems. From 2015 to 2024, annual patent publications increased by 1,100% (CAGR 32%), underscoring the rapid acceleration of innovation in this domain.
Figure 1: Time evolution of patent publications related to imaging radar for autonomous systems until May 2025. (Source: Imaging Radar for Autonomous Systems – Patent Landscape, KnowMade, September 2025).
A Highly Competitive and Fast-Evolving IP Battlefield
Imaging radar patenting has surged as the technology evolves from a complementary sensor toward a central perception modality in autonomy. The US and China together account for more than half of global filings, while Europe retains a strong presence through Tier-1s such as Bosch, ZF, and Valeo. IP leaders including Intel-Mobileye, Bosch, GM, Alphabet-Waymo, Huawei-Yinwang, and Magna maintain diversified patent portfolios spanning hardware, software, and sensor fusion, while specialized innovators such as Arbe Robotics, Uhnder, Aptiv, and Metawave are building strong positions in 4D imaging radar and point cloud processing.
The report provides detailed IP profiles of major players and a comprehensive classification of all patent assignees: from automakers and Tier-1s to ADAS specialists, electronics firms, academia, and defense. It highlights both established IP leaders and emerging new entrants in the patent landscape, offering a clear picture of how innovation and competition are distributed across the ecosystem.
Figure 2: IP leadership of patent assignees for core inventions related to imaging radar for autonomous systems. (Source: Imaging Radar for Autonomous Systems – Patent Landscape, KnowMade, September 2025).
Report Highlights
- Global patenting trends: time evolution of publications, filing countries, and legal status.
- Competitive intelligence: IP strategies and portfolio strength of both leading patent assignees and IP newcomers.
- IP ecosystems: analysis of sub-brands, joint ventures, and co-owned patents.
- Comprehensive segmentation: six application domains (terrestrial, aerial, robotics, space, marine, defense) and five technology layers with eleven enabling techniques, including FMCW, MIMO, beamforming, 4D imaging radar, SAR, ISAR, calibration, point cloud, SLAM, tracking, and AI-driven sensor fusion.
- Focus on key markets: terrestrial applications and 4D imaging radar as the fastest-growing segments.
- In-depth company profiles: detailed IP portfolios of General Motors, Intel-Mobileye, Bosch, Huawei-Yinwang, Magna, and Alphabet-Waymo, covering scope, technical coverage, geographical reach, and notable patents.
- Extensive Excel database: more than 10,600 patent families, with structured segmentations and direct hyperlinks to an updated online platform for advanced searches, portfolio benchmarking, freedom-to-operate analysis, and competitor monitoring.
Figure 3: Leading patent assignees by technological segment in imaging radar for autonomous systems. (Source: Imaging Radar for Autonomous Systems – Patent Landscape, KnowMade, September 2025).
Strategic Insights
This report equips executives, R&D teams, and IP professionals with the tools to:
- Align innovation strategies with patent and technology dynamics.
- Strengthen competitive positioning by identifying both IP leaders and fast-moving IP newcomers.
- Secure freedom-to-operate through in-depth portfolio benchmarking and ecosystem mapping.
- Anticipate technological trajectories in one of the most competitive IP battlefields in autonomy.
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About the author
Yanni Zhou, PhD., works at KnowMade in the field of RF Technologies for Wireless Communications, Sensing, and Imaging. She holds a Ph.D. in RF and Wireless Communication from the University of Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRIA, France, and an Engineer’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from INSA Lyon, France. Yanni previously worked at Nokia Bell Labs, Strategy & Technology, focusing on 5G/6G and RF front-end systems. She developed innovative RF solutions effectively integrated into communication and radar systems. Her work also includes designing advanced radar sensing and imaging systems for accurate detection in complex environments.
Nicolas Baron, PhD., CEO and co-founder of Knowmade. He manages the development and strategic orientations of the company and personally leads the Semiconductor department. He holds a PhD in Physics from the University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis, and a Master of Intellectual Property Strategies and Innovation from the European Institute for Enterprise and Intellectual Property (IEEPI) in Strasbourg, France.
About KnowMade
KnowMade is a technology intelligence and IP strategy firm specializing in the analysis of patents and scientific publications. We assist innovative companies, investors, and research organizations in understanding the competitive landscape, anticipating technological trends, identifying opportunities and risks, improving their R&D, and shaping effective IP strategies.
KnowMade’s analysts combine their strong technology expertise and in-depth knowledge of patents with powerful analytics tools and methodologies to transform patent and scientific data into actionable insights to support decision-making in R&D, innovation, investment, and intellectual property.
KnowMade has solid expertise in Semiconductors and Packaging, Power Electronics, Batteries and Energy Management, RF and Wireless Communications, Photonics, MEMS, Sensing and Imaging, Medical Devices, Biotechnology, Pharmaceuticals, and Agri-Food.