Autonomy started with cars. The same perception, decision, simulation, and control challenges now apply across robots, drones, and AI-enabled machines operating in the physical world. Understanding the taxonomy of these inventions is the first step toward protecting them.
The Original AV Patent Taxonomy: Where It Started
The self-driving vehicle industry has always been, at its core, a patent story. Every autonomous vehicle on the road today represents the convergence of hundreds (sometimes thousands) of patented inventions working together. In 2019, the European Patent Office mapped this innovation landscape in a comprehensive study, Patents and Self-Driving Vehicles, identifying and categorizing every major technology subsector required to make a car drive itself. While the study focused on European filings, its taxonomy has become a globally recognized framework, and one that is directly relevant to U.S. patent practitioners and companies building patent portfolios at the USPTO.
