Visible light communication is a communication method that uses light in the visible light band as an information carrier, does not require a transmission medium such as a fiber channel, and directly transmits optical signals in the air. In recent years, visible light communication technology has gradually gained attention. Through keywords and IPC classification, this paper retrieves 1,671 global visible light communication patents, and analyzes patent application trends, patent distribution areas, and major patent applicants, in order to grasp the distribution status of visible light communication technology from a macro perspective.
1. Analysis of global visible light communication patent situation
Figure 1 Annual trend of patent application for visible light communication technology
Figure 1 reveals the annual trend of global visible light communication patent applications. It can be seen from the figure that the development of visible light communication technology can be divided into three stages. From the 1990s, the visible light communication technology patents began to be laid out, and the 1990 patents. The number of applications was 16 and from 1990 to 1993, the number of patent applications continued to grow in a small range. From 1994 to 2004, the number of patents for visible light communication showed volatility, and the number of patent applications for the year remained between 30 and 60. After 2005, the number of patent applications for visible light communication technology has increased significantly. The number of patent applications in the highest year has exceeded 100, but the volatility is still very large.
From the perspective of the initial application time of patents and the number of patent applications, visible light communication technology is in its infancy at this stage, and patents and products have not entered a period of development and explosive growth.
Figure 2 Global distribution of visible light communication patents
Figure 2 shows the global geographical distribution of visible light communication patents. It can be seen from the figure that the global distribution of visible light communication patents is relatively concentrated, mainly in countries and regions where technology is relatively developed. Patent applications are usually adapted to market development. Companies in active regions generally pay more attention to the layout of patents. Among them, the first echelon is the United States, Japan and China. The number of patent applications for visible light communication exceeds 300. The second echelon is South Korea, Germany, etc. The number of patent applications is about 100; Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom also have corresponding The patent distribution of visible light communication, but the number of patent applications is relatively small.
In addition, many patent applications for visible light communication have been filed through the World Intellectual Property Organization and the European Patent Office. Among them, the number of patent applications is 126 and 198 respectively, and the protection of a larger geographical area can be obtained by designating the application country. This also explains from one side. At present, companies related to visible light communication technology have begun to lay out basic patents around the world. Once the technical bottleneck is broken and large-scale application is launched, it can win market position through pre-layout patents. The patent layout strategy commonly used by international giants.
Figure 3 Distribution and quantity of major patent applicants in the world of visible light communication technology
Figure 3 is a distribution diagram of the world's major patent applicants for visible light communication technology. Among the main applicants, LED companies and communication companies account for a large proportion. South Korea's Samsung Electronics, Qualcomm, and Sony Japan have more than 100 patent applications. As a giant in the field of communications, these three companies have invested heavily in the field of visible light communication, aiming to gain an advantage in the initial stage of technology. The number of patent applications from Philips, Panasonic and Shenzhen Guangqi is about 50, which is quite different from the number of patent applications in the first three. LG, NEC, IBM, Nokia, C&S and other companies have fewer than 40 patent applications, and they have a small part of the company's huge patent portfolio. The specific development trend needs to be determined in conjunction with the company's strategy and the development of new technologies. A conservative attitude.
As can be seen from the distribution of Figure 3, there are more major applicants in China, Japan and Korea. Among them, there are three in China. Shenzhen Guangqi, Information Engineering University and Tsinghua University all have relatively large patent layouts. However, unlike foreign countries, domestic visible light communication technologies are mainly controlled by research institutions. If they can promote commercial transformation, In the practice of promoting the development of technology, in terms of improving competitiveness and developing independent innovation, we can achieve certain results.
2. Analysis of the status of patents for visible light communication in China
The number of patent applications for visible light communication in China reached 387. The patent application began after 2000 and began to grow rapidly after 2008. From the point of view of the type of patent application, as shown in Figure 4, patent applications in the field of visible light communication in China are mainly invention and utility model patents, in which the proportion of invention patents is 83%, and the proportion of utility model patents is 17%. There is no design patent. This shows that the quality of patents in the field of visible light communication in China is relatively high, and the basic innovation capability is relatively strong. The lack of design patents indicates that the field of visible light communication is now relatively low in commercialization and industrialization, and peripheral products have not yet been developed.
Figure 4 Distribution of patent types of visible light communication in China
Figure 4 shows the geographical distribution of China's visible light communication patents. It can be seen from the figure that China's visible light communication technology mainly concentrates on the number of patent applications in the Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta. In the relatively concentrated universities in Beijing, Wuhan, Shanghai and other regions, there are certain distributions of visible light communication patents. Compared with the distribution patterns of dense and fragmented areas in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other regions in the Yangtze River Delta, the distribution of patents in Guangdong is relatively concentrated, and the number of patent applications is relatively large. The patent applications are concentrated in Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Guangdong.
Figure 5 is the main patent applicant for visible light communication technology in China. The total number of patent applications in the top 8 applicants accounted for 40% of the total number of visible light communication patents in China (including the patent department of Shenzhen Guangqi Higher Institute of Technology and Shenzhen Guangqi Innovation Technology Co., Ltd.) The company has applied together) and the concentration is relatively high. Among the enterprises with a large number of patent applications, in addition to domestic enterprises, foreign companies such as Samsung and Toshiba have begun to apply for patents in China.
Figure 5: Main patent applicants for visible light communication technology in China
In addition, applicants with a large number of patent applications in China are universities and research institutions; Information Engineering University, Tsinghua University, Southeast University, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, etc., all have a small layout in the field of visible light communication, but also from each Independent application of laboratories in universities and colleges; in addition, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, etc., based on the research and development of traditional optical communications, the research on visible light communication has also achieved certain results.
Figure 6 Shenzhen visible light communication technology main patent applicant
Shenzhen Guangqi Innovation Technology Co., Ltd. has a high number of patent applications for visible light communication. From the perspective of the number of patent applications, the technical strength in the world cannot be underestimated, but in terms of patent layout, it is concentrated in China.
As can be seen from Figure 6, in addition to universities and research institutions, enterprises in Shenzhen have begun to have patent layouts in the field of visible light communication technology. ZTE has 6 patent applications in the field of visible light communication technology. In addition to domestic and patent applications, Huawei has five patents for visible light communication in the United States and the European Union. This shows that Shenzhen has a certain foundation in the research and development and industrialization of visible light communication technology. Relevant enterprises have certain understanding and input into the research and development and commercial prospects of visible light communication technology.
In addition, Shenzhen is a gathering place for LED companies and has a good foundation in LED technology and market. The applicants for Shenzhen visible light communication patents are all communication companies, and LED companies have low attention in this regard. The attention and participation of LED companies play an important role and significance in solving the problems of LED devices and chips used in visible light communication technology.
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