Technological developments and trends in automotive ergonomics from a patent perspective

The automotive industry has recently undergone a significant transformation, driven by technological advancements and an increased focus on user experience and safety. This study examines the subjects related to automotive ergonomics through patent analysis, providing insight into the evolving landscape of emerging trends and technological developments. The patent data for this study was obtained from the PATENTSCOPE database of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). All patent applications highly related to vehicle ergonomics over the last 23 years were extracted using search queries with Internal Patent Classification (IPC) codes and keywords. The patent data was analysed using data mining and text mining techniques and the results were visualised. The patents were analysed for annual growth, geographical distribution, key players, patent classifications and technological themes. The results of this study demonstrate that technological advancement in automotive ergonomics is in the areas of vehicle seating, safety features as well as vehicle information and control systems. While identifying technological developments and trends in automotive ergonomics, this study aims to show how patent data can be used to shed light on technological developments.