LG Innotek goes all-out to secure technology in car electronics business

Courtesy of LG Innotek

LG Innotek Co., an electronics parts manufacturer under South Korea’s LG Group, has rolled up its sleeves to expand its presence in the rapidly expanding automotive components market by securing technologies.

LG Innotek announced on Wednesday that it has filed over 3,500 patents related to automotive components over the past five years.

The share of patents in this area has soared to more than 40 percent. The company is particularly focused on future vehicle technologies such as LiDAR, vehicle cameras, lighting systems, and communication modules for electric and autonomous vehicles, areas where its patent activity has grown rapidly.

The application of these proprietary patents has also allowed LG Innotek to elevate its product specifications.

A prime example is the Nexlide vehicle lighting module, which uses the company’s own fine optical pattern technology.

“By integrating our patented technologies, we have managed to reduce the number of components by more than 20 percent, creating thinner modules that free up space and provide greater design flexibility for automakers,” a company official said.

LG Innotek is also ramping up efforts to secure critical standard patents.

So far this year, LG Innotek has obtained five international standard patents for Electric Vehicle Communication Controllers (EVCC), an essential component that facilitates communication between electric vehicles and charging stations.

“Our goal is to leverage these international standard patents to further strengthen our market leadership,” the official added.

Among the five standard patents secured, four focus on vehicle charging mode determination via communication channels, while the fifth covers battery charge control technology.

In 2023, the company secured three EVCC standard patents, placing it among an elite group of eight global companies, including General Electric and Siemens, which hold patents in EV charging technology.

LG Innotek has been working on EVCC technology since forming a dedicated research team in 2013. Last year, the company introduced its second-generation EVCC, which offers improved control over charging capacity and voltage.

“This new EVCC reduces standby power consumption by activating only when needed, preventing unnecessary battery drain,” the official noted.

In addition to its patent efforts, LG Innotek is actively contributing to the development of future standards for automotive components.

The company’s experts are involved in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) project to establish LiDAR standards.

In Korea, LG Innotek is collaborating with the Korea Standards Association to standardize key technologies such as autonomous driving cameras and vehicle communication systems.