Xiaomi Auto Announces New Automated Driving Patent

Xiaomi Auto Technology Co., Ltd. announced on Tuesday that it has obtained a patent on “automated driving methods, installations, electronic devices and storage media.”

The patent overview explains that the method includes acquisition of image frames to be detected, captured, and identified continuously by the vehicle camera module. It also includes the determination of the presence and position of a target object in each frame, with said target object being a designated accessory of the vehicle ahead. Finally, the method includes a determination of road conditions based on the position of the target object and the control of the vehicle, enabling it to perform a corresponding driving action if the target object is present in at least two frames.

Xiaomi previously published a patent for a “vehicle control method, device, storage medium, electronic device and vehicle.”

Xiaomi has actually made substantial preparations for building cars. According to Xiaomi‘s Q1 2022 earnings data, the firm spent 425 million yuan ($63.3 million) in the first quarter on innovative businesses such as smart electric vehicles.

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Zhihuiya, an IP SaaS provider, assessed that Xiaomi‘s patents in the entire automotive sector were valued at more than $100 million as of the first quarter of 2021. In all, Xiaomi has over 800 automotive-related patents in areas such as wireless communication networks, data processing, digital information transmission, image communication, traffic control systems, distance measurement, and navigation.

According to Xiaomi President Wang Xiang, the company’s automotive business currently has an R&D team of more than 1,000 people, and it has plans to achieve mass production in the first half of 2024.