Who is building the most defensible smart tire IP – and in which direction?
Tires used to be rubber rings that just rolled. Now they’re becoming sensor-packed data platforms – monitoring pressure, wear, temperature, and road grip in real time. Unusual names like Airbus and NVIDIA are entering a space long owned by Bridgestone, Michelin, and Goodyear.
This report ranks 50 companies based on US patent publications filed after January 1, 2023, covering smart tire technology – spanning tire sensing and TPMS, materials and compounds, vehicle-tire integration, service and infrastructure, and RFID traceability. It’s the same patent-first approach behind GreyB Spotlight, our program recognizing the top 1% of innovators across industries.
This ranking follows the same patent-first evaluation behind GreyB Spotlight, our program recognizing the top 1% of innovators across 23+ industries – no applications, no nominations, evidence only.
Ranked by total patent count – highest to lowest.
| Rank | Company | HQ Country | Technology Focus | Patent Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bridgestone | Japan | Connected Tire Sensing & AI Manufacturing | 228 |
| 2 | Hyundai | South Korea | Vehicle-Tire Integration Systems | 140 |
| 3 | Toyota Motors | Japan | Vehicle-Tire Integration Systems | 134 |
| 4 | Volvo Truck | Sweden | Commercial Vehicle Tire & Chassis Systems | 124 |
| 5 | Kia Corp | South Korea | Vehicle-Tire Integration Systems | 115 |
| 6 | Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co | USA | Smart Tire Platforms & EV Tire Systems | 105 |
| 7 | Ford Motor | USA | Vehicle-Tire Integration Systems | 95 |
| 8 | Continental | Germany | Embedded Tire Sensing & TPMS Security | 94 |
| 9 | Michelin & Cie | France | Airless & Self-Powered Smart Tires | 88 |
| 10 | GM Global Technology Operations Llc | USA | Vehicle-Tire Integration Systems (GM IP) | 84 |
| 11 | Yokohama Rubber | Japan | Tire Wear Sensing & Materials Informatics | 77 |
| 12 | Sumitomo Rubber Industries | Japan | Adaptive Tread & Tire Energy Harvesting | 58 |
| 13 | Airbus | France | Aircraft Tire Pressure & Health Monitoring | 50 |
| 14 | Denso | Japan | Automotive Sensor Systems | 44 |
| 15 | Robert Bosch | Germany | Automotive Sensor & ADAS Systems | 40 |
| 16 | Hitachi Astemo Ltd | Japan | Chassis & Suspension Sensor Systems | 31 |
| 17 | Pirelli Tyre Spa | Italy | Connected Cyber Tyre & V2X Sensing | 29 |
| 18 | Toyo Tire Corp | Japan | AI Tire Force Sensing & Materials Design | 29 |
| 19 | Waymo Llc | USA | Autonomous Vehicle Tire Wear Sensing | 28 |
| 20 | Pacific Industrial Co Ltd | Japan | TPMS Valve & Sensor Manufacturing | 28 |
| 21 | Honda Motor | Japan | Vehicle-Tire Integration Systems | 28 |
| 22 | Volvo Car Corp | Sweden | Vehicle-Tire Integration Systems | 28 |
| 23 | Sensata Technologies | USA | Tire Pressure Monitoring Sensors (TPMS) | 27 |
| 24 | Sysgration Ltd | Taiwan | Tire Pressure Monitoring Sensors (TPMS) | 27 |
| 25 | Deere & Co | USA | Agricultural Tire & Traction Sensing | 25 |
| 26 | TDK Corp | Japan | Magnetic & TPMS Sensor Components | 19 |
| 27 | ZF Cv Systems | Germany | Commercial Vehicle Braking & Tire Dynamics | 19 |
| 28 | Lyten Inc | USA | Advanced Materials & Sensing (3D Graphene) | 18 |
| 29 | Illinois Tool Works | USA | Tire Service & Valve Equipment | 18 |
| 30 | Subaru Corp | Japan | Vehicle-Tire Integration Systems | 17 |
| 31 | Volkswagen | Germany | Vehicle-Tire Integration Systems | 15 |
| 32 | Nissan Motor | Japan | Vehicle-Tire Integration Systems | 14 |
| 33 | Goodrich Corp | USA | Aircraft Wheel & Tire Pressure Systems | 14 |
| 34 | Rivian Automotive | USA | EV Tire & Chassis Sensing | 14 |
| 35 | Hl Mando Corp | South Korea | Chassis & Brake Sensor Systems | 14 |
| 36 | Createai Inc | USA | Autonomous Trucking Tire Sensing (legacy TuSimple IP) | 13 |
| 37 | Cummins | USA | Commercial Vehicle Tire & Telematics | 13 |
| 38 | Magna Electronics Inc | USA | Vehicle Camera & Sensor Systems | 13 |
| 39 | Integrated Roadways Inc | USA | Smart Pavement & Road Sensor Infrastructure | 12 |
| 40 | Nexion Spa | Italy | Wheel Alignment & Tire Service Equipment | 12 |
| 41 | Zoox Inc | USA | Autonomous Vehicle Tire Wear Sensing | 11 |
| 42 | Pressure Systems International Llc | USA | Automatic Tire Inflation Systems (Commercial) | 11 |
| 43 | Hamaton Automotive Technology Co Ltd | China | Tire Pressure Monitoring Sensors (TPMS) | 11 |
| 44 | Camso Inc | Canada | Off-Road Tire & Track Systems | 11 |
| 45 | Nvidia Corp | USA | AI Computing for Autonomous Vehicle Perception | 11 |
| 46 | Fineline Technologies | USA | RFID Tire Tagging & Traceability | 10 |
| 47 | Mobileye Vision Technologies Ltd | Israel | Camera-Based Road & Tire Perception | 10 |
| 48 | Aperia Technologies Inc | USA | Automatic Tire Inflation Systems | 10 |
| 49 | Plusai Inc | USA | Autonomous Trucking Tire Monitoring | 10 |
| 50 | Yinwang Intelligent Technologies Co Ltd | China | Intelligent Driving & Vehicle Control Systems | 7 |
A note on ranking & company scope
Not everyone here makes tires for a living. Some show up because a single division or subsidiary is quietly patenting in this space – in tire sensing, TPMS, materials, vehicle integration, or service infrastructure. That’s the nature of smart tire IP: it cuts across tire makers, automakers, sensor suppliers, and tech companies alike.
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