Air Traffic Management for Drones Patent Landscape
Air Traffic Management for Drones Patent Landscape in 2026
The drone air traffic management (UTM) patent space is highly concentrated, with Rakuten Group holding nearly one-third of the 241 families in scope and the top five filers accounting for 65% of the hundred largest filers’ combined output. Activity peaked in 2019 and has since eased markedly, signalling a maturing field where core airspace management and flight-planning IP is largely claimed.
Rakuten leads a heavily concentrated field
Rakuten Group is the clear leader with 73 patent families, more than double the second-ranked applicant Dimetor GmbH at 28 families. LG Electronics (24), KONOX (20), and Ericsson (18) form a mid-tier cluster well behind the leader.
The top five filers hold 65% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, an unusually high concentration for an aerospace-adjacent technology. The gap between Rakuten and the rest of the field is large enough that no single challenger can close it without a sustained multi-year filing campaign.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rakuten Group Inc | 73 | |
| 2 | Dimetor GmbH | 28 | |
| 3 | LG Electronics Inc | 24 | |
| 4 | KONOX Co Ltd | 20 | |
| 5 | Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (Ericsson) | 18 | |
| 6 | Rhombus Systems Group Inc | 9 | |
| 7 | Nokia Technologies Oy | 8 | |
| 8 | Lightsure LLC | 7 | |
| 9 | Qualcomm Inc | 7 | |
| 10 | Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | 6 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Ofinno LLC | 4 | |
| 12 | Prodrone Co Ltd | 4 | |
| 13 | InterDigital Patent Holdings Inc | 4 | |
| 14 | Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co Ltd | 3 | |
| 15 | Wing Aviation LLC | 2 | |
| 16 | Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd | 2 | |
| 17 | AirMatrix Inc | 2 | |
| 18 | Noblis Inc | 2 | |
| 19 | Jarrell John A | 2 | |
| 20 | Lenovo (Singapore) Pte Ltd | 2 |
Rakuten’s dominance reflects an early, deliberate platform strategy around drone communication, monitoring, and traffic control — anchored in B64C and G08G technology classes. Challengers such as Dimetor and Ericsson have staked positions in wireless network integration (H04W), suggesting the competitive frontier has shifted toward cellular-based UTM.
Filings from approximately 2024–2026 are subject to publication lag and are under-counted; the apparent near-zero volumes in those years should not be interpreted as a cessation of activity. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A 2019 filing surge followed by a sustained contraction, with wireless comms emerging alongside core airspace control
The annual trend chart captures a sharp peak-and-decline pattern centred on 2019, while the technology-composition chart reveals that while B64C (aeroplanes and helicopters) dominates, wireless and digital-communications classes are growing in relative importance.
Annual filing trend
Filings surged to 87 families in 2019 — more than three times the 2017 baseline of 37 — then fell steeply through 2022. The 2023–2026 values are structurally under-counted due to patent publication lag and should not be read as confirmation of further decline. The underlying lifecycle evidence places the field in a decline stage, with annual volume having eased substantially from the 2019 peak.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B64C (aeroplanes and helicopters) is the dominant class with 231 records, reflecting the broad vehicle-level framing of UTM patents. G08G (traffic control systems, 120 records) and G05D (control of non-electric variables, 109 records) form the core ATM-specific layer, while H04W (wireless communication networks, 93 records) signals growing integration with cellular infrastructure. Lower-density classes such as B64U (unmanned aerial vehicles, 34 records) and H04L (digital information transmission, 28 records) represent areas where the patent corpus is comparatively sparse.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Planned continuity of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV…
A method for managing a wireless connection of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is described herein. The method may include detecting a handover condition for the UAV within a wireless network, wherein the UAV is connected to a source cell in the wireless network when the handover condition is detected; determining, in response to detecting the handover… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unmanned aerial vehicle communication, monitoring,… | 52 |
| 2 | Enhanced flight plan for unmanned traffic aircraft… | 40 |
| 3 | Techniques for broadcasting flight information for… | 39 |
| 4 | System for verification of integrity of unmanned a… | 37 |
| 5 | Unmanned aerial vehicle communication, monitoring,… | 36 |
| 6 | Method and system for unmanned aerial vehicle flig… | 35 |
| 7 | Optimal unmanned aerial vehicle flight route plann… | 35 |
| 8 | Device, system, and method for controlling unmanne… | 34 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
What the competitive structure means for R&D investment
The combination of high concentration, a post-peak filing curve, and sparse co-filing activity defines the strategic context for any new or existing participant in drone ATM.
Field is in decline from a 2019 peak
The lifecycle evidence labels this field as Decline, with annual filings having eased substantially from the 2019 peak of 87 families. Core concepts — flight path planning, conflict detection, and vehicle identification — are well-covered. New entrants face a crowded core and must seek differentiation in adjacent or under-served branches to justify prosecution costs.
Lifecycle: DeclineRakuten’s lead is structural, not incremental
With 65% of the hundred largest filers’ combined output held by the top five, and Rakuten alone holding 73 patent families, the IP landscape mirrors an oligopoly. Challengers Dimetor (28 families) and LG Electronics (24 families) have meaningful positions but remain in a separate tier. Any challenger aiming to compete at the platform level would need to target claim gaps in wireless handoff, dynamic geofencing, or ground-infrastructure interfaces rather than core flight-management logic.
High concentrationNo recorded co-filing activity in scope
The evidence contains no co-applicant collaboration records for this corpus. This absence suggests that drone ATM IP has been developed largely through internal R&D rather than joint ventures or consortium filings — consistent with competitive sensitivity around platform-level airspace control. Cross-sector alliances between telecom operators and drone operators, if they occur, have not yet produced joint patent filings captured here.
Evidence pendingUS leads filing activity; Japan and Europe are secondary hubs
The United States is the lead jurisdiction with 95 records, followed by Japan (54) and Europe via EPO (33). WIPO PCT filings (18) indicate some applicants are pursuing broad international coverage. India (12 records) and Germany (11 records) are emerging secondary markets, likely reflecting regulatory development. China has only 2 records in scope, a notable gap given the scale of Chinese drone manufacturing, suggesting either a different patent strategy or corpus scope limitations.
US-led, global spreadGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Rakuten dominates on volume; Dimetor and Ericsson lead on wireless-integration depth
The top two applicants differ sharply in strategic emphasis: Rakuten’s portfolio spans core flight management and traffic control, while Dimetor focuses intensively on cellular network handoff for UTM. Recent momentum data show Rakuten’s filing pace has slowed sharply, while Ericsson and Qualcomm appear as new entrants in the most recent window.
Rakuten Group
Rakuten Group holds 73 patent families — by far the largest position in the corpus — concentrated in B64C (aeroplanes and helicopters, 59 sub-class records), G08G (traffic control systems, 47 records), and G05D (flight control, 30 records). This reflects a comprehensive platform covering drone identification, communication, and airspace management. However, its recent filing trend shows a steep –90% decline versus the prior period, indicating the bulk of its foundational portfolio was built during the 2017–2020 window.
families: 73Dimetor GmbH
Dimetor GmbH holds 28 patent families and is the most cellular-network-oriented filer in the corpus, with H04W (wireless communication networks, 26 sub-class records) nearly matching its B64C coverage (28 records). This positions Dimetor as the specialist in LTE/5G-integrated UTM — a technically distinct angle from Rakuten’s platform-level approach. No momentum data are available for Dimetor in the evidence, but its second-place ranking in a declining field represents a defensible niche.
families: 28| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Rakuten Group Inc | 5 | ▼ -90% |
| Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (Ericsson) | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| Qualcomm Inc | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches at the intersection of ground infrastructure and secure communications
Several IPC classes adjacent to the dominant B64C and G08G core have low patent density relative to their technical relevance to drone ATM, representing areas where new claims could be filed with less prior-art crowding.
B64F · Ground installations for aircraft
B64F (ground installations) has only 47 records in this corpus — comparatively sparse given that vertiport infrastructure, drone landing pads, and ground-based UTM communication nodes are critical physical enablers of scalable airspace management. The technical gap is in standardised ground-to-air handshake protocols and physical landing infrastructure integrated with live airspace data feeds. Entry paths include filing on vertiport UTM integration or ground-based detect-and-avoid sensor networks, areas where regulatory development is accelerating but patent coverage remains thin.
Search this in Eureka →H04L · Digital information transmission
H04L (digital information transmission) has 28 records — notably low given that secure, low-latency data links are foundational to any UTM system operating beyond visual line of sight. The technical value lies in applying modern protocol standards (e.g. deterministic networking, time-sensitive networking) to drone command-and-control channels. With only a handful of filers active here and no dominant incumbent, this branch offers a realistic entry point for telecom-oriented players or cybersecurity specialists seeking a foothold in drone ATM without competing head-on in the saturated flight-planning core.
Search this in Eureka →How leaders differ across technology routes
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | B64C 39 · Aeroplanes & helicopters | G08G 5 · Traffic control systems | G05D 1 · Control of non-electric variables | B64F 1 · Ground installations for aircraft | B64C 13 · Aeroplanes & helicopters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rakuten Group Inc | Strong · 59 | Strong · 47 | Strong · 30 | Moderate · 21 | Moderate · 23 |
| Prodrone Co Ltd | Strong · 23 | Emerging · 4 | Strong · 22 | Moderate · 10 | Strong · 22 |
| LG Electronics Inc | Strong · 23 | Moderate · 5 | Strong · 19 | Moderate · 7 | Emerging · 1 |
| Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (Ericsson) | Strong · 18 | Strong · 15 | Moderate · 6 | Emerging · 1 | Absent |
| Dimetor GmbH | Strong · 28 | Moderate · 8 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Rhombus Systems Group Inc | Strong · 12 | Absent | Strong · 11 | Absent | Absent |
| Jarrell John A | Strong · 8 | Strong · 9 | Absent | Strong · 6 | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus contains 241 patent families in scope. This covers global filings identified as relevant to drone air traffic management and UTM systems.
Rakuten Group is the leading filer with 73 patent families, more than double the second-ranked applicant Dimetor GmbH at 28 families. Rakuten’s portfolio is concentrated in aircraft-level control (B64C), traffic management systems (G08G), and autonomous flight control (G05D).
Annual filing activity peaked in 2019 with 87 families filed that year, up from 37 in 2017. Filings have eased substantially since then. The lifecycle evidence classifies the field as being in a Decline stage relative to that 2019 peak.
The United States leads with 95 records, followed by Japan with 54 and Europe (EPO) with 33. WIPO PCT filings account for 18 records. India and Germany are emerging secondary markets with 12 and 11 records respectively.
The most covered class is B64C (aeroplanes and helicopters, 231 records), followed by G08G traffic control systems (120) and G05D autonomous control (109). Lower-density classes include B64U (unmanned aerial vehicles specifically, 34 records), H04L (digital data transmission, 28 records), and B64F (ground installations, 47 records) — these represent comparatively sparse areas adjacent to the dominant core.
Ericsson and Qualcomm are both identified as new entrants in the most recent filing window, with Ericsson showing 1 recent family and Qualcomm showing 4 recent families against no prior-period baseline. Given the publication lag affecting 2024–2026 data, their current activity levels may be higher than the evidence currently reflects.
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Disclaimer. This page is generated from PatSnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
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