Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Patent Landscape 2026
The AUV patent field is at maturity, with annual filings plateaued near their 2019 peak and the field still showing positive multi-year growth of 9%. Subsea 7 leads a moderately concentrated field in which the top five filers hold 28% of the hundred largest filers’ combined output, and Chinese institutions account for the largest single jurisdiction of filings.
Subsea 7 leads a field with a clear tier gap between Western industrials and Chinese academia
Subsea 7 holds the top position with 49 patent families, followed closely by the Shenyang Institute of Automation (Chinese Academy of Sciences) at 42, Kawasaki Heavy Industries at 38, and Harbin Engineering University at 36. The top five filers collectively represent 28% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, indicating moderate but not extreme concentration.
A first tier of five organizations — Subsea 7, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Harbin Engineering University, and PxGeo UK — clusters between 33 and 49 patent families. A second tier of mid-range filers (Seabed Geosolutions BV, Zhejiang University, CGG Services) sits between 24 and 33. The gap between tiers is meaningful but not insurmountable for a well-funded entrant.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Subsea 7 Ltd | 49 | |
| 2 | Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences | 42 | |
| 3 | Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd | 38 | |
| 4 | Harbin Engineering University | 36 | |
| 5 | PxGeo UK Ltd | 33 | |
| 6 | Seabed Geosolutions BV | 33 | |
| 7 | Zhejiang University | 26 | |
| 8 | CGG Services SA | 24 | |
| 9 | Autonomous Robotics | 23 | |
| 10 | Saudi Arabian Oil Company | 17 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Raytheon Company | 13 | |
| 12 | Tianjin Hanhai Lanfan Marine Technology Co Ltd | 13 | |
| 13 | Exail Robotics | 12 | |
| 14 | KOREA INSTITUTE OF OCEAN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | 11 | |
| 15 | Seabed Geosolutions AS | 11 | |
| 16 | Northwestern Polytechnical University | 11 | |
| 17 | China Jiliang University | 10 | |
| 18 | Cellula Robotics Ltd | 10 | |
| 19 | Ocean Floor Geophysics | 8 | |
| 20 | Jilin University | 8 |
The leader’s position reflects deep integration of AUV vehicle design with subsea operations and launch-and-recovery systems. Chinese academic institutions (Shenyang, Harbin, Zhejiang) collectively rival the industrial leaders in raw volume, signaling that state-backed R&D is generating substantial IP that may transfer to commercial applications.
The most recent 18–24 months of data are subject to publication lag and will understate current activity; 2025 and 2026 figures should be read as provisional. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Annual filings plateaued after 2019; vessel-core IPC classes dominate but adjacent branches offer entry points
The filing trend chart shows how annual AUV activity has evolved since 2017, while the technology composition chart reveals which IPC branches capture the bulk of current IP and which remain relatively sparse.
Annual filing trend
Annual filings rose sharply to a 2019 peak of 100, then eased to the 65–94 range in subsequent years. The field remains active on a multi-year basis with 9% recent growth, but has not regained its 2019 high. The 2025 and 2026 data points are provisional due to publication lag and should not be read as a structural decline.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B63G (naval vessels and offensive systems) and B63C (launching and salvaging vessels) dominate the IPC mix, reflecting the centrality of vehicle chassis and deployment mechanics to AUV IP strategy. G01V (geophysics and gravity surveying), B63H (marine propulsion and steering), G05D (control of non-electric variables), and G01S (radar, sonar and positioning) form a meaningful secondary cluster, pointing to active investment in sensing, survey, and autonomous control sub-systems.
↗ 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.
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle for Transport of Pay…
An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is disclosed for transporting and delivering a positively buoyant payload and/or a negatively buoyant payload to a destination. The AUV can be gravitationally propelled through the sea. The AUV can comprise a flexible vehicle body that receives a positively buoyant payload (e.g., incompressible fluid, like fuel) and… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Modular autonomous underwater vehicle system | 218 |
| 2 | 一种海底电缆探测水下机器人及作业方法 | 131 |
| 3 | 一种水下机器人回收系统及其回收方法 | 109 |
| 4 | Autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle with buoyan… | 95 |
| 5 | Hybrid remotely/autonomously operated underwater v… | 82 |
| 6 | Autonomous underwater vehicle for marine seismic s… | 76 |
| 7 | Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Borne Gravity Meter | 74 |
| 8 | 采用同时定位与地图构建方法的自主式水下机器人 | 73 |
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 AUV patent structure means for R&D investment decisions
China-dominant jurisdiction profile defines specific strategic considerations for teams evaluating AUV R&D entry or expansion.
Field is at plateau maturity — optimized differentiation matters more than category creation
Annual filings have plateaued near their 2019 peak, consistent with a mature technology stage. Multi-year growth remains positive at 9%, meaning the field is still expanding but no longer in rapid-growth mode. R&D investment should target differentiated sub-systems — propulsion, control, and survey sensing — rather than broad vehicle-platform patents where freedom to operate is already constrained.
Maturity stageModerate concentration with a two-tier structure — second tier is reachable
The top five filers hold 28% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total. The gap between the first tier (33–49 patent families) and the second tier (24–33) is meaningful but not prohibitive. A focused applicant filing consistently in a well-chosen sub-domain could move into the second tier within a standard R&D cycle. The presence of multiple Chinese academic institutions in the top ten signals competitive pressure from state-funded programs.
Moderate concentrationCollaboration is nascent — most active pairs are within Chinese academia and one Gulf operator
Harbin Engineering University co-files with its Sanya Nanhai Innovation and Development Base on 2 joint families, and also has 1 joint family with a water-diversion infrastructure firm, indicating application-driven partnerships. Zhejiang University co-files with Shanghai Nanhua Lanling Electric on 2 joint families and with Hangzhou Shenghao Technology on 1. The Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology co-files with the Korea Ocean Research Institute on 2 joint families. Saudi Aramco and Saudi Aramco Services share 1 joint family. Cross-sector and cross-border collaboration remains limited, suggesting whitespace for strategic alliances between Western industrials and specialist sensor or AI firms.
Limited cross-border co-filingChina dominates filings; the US and Europe remain significant but secondary
China accounts for the largest single jurisdiction at 420 patent records, reflecting the scale of Chinese academic and emerging commercial AUV activity. The United States follows at 201, with Europe (EPO) at 86 and WIPO PCT at 79. India at 61 is a notable emerging jurisdiction. Organizations seeking global freedom to operate should prioritize prosecution across at least China, the US, and Europe, given the dispersed ownership structure and the heavy China-side filing volume from academic applicants.
China-dominant jurisdictionGo 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.
| Applicant | Collaborator | Co-filings |
|---|---|---|
| Harbin Engineering University | Harbin Engineering University Sanya Nanhai Innovation and Development Base | 2 |
| Zhejiang University | Shanghai Nanhua Lanling Electric Co Ltd | 2 |
| Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology | Korea Ocean Research Institute | 2 |
| Harbin Engineering University | Shaanxi Yinhan Jiwu Engineering Construction Co Ltd | 1 |
| Zhejiang University | Hangzhou Shenghao Technology Co Ltd | 1 |
| Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) | Saudi Aramco Services Company | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Subsea 7 anchors in vehicle and deployment IP; Shenyang Automation Institute leads the Chinese academic bloc
The two leading filers represent distinct strategic archetypes — a Western subsea-services industrial and a Chinese state-backed research institute — each with different technology emphases and recent trajectory.
Subsea 7
Subsea 7 leads with 49 patent families, concentrated in B63G (AUV vehicle systems), B63B (marine vessel structures), and B63C (launch and recovery). This portfolio reflects a vertically integrated approach covering the full AUV-to-seabed workflow. Recent momentum data for Subsea 7 is not separately broken out in the momentum evidence, but the applicant tech profile shows consistent depth across all three primary IPC classes, suggesting a stable and well-defended position rather than a surge.
49 patent familiesShenyang Institute of Automation (CAS)
With 42 patent families, the Shenyang Institute of Automation leads the Chinese academic bloc. Its focus is on B63C (launch and salvage, 27 families) and B63G (vehicle systems, 22 families), with emerging activity in B63H propulsion. Recent momentum shows a 40% decline versus the prior three-year window, indicating the institute’s filing pace has eased, though its accumulated portfolio remains the second-largest in the field.
42 patent families| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences | 9 | ▼ -40% |
| Harbin Engineering University | 6 | ▼ -40% |
| Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd | 8 | ▼ -60% |
| Zhejiang University | 9 | ▲ new entrant |
| Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served IPC branches adjacent to the AUV core
Several IPC classes sit adjacent to the dominant AUV core (B63G, B63C) but carry substantially lower patent counts. These are observations of relative sparsity; each is noted as a potential focus area only where technical value and a plausible entry path are identifiable.
G05D · Control of Non-Electric Variables
G05D holds 130 patent records — meaningful in absolute terms but only 5% of the total IPC mix, and well below the B63G and B63C dominants. AUV autonomous control (depth, heading, trajectory under current disturbance) maps directly to G05D, and the gap between the sensor and vehicle branches suggests that advanced real-time control algorithms remain an under-claimed area relative to the hardware. Entrants with expertise in adaptive control or model-predictive control for marine environments could build a differentiated position here without directly colliding with the dominant players’ vehicle-chassis portfolios.
Search this in Eureka →G06N · Computing Based on AI Models
G06N holds only 13 patent records in this corpus, representing a notably sparse presence given the broader industry shift toward AI-driven perception and mission planning for AUVs. The technical case for AI integration — obstacle avoidance, acoustic image interpretation, adaptive mission replanning — is well established, and the low filing count suggests most current AUV AI work is either embedded in broader robotics filings outside this corpus or is genuinely underdeveloped. Teams combining AUV domain knowledge with machine-learning expertise face limited prior art in this branch.
Search this in Eureka →How leading AUV filers differ by IPC technology route
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | B63G 8 · Naval vessels & offensive | B63C 11 · Launching & salvaging vessels | G05D 1 · Control of non-electric variables | G01V 1 · Geophysics & gravity surveying | B63B 27 · Ships & marine vessels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CGG (Compagnie Generale de Geophysique) | Strong · 42 | Moderate · 11 | Emerging · 3 | Strong · 39 | Emerging · 4 |
| Seabed Geosolutions BV | Strong · 31 | Moderate · 7 | Absent | Strong · 28 | Moderate · 8 |
| Subsea 7 Ltd | Strong · 49 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Moderate · 16 |
| Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd | Strong · 21 | Strong · 34 | Moderate · 7 | Absent | Absent |
| Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences | Strong · 22 | Strong · 27 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Harbin Engineering University | Strong · 28 | Strong · 20 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Autonomous Robotics | Strong · 23 | Absent | Absent | Moderate · 10 | Moderate · 7 |
Frequently asked questions
Subsea 7 leads with 49 patent families, ahead of the Shenyang Institute of Automation (Chinese Academy of Sciences) at 42 and Kawasaki Heavy Industries at 38.
The top five filers hold 28% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total. This is moderate concentration — a two-tier structure exists, but the gap between tiers is not so large as to foreclose entry by a focused challenger.
The field is at maturity. Annual filings plateaued near their 2019 peak of 100, and while multi-year growth remains positive at 9%, the field is no longer in rapid-expansion mode.
China leads at 420 patent records, followed by the United States at 201, Europe (EPO) at 86, WIPO PCT at 79, and India at 61. China’s volume is driven heavily by academic institutions.
B63G (naval vessels and offensive systems) and B63C (launching and salvaging vessels) dominate. Secondary active branches include G01V (geophysics and gravity surveying), B63H (marine propulsion and steering), G05D (control of non-electric variables), and G01S (radar, sonar and positioning).
G05D (autonomous real-time control algorithms) and G06N (AI and machine-learning models) are notably sparse relative to their technical relevance to AUV systems, suggesting limited prior art for well-scoped entrants in these branches.
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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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